Elizabeth (1998)

Elizabeth is an outstanding film portraying how it was in the Elizabthan times, the sets, the make up, the hair and the costume designing really gives you a feel for how it was back in those days. 

In the film we can see how Elizabeth grew from a young, simple girl into a woman who had to put on this hard face to the public and her encounters. She uses hair designing and make up to disguise who she really is, at the beginning of the film she has long frizzy hair down her back and a simple blue dress on, showing she was just a regular girl. Nothing fancy or impressive to show her any importance. 

As the film went on she slowly added jewels and accessories to her hair, starting off with a simple ribbon through the back up do of the frizzy curls, to a huge amount of flowers, leaves and jewels added through her top piece of hair. 

The frizzy curls got smoothed out to lovely waves going down her back at her coronation perfect for a crowning look with her high hair line showing her full face.

Throughout the film, the more important Elizabeth becomes, she has more money, more power and with that an image to uphold towards other woman showing just how powerful she really is. Adding hats and even wigs at the end of the film shows how wealthy she was as not every one in those days was rich enough to wear hats and wigs. As she got older her hair started to thin

'With middle age, Elizabeth's hair started to decrease in quantity and lost its youthful
fiery glow. loss of colour could be replaced by dye, but its poor quality made it difficult to
dress into the fashionable curled style'

She resorted to wearing wigs and having them specially made for her as she got older her hair was thinning and the colour was becoming dull  

'it is recorded that she purchased six heads of hair, twelve yards of hair curl and a hundred other devices made of hair'

I really like how she was this beautiful woman at the start, she was sweet and innocent and was plunged into a world where she had to grow up and make huge decisions so quickly. For a young woman it must have been really hard to give the people what they want and knowing what to do.
I like how the hair designing was accurate to Elizabeth, if you look at portraits of her they have been very well re created with the added jewels and accessories.

At the end of the film she decides to cut all her hair off and wear a wig, as she walked out everyone was in awe of the Queen. She showed just how powerful she was, changing her whole look to someone nearly unrecognisable. I like how she did that to show to everyone 'I am the most powerful person in the country', her white skin, red hair, red cheeks and lips was all the craze back then but her maids were upset dressing the Queen as she went through this huge transformation.

In the film she is portrayed at the beginning to have committed some sort of crime towards the reigning Queen, Elizabeth is very sweet and kind, gentle looking and sympathetic. We warm to her at the start as she has been made out to look like a victim which she very much isn't. 

At the coronation where she is crowned the new Queen of England, her whole look about her changes. She's very hard faced and stern looking showing no kindness. I like how she has these different personalities for different events, it shows she can be a Queen to her people by making tough decisions and making people think not to disobey her.
I then like how she has fun and laughs and smiles with her close ones, she still has fun and enjoys herself even though she has a reputation to uphold. Underneath that hard face of hers was still a young woman who wanted to go dancing and enjoy herself.

'it is understood that she had her face painted to distance herself from her subjects by carving herself out as a fearless icon, hidden behind a cosmetic mask'

"I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too" – Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth's make up during the film never really changes dramatically too much, she has perfect skin from the beginning but nothing on it to make her look extremely pale. I noticed her skin changed slightly in colour at her coronation, she was very pale, very white and ill looking.

In her downtime she never really seemed to have any make up on but definitely during her important events she would make sure she looked the part.

I like how the Elizabthen's started off a make up trend, even today if one celebrity is wearing it everyone wants it. 

For example, Kate Middleton's hair style was very popular in the 25-40 age group, wanting long, thick, chocolate brown locks. Or a more modern style icon such as Kylie Jenner and her lips, everyone wants a matt brown pout like hers. 

It was a little different back then everyone wanted to be pale and angelic where as now we like to be sun kissed and bronzed. 

The portrayal of Elizabeth seems to be very accurate, she was said to me a very nice looking lady, she would look after her people but still be the strong one when needed to be. All of the events that happened throughout the film were relevant to history too. Elizabeth was a very young and youthful looking lady, have angelic soft skin or that's what every one thought at the time.

'not long before her death, she had a great apprehension of her own age and declination by
seeing her face, then lean and full of wrinkles, truly represented to her in a glass'

The designer had definitely adapted the look for a contemporary audience by changing the colouring of the dresses and the scenes, it was very bright and beautiful, there was lots of lighting and there had to be a minimal amount of make up in the actors skin as they were filming. Cate Blanchett does a very, very good job of acting out as Queen Elizabeth too, she portrays the character perfectly, beautiful and precious yet stern and fierce.

http://www.britroyals.com/kings.asp?id=elizabeth1
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_I_of_England

http://theartofilm.blogspot.co.uk/2013/08/reel-connections-elizabethan.html?m=1 

https://www.pinterest.com/paulabuchananl/historical-accessories/