queen elizabeth Tagged Articles at Cinematical

How do you make learning fun for the kids? Give them nudity! I remember freshman year in high school when all the boys made sure to be in English class the day we watched Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet, because the film features a nude Olivia Hussey. Now English teachers can continue making the Elizabethan era interesting to teens with The Golden Age, which reportedly features a naked Cate Blanchett. In the sequel to Elizabeth, the actress reprises her Oscar-nominated role as the 16th century monarch, and at some point in the film she is completely nude -- although not full-frontal -- according to British journalists who got a sneak peak of footage from the film. Blanchett is said to make "one sexy monarch," which of course depends on how sexy you find someone known to be as pale as White Out.

Why this is big news is beyond me, but the reports state that the nude scene was unexpected. Sure, Blanchett doesn't take her clothes off regularly, but according to Mr Skin, she did bare flesh in the first Elizabeth film. I haven't seen the original yet, so I can't confirm how much, but the comprehensive nudity website describes it as "a very brief shot of left breast while making love in bed." She supposedly also appears nude in the Australian television show Bordertown and in the 2005 film Little Fish, although the latter might feature a body double.

The Golden Age is the second in an expected Elizabeth trilogy from director Shekhar Kapur, and it co-stars Clive Owen, Samantha Morton, Geoffrey Rush and Abbie Cornish. The film has already sparked some controversy because of its historical inaccuracies and artistic licenses taken. I wonder if historians will have further issue with the nudity from Blanchett, who originally didn't want to do the sequel at all. The context of the nudity wasn't revealed in the article, but could it possibly hurt the monarch's legendary reputation for being the "Virgin Queen"? The Golden Age will make its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September before opening in U.S. theaters October 12.

Actor James Cromwell, who is doing press over in London for his role in Becoming Jane -- which won't open here for many more months -- has given a wide-ranging interview to the Telegraph, and had some interesting things to say. He talks candidly about his role as Prince Philip in The Queen, and about his perceptions of the film in general, and how it was received in the U.K. He also accuses screenwriter Peter Morgan of having a strong bias against Queen Elizabeth and the rest of the royal family, and claims that 'a lot ' of The Queen was ultimately cut because it was so strongly anti-royal. Cromwell also says that most of the people working on the film held, to his surprise, similar views. "I was very surprised that the overwhelming majority of the people on the set -- how can I put this -- loathed Diana," he says. "Diana to them is the worst kind of English person you could possibly be."

Cromwell also says that most of his performance as Philip in the film had to be dubbed, with re-looping on every line, because he couldn't get the accent straight. "Oh, Jesus, I worked my ass on it. My problem was that you cannot make a mistake when you are playing Philip in one sound, because if you do, the reality goes out the window." Other topics covered in the interview include Cromwell's role in Becoming Jane, the television show 24, which he says he has "real problems" with, and his political views. He claims to know that America's last two elections were rigged, and says he can't handle living here anymore.

When it comes to fashion, women in their 70s aren't the first that come to mind as being trendsetters, even if they are royalty. Regardless, a new clothing craze has been influenced by something worn by Queen Elizabeth II, or at least something worn by Helen Mirren in her portrayal of Her Majesty in the recent film The Queen. The main article being sought is a Barbour wax jacket called the Beaufort, though other featured garments such as a quilted Liddesdale jacket are also in demand by fans of the film.

I'll be honest that after enjoying The Queen, the only product left in my mind was possibly Range Rover, and not because I wanted to go out and buy one (Elizabeth's gets stuck in a stream), but thanks to this story, I've realized that even my noticing of brands onscreen is indicative of how influential film's may be with product placement, whether blatant or casual. I don't know if I've ever wanted to run out and get something featured in a movie (not counting things that don't exist, of course), so I can't offer any personal examples, but I'm curious to know if any of you readers have purchased something you saw onscreen. Perhaps someone has been inspired by the menswear listed by GQ Magazine in their list of 25 greatest male movie fashions? Even as a halloween costume idea?

Anyway, as long as she's already a great model for their clothes, maybe Mirren could wear something sporty from Barbour (unfortunately they don't make gowns) at the Oscars? I hear she's definitely going to be getting an invite.

Related Queen:

Kim's review of The Queen
Erik's review of The Queen
The Queen press conference at the NYFF
Helen Mirren Oscar front-runner for Queen?