1. Elizabeth
The image we have of Elizabeth I as a older woman, single-mindedly devoted to her kingdom, is turned on its head in this film. We see instead Elizabeth as a young woman, whose mere survival through the reign of her severe elder sister Mary was a miracle. She goes from a carefree girl, who has a quiet life at a country estate with her good friend Robert Dudley, to a prisoner in the Tower of London, living each day under the spectre of impending death. When she finally becomes queen, she is intellectually prepared for her duties but perhaps not politically saavy enough for the role. As she struggles against court politicians, each with their own interests and aspirations, Elizabeth comes to learn what she must do to rule the kingdom. She cannot be merely a woman, or even a queen -- she needs to be a symbol for her people to rally around.