I wanted to complete some research into the amount of really good film dramas and television series there have been based on the famous Queen Elizabeth I. In order to help inspire my look with the use of different hair and makeup artists as well as the variety of costumes and the makeup created based on the type of the decade i.e. 1980s vs 1960s. I also wanted to see if modern influence effected the style of the makeup on the actresses at all.
1 9 3 7 ' F I R E O V E R E N G L A N D '
P L A Y E D B Y : F L O R A R O B S O N
This portrayal of Elizabeth is quite realistic with the almost invisible brow, and pale skin. However because of the film being black and white i cannot really comment on skin tone, hair colour or lip colour. The dangling head ornament however is not cohesive with the
Elizabethan time period as Elizabeth wanted to eventuate her high forehead and this head piece create the illusion of cutting the face in two as well as resembling a more 1920's style of headdress mixed with the Elizabethan era.
1 9 3 9 ' T H E P R I V A T E L I V E S O F E L I Z A B E T H A N D E S S E X '
P L A Y E D B Y : B E T T E D A V I S
The hair style in this film had a very bad wig and the curls were too tight to the head. The wig is an almost unnatural shade of red in this image and throughout the film. You could argue this to be high contrast from the camera and lighting however her dress is a muted mustard colour which would have also become high in contrast but hasn't. On the other had the makeup artists have made sure to remove the eyebrows as well as give the actress a high hair line. This is also the only image here where the actresses face was a true white.
1 9 5 3 ' Y O U N G B E S S '
P L A Y E D B Y : J E A N S I M M O N S
Although the high neck and ruff with pearls is technically accurate for costume, the styling for this film is very wrong. The hair, although red, is scraped back from the face. The actress has very prominent brows and doesn't have a high hairline like that of the Elizabethan era and her makeup is not very pale with red accents but is actually very muted all over, giving a fresh faced representation of the Queen. This film is about the young Queen but I feel that a lot of the makeup has been misrepresented to fit into the era of the 1950's makeup artist.
1 9 7 1 ' E L I Z A B E T H R '
P L A Y E D B Y : G L E N D A J A C K S O N
This depiction of the Queen is probably one of the most unrealistic in terms of hair and makeup styling. Her hair isn't crimped or wavy at all, it is straight and silky. The hair traditionally would be crimped and raised high above the head. However, in this film the hair is much more modern that you would expect. Her eyebrows are also very prominent and it appears that the actress has either eyeliner of mascara on because her eyes are very dark on the top lashes. In Elizabethan times this would have been unheard of as women would bleach out their eyelashes or even have none at all.
1 9 8 0 ' B L A C K A D D E R '
P L A Y E D B Y : M I R A N D A R I C H A R D S O N
Miranda Richardson's Elizabeth portrayal was quite convincing in terms of the look of the character, her eyebrows are rather prominent and her completion isn't as pale as the portraits of Elizabeth depict. The basic structure of the makeup is well positioned on the face and the overall style of the Queen is correct. However she does look like she's wearing a costume she doesn't look invested as Queen but you could say this is due to the satirical nature of the television series, Blackadder.
1 9 9 8 ' S H A K E S P E A R E I N L O V E '
P L A Y E D B Y : J U D I D E N C H
Dame Judy Dench's version of Queen Elizabeth is based on an older Elizabeth. Her character is tired of ruling, not having the love of her life and the stress of wars. This is definitely reflected in her makeup. She looks tired but still regal, maintaining her looks into old age. Her skin looks dry and tired due to lack of moisture being under lead face paint and her cheeks are rouged but a natural red. her eyebrows are not defined at all and I think this representation of Elizabeth at old age is the most realistic so far.
1 9 9 8 ' E L I Z A B E T H : T H E G O L D E N A G E '
P L A Y E D B Y : C A T E B L A N C H E T T
High hairline, pale completion, no eyebrows and rouged lips. This makeup look created for actress Cate Blanchett perfectly embodies the classic Elizabethan makeup style while still being recognisable to a modern audience and without look like face paint or a mask.
2 0 0 5 ' E L I Z A B E T H I : T H E G O L D E N A G E '
P L A Y E D B Y : A N N E M A R I E D U F F
Anne Marie Duff's portrayal of Elizabeth I is actually very serious and regal. This is reflected well in her makeup and hair looks with the coronation crown and sceptre in the image. However I feel like her facial features are too wide across the face to look like Queen Elizabeth. Her eyes are very deep set into her head though which was similar to Elizabeth and her hairline is carefully hidden with the placement of the crown. Her makeup here is extremely minimal however this is due to the fact that when Elizabeth first started out as Queen she had not yet created her signature style that created a trend across the elite of England.
2 0 0 7 ' E L I Z A B E T H I '
P L A Y E D B Y: H E L E N M I R R E N
The hair and fashion styling of Helen Mirren's take on Queen Elizabeth is very realistic to the styles of the time and possesses quite a likeness to portraits of Elizabeth. Her brows are bleached out and very thin as well as her hair being a less red colour which seems to be the colour reflected in portraits of Elizabeth. The colours of the cheeks and lips are very natural looking and subtle while still making a different to the look and the naturally pale skin.
Source of images and basic information: http://www.elizabethi.org/contents/screenqueens/
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