As the most filmed British monarch, Queen Elizabeth I certainly reigns over pop culture despite having been dead for almost 400 years.
Whether a minor character in a film or the title role, a scene of Queen Elizabeth I is a force to reckon with on screen, not just visually, with her intricate costumes, but also in her manner, shown to be clever and persistent.
In 1998, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett played Elizabeth in "Shakespeare in Love" and "Elizabeth" respectively. Helen Mirren has also taken on the role in "Elizabeth I" (2005) the TV series, and Cate Blanchett will play her again, in the new film "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" (2007).
Beneath that neck ruff and all those petticoats was a woman who knew how to fight a battle and win, so would the actresses who have played her in recent years be able to live up to her skills in the ring?
To start, the three thespians discover that there's no way they can fight in their costumes. Stripping down to their corsets, they see that Cate Blanchett hasn't even stayed in character enough to wear the period-style-undergarments. This begins an argument about whether she should lose on these grounds alone. The two older Brits are shut up as a bodice goes flying at their heads, and Blanchett, enraged, starts what ends up being a 15 minute chaotic massacre of cloth, pearls and peacock feathers.
In a moment of diplomacy that rivals Elizabeth herself, Dench claims that as a Dame she should automatically come out the winner, in the spirit of British honor. Mirren and Blanchett take advantage of this moment of oratory to pounce on her, coming at her from both sides.
With Dench down for the count, Mirren and Blanchett begin to fence, Blanchett catching Mirren in the leg and yelling that having played Elizabeth twice, she has the advantage. Mirren makes an astounding comeback, picking up a discarded mace with a vigorous "Well at least I didn't play the same Queen twice."
As the two battle, using an array of medieval weapons provided, they barely notice a quiet figure lurking in the shadows. The two actresses only look up when they hear a whistle, and suddenly, the Spanish Armada comes tearing into the ring - the scene is apocalyptic, as cannonballs go soaring through the air and the entire ring catches fire. The fight is called to an end, and out of the shadows creeps the quiet, unassuming form of Queen Elizabeth II, smiling maniacally from beneath her modern-day crown.
