Eleanor Reviews

**** Arriving on the shores of Scotland, Mary Stuart moves to reclaim her title and her position as Queen. A Catholic and with a claim to the throne of England, she immediately poses a threat to Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant and the last of the House of Tudor.  The relationship between Mary Stuart and Elizabeth Tudor is one that has fascinated historians and artists alike for centuries. In a history that's dominated by male sovereigns, Mary and Elizabeth ruled alongside each other until Elizabeth had her cousin executed - surely that means that the two hated each other? In his play which premiered in 1800, Friedrich Schiller portrays Mary's last days, and the fraught relationship between the two women - one that is far from the 'black and white' dynamic that you might expect. Since then, numerous historians have revisited this momentous moment and dissected the connection between the two. One such biography is John Guy's Queen of Scots: The True Life

**** Whisked from her quiet, sheltered life in the country to the dizzying heights of Paris after marrying socialite Willy, Colette finds herself putting pen to paper when her husband's business begins to crumble. The resulting novel,  Claudine à l'école, is a resounding success - but it isn't Colette's name on the cover... Keira Knightley has been away from our screens for a little while. A problematic actress, she's somewhat renowned for her wooden performances and jutting jaw. However, she's back in sensational style as Colette, the remarkable woman who wrote some of the best-selling novels of the 20th Century on behalf of her husband, Willy (Dominic West). Something of a female bildungsroman, the film follows her from naive country girl to oppressed writer, fashion icon to pioneer of sexual expression - and Knightley captures each stage with subtle grace and understanding. Initially wide-eyed, she goes from rage at her husband's infid

***/**** (3.5 stars) In the early 18th century, England as at war with France. In the Royal Palace, however, a much more dangerous battle is unfolding as two women vie for the affections of a frail Queen Anne. I like a clever film. I like quirky films, and unusual films and films that would be described as 'art house'. I appreciate that as much as a swirl of paint on canvas is a piece of art, a film can be one too. I enjoy being tested, educated and shocked by a film as much as I like to be entertained by one, and I like to think I don't confine my viewing experience to just one type of film.  Described as shocking, acerbic (a word that I shall now use all the time!) and heralded with a plethora of five star reviews, The Favourite certainly piqued my interest. Well, I was left wondering if I was missing something - was I not clever enough to find it as amazing as the work of other critics had led me believe? Do I just not appreciate art or cinematic maste