'Elizabeth' by Shekhar Kapur 1998

The film Elizabeth follows the transformation of Henry VIII's daughter from her young years to being Queen of England. One key element of this transformation is the transgression of the make-up and hair design. 

To begin with, Elizabeth's make up is almost non-existent. She wears her long, strawberry-blonde hair loosely with small plaits tied around her head. The award winning makeup designer Jenny Shircore decided to leave her skin clear and glowing and left her lips looking natural with a light nude colour. In the first scene we witness young Elizabeth, she is dancing around innocently whilst grabbing the attention of Robert Dudley. Her virginal look allures the young man and he remains the love interest for the remainder of the film. Interestingly, as her make-up transforms, their relationship disintegrates. 

When she is coronated as Queen, her natural make-up look has been continued, however, her hair is more sleek and styled. From the illustrations a paintings from the 1550's, the style has been portrayed realistically. Her face does not look as pale as the painting on the right but the sleek waves drooping onto her robes compare well. Throughout her role as Queen, multiple women assist her in her transformation from woman to Queen daily. Thus symbolising the decisions that are being made for her that she does not necessarily want to follow through (war and marriage for example). 

Queen Elizabeth is soon subjected to the process of finding a suitable husband. Whilst this process occurs, Elizabeth's hair becomes more styled and pristine with a curled updo entwined with gems, flowers and gold jewellery. As her opulence grows, Robert Dudley becomes more interested in her - demonstrating his guise of being a suitor for the young Queen as he is already married and seems to be more intrigued with only her lifestyle. 

As Elizabeth grows as a Queen and as a woman, she begins to indulge in the splendour of royalty and this is reflected through the choice to include large, theatrical crowns and headdresses within the costume. Her make-up also develops as her face becomes pale and matte with a powder-like substance and exaggerated blush under her cheek bones. Within the Elizabethan era, this make-up

was created dangerously through mixing vinegar and white lead and applying it all over the face. A pale complexion was a sign of the upper class, disguised ageing and optimises Elizabeth I's transition into the 'The Virgin Queen'. The make-up artists adapted this look for the modern screens with full coverage foundation, layers of translucent powder and a lighter powder to further remove colour from Cate Blanchett's face. They also chose to bleach her eyebrows to reflect the trend of severely plucked brows throughout the Elizabethan era. For the cheeks, layers of powder blushes were applied. These techniques allowed the make-up and hair crew to indulge the character completely within the era of the film.

'I am no man's Elizabeth' is declared by Elizabeth I in one of the penultimate scenes following the deceit of Robert Dudley and her final transformation to being 'The Virgin Queen' begins. Her head is shaved in preparation for her lavish wigs and headdresses. Before she steps out into her final scene fully transformed, she exclaims 'I have become the Virgin'. Her face becomes extremely white, reflecting her virginal concepts and the innocence within her. The make-up is of significant importance to symbolise her transition from an naive young girl longing for marriage to an iconic Queen who has sworn to only 'being married to England'. The make-up almost becomes a disguise and acts as a mask that gives her power to rule the country as she is no longer seen a juvenile but is seen as a timeless icon. 


References for research
http://englishhistory.net/tudor/monarchs/queen-elizabeth-part-2/
http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/elizabethan-make-up.htm
http://www.costumersguide.com/cr_elizabeth2.shtml

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