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The Rediff Special/ Savera R Someshwar

What the Censors want cut

Cut One: The scene where Duc d'Anjou, nephew to the Queen of France, humiliates Elizabeth, the Queen, telling her he wants to pat her queenie.

"Look," says director Shekhar Kapur, "Elizabeth takes the decision to defend her kingdom against France and that leads to a humiliating rout. She is forced, as a result, to receive Anjou in her court as a potential suitor. And, just because he is the victor, he is obnoxious towards her. He publicly makes a joke about her private parts and humiliates her. The scene shows how the fact that she has lost the war affects her personal life. She is expected to marry this man, and if the cut the Censor Board has suggested is made, Anjou will only be projected as a buffoon. The fact that he is such an obnoxious man will totally be lost."

"Queenie," adds Sanjeev Bhargava, who is distributing the film in India, "is anyway a slang word. How many people, do you think, will know what it means?"

Cut Two: A passionate, love-making scene between the Duke of Norfolk and his mistress. "This film," say Kapur, "is not just about Elizabeth, it also about the man who opposes her. It is the journey of these two protagonists; one could even say antagonists. This scene again highlights how intrigue can creep into a personal life. It shows how, due to the power play that was prevalent at the time, you could not trust anyone, not even the passionate woman who was in bed with you. Norfolk's mistress has already betrayed him to Elizabeth and, at the end of the scene, her guards flood the room and arrest him. And, all the while, the mistress knows this is going to happen but she has chosen to look after herself."

Cut Three: This comes towards the end of the film when the heads of the three nobles who have conspired against the Queen are displayed to, impaled on stakes. "This is a pivotal point in the film," you can almost hear Kapur wringing his hands. "Look, till then, you don't know that she has ordered all three of them to be executed. You only know that the Duke of Norfolk is to be beheaded. In fact, in the previous scene, you see her forgiving one of the conspirators because he has been nice to her and because he has children. And, in the next scene, you see his head on a stake. This scene shows you what life has made her, it shows you how ruthless she has become."

The Rediff Specials

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