![]() One such radical faction is led by Catherine’s childhood friend Anne Askew (Erin Doherty), whose fiery passion for the cause lands her on the wanted list for treason. ![]() Henry’s chief gripe aside from being barely ambulatory is his indignation about the growing following of the Protestant radicals itching for a revolution that would allow them to worship God over king. His rage is terrifying when he rails at the Lord for testing him, foaming at the mouth with his handy method of dispatching inconvenient wives: “We cut them down!” What’s possibly most impressive in Law’s layered performance is the evidence under Henry’s ruthlessness that he really does love Catherine enough to pray that she doesn’t turn out to be like the others, all of whom he believes failed or betrayed him. His two favorite words appear to be “Shut up!” He’s either grunting away on top of Catherine like a heaving mass or side-eyeing her with suspicions of betrayal. Jovial one minute and dangerous the next, his Henry is a man whose body is failing him, quite literally festering with poison. It’s her best work since Ex Machina.Īs for the ailing monarch, pained by swollen legs, ulcerated with gout and oozing blood and malodorous pus, Jude Law is frighteningly mercurial. Like the Blanchett film, Firebrand provides a great leading role for an actress to bite into, which Alicia Vikander does with gusto, but also with the restraint and watchful self-possession of a woman well aware that it hasn’t always ended well for her predecessors in Henry’s bed. In many ways it’s a spiritual prequel to Elizabeth, the terrific 1998 bio-drama that thrust Cate Blanchett onto the map, even if there were two monarchs between Henry VIII and the Virgin Queen - portrayed here as a sharply observant young woman by bright newcomer Junia Rees, who gets a stunner of a final shot. It steers clear of the usual anachronistic tricks (save for the exhilarating deployment of a PJ Harvey banger over the end credits), instead instilling its modernity and its reflections on gender disparity and spousal abuse by subtler means. But Firebrand, despite being steeped in the atmospheric grit and gloom of a country enveloped by plague and under tyrannical rule, is alive with vigorous contemporary attitude. His English-language debut, adapted from Elizabeth Freemantle’s lauded novel The Queen’s Gambit by screenwriters Henrietta and Jessica Ashworth, is something of a departure for Aïnouz into the potentially stiffer domain of period drama. Screenwriters: Henrietta Ashworth, Jessica Ashworth, with additional writing by Rosanne Flynn, based on the novel The Queen’s Gambit, by Elizabeth Freemantle Venue: Cannes Film Festival (Competition)Ĭast: Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Simon Russell Beale, Eddie Marsan, Sam Riley
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