saw the first half of helen mirren playing Bess tonite, and i loved it, for the following reasons

1) her seductive qaulity, her wit, and her fury, made her seem more real to me, then for example the glacial coldness of cate blanchett or what ever the hell bette davis was doing (i havent seen glenda, yet)
2) the violence was really hard core, the double chop of queen marys head, the disembowleing
3) the sheer boredom of the court, the intriuge, and how limited it was--i keep being obsessed about the symbolic meanings of the minuet, the control of the body, the control of the state, etc
4) it made her hatred of catholics seemed to be an extension, a narrative, that came from natural sources, the intriuge of mary the scott, adn the armada, etc...
5) how it complicated the gender signifers of elizabeth, how she played femme when it suited, and man when it suited, and how she was something singualr and different...
6) how unpretty (ie unstylised) it was

we get the elizabeth we deserve, i think...the movie is remade every decade or so, like joan of arc or hamlet, as a way to put a mark into where our progess is eurocentrically at least...