I'm watching the HBO mini-series 'Elizabeth' right now. Helen Mirren is fantastic, as are Jeremy Irons and Hugh Dancy. It's a love/hate thing for me at the moment. I, of course, love the history but am turned off by the way the director has made Elizabeth I a crybaby. She's stomping around the castle weakly. I think that is wrong. That face, says several books I have read, was saved for very very few. There was also a scene where she shed a tear in front of her troops... I think that is the wrong take on it. This director despises establishing shots and whoever the art director was that painted one of her rooms to look like a seascape should be shot.
The Earl of Essex (Dancy) is gorgeous. Nice choice.
Mirren is fantastic, but the camera angles do her no justice, nor does the lighting.
Glenda Jackson is the best E I in my opinion. (Dame Judi's part was wayyyy too small in 'Shakespeare in Love'.)
I recommend it nonetheless.
It's far better than the youth-inized version that was on PBS several months ago with a rock score attached to it. Ghastly.
As you can read, this queen turned into quite a queen watching that other queen.
