Julia Omolo, Alexa Otlin, Sammy Quiroz, Kayla Cook

Mr. Sellek

AP English

20 September 2016

Write-Up Analysis

In the film starring Cate Blanchett, the purpose was to show the Queen was a warrior

capable of leading the people of England to victory. In order to illustrate the purpose of the film

effectively, the writers used rhetorical imagery throughout the clip. The writers purposely had

the Queen dressed in a full suit of armor, without a crown. This was to show that the Queen was

strong and associated herself as one of the soldiers as well. In the beginning of this film, there

was silence. This showed the seriousness the Queen felt, and that she did not take the war lightly.

The Queen walked up the hill and was shown by herself on one side. She looked down at the rest

of the soldiers, and this demonstrated the superiority and independence the Queen had. It

convinced the soldiers that she was someone worth respecting, which reinstated the purpose of

the film.

In the film starring Anne-Marie Duff, the purpose was to show the Queen’s emotional

influence she had on people of England. It shows the Queen sitting on a horse, just like Cate

Blanchett was, but instead she is standing ​among ​the people rather than on the opposite side of

the hill. This shows the Queen’s emotional connection to the crowd and to her people. The film

also shows clips of other “high-level” people in England reading her speech. They, too, appear to

be moved by the speech. The writers of the film put these clips in the film in order to show the

Queen’s impact on not only the soldiers, but all of England. Additionally, the camera angles
show the faces of soldiers listening in the crowd. Then, at the end of the film when the Queen

shouts her last line, the camera shows a close up of the Queen’s face. This symbolizes the crowd

accepting her as a soldier and looking to her for guidance against the Spanish. The Queen’s

speech in this film has a dramatic change in tone. The beginning she speaks softly, and her

speech crescendos into shouting at the end. This crescendo represents the change of heart in the

soldiers. They at first are unsure whether to trust her guidance, but at the end they accept her and

cheer for her. In the very end of this film, the camera moves to show everyone cheering except

the Queen’s right hand man. This represents that while the Queen had an impact on everyone in

England, she did not have a ​positive​ impact on everyone.

The two films both incorporate a bright scene, a loud cheer at the end, and inspiring

musical arrangements playing in the background. These work to help each film achieve its

purpose in its own way. The Cate Blanchett version depicts the Queen as a warrior, and the

Anne-Marie Duff film depicts her as an inspiring speaker. Regardless, both films effectively use

rhetorical imagery to further the purpose of their argument, and intrigue audiences.