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Title: All a bit much, really
Review: As Elizabeth I, Cate Blanchett is, of course, extraordinary. As a visual extravaganza, the film is lush and dramatic. And yet, the overall effect is rather wearying. The director uses a pretty heavy hand, especially when it comes to the score. He also manages to make the drama of Elizabeth's early life, which hardly needs any embellishment, seem unlikely. I don't mind loose treatment of factual events if used in service to the story, but this film was loose in tone, so that it was hard to believe that these were Elizabethan men and women, rather than actors in rich costumes. This is filmmaking as music video instead of filmmaking as storytelling.
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