Elizabeth (1998)

A film of the early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.

Director:

Shekhar Kapur

Writer:

Michael Hirst

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston

Won 1 Oscar. Another 32 wins & 32 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cate Blanchett	...	Elizabeth I
Geoffrey Rush	...	Sir Francis Walsingham
Christopher Eccleston	...	Duke of Norfolk
Joseph Fiennes	...	Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Richard Attenborough	...	Sir William Cecil
Fanny Ardant	...	Mary of Guise
Eric Cantona	...	Monsieur de Foix
Vincent Cassel	...	Duc d'Anjou
Kathy Burke	...	Queen Mary Tudor
Edward Hardwicke	...	Earl of Arundel
Emily Mortimer	...	Kat Ashley
John Gielgud	...	The Pope
Liz Giles	...	Female Martyr
Rod Culbertson	...	Master Ridley
Paul Fox	...	Male Martyr

Storyline

This film details the ascension to the throne and the early reign of Queen Elizabeth the First, as played by Cate Blanchett. The main focus is the endless attempts by her council to marry her off, the Catholic hatred of her and her romance with Lord Robert Dudley.

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Plot Keywords:

protestant | throne | catholic | england | queen | 

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Taglines:

Absolute power demands absolute loyalty.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and sexuality

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English French

Release Date:

22 November 1998 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen

Filming Locations:

Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$275,131 (USA) (6 November 1998)

Gross:

$30,012,990 (USA) (7 May 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films, Channel Four Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

124 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christopher Eccleston and Daniel Craig had previously starred together in 'Our Friends in the North' (1996), and both would go on to play iconic British roles, Eccleston as Dr Who, and Craig as James Bond.

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Goofs

The beginning of the film shows Robert Dudley with Elizabeth while she was arrested. Historically, Robert Dudley, his four surviving brothers (including Guildford), and his sister-in-law (Lady Jane Grey) were all in the Tower of London indefinitely. In fact, Wyatt's rebellion threatened all of their lives and brought about the executions of Jane and Guilford, while Robert and his remaining three brothers would stay in the tower until being released later that year.

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Quotes

[Elizabeth presents her ideas of religious reform to Parliament; the bishops are outraged and begin to argue]
First Bishop: Madam, by this act... by this act, you force us to relinquish our allegiance to the Holy Father.
Elizabeth: How can I force you, Your Grace? I am a woman.
[Bishops laugh]
Elizabeth: I have no desire to make windows into men's souls. I simply ask, can any man, in truth, serve two masters, and be faithful to both?
[Bishops start to argue again]
Bishop #2: Madam, this-this is heresy!
Elizabeth: No, Your Grace, this is... common sense.
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Blackadder Exclusive: The Whole Rotten Saga (2008)

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Soundtracks

"Rondeas I and VII"
from "Dansereyr" 1551
Composed by Tylman Susato
Performed by New London Consort
Conducted by Philip Pickett

User Reviews

Who can tell for sure how it really was?

I just watched Elizabeth, for the second time and once again I was ...what would be the word...moved? Not in the teary-eyed sense, but in a way that makes you want to read more about Elizabeth I.

However, I have read other comments and two things occurred to me. First, that many people (brilliant scholars or erudite people whom I respect) pretend that "it did not look that way" or " it did not happen that way", such and such. Who are you to tell? History is not an exact science, it is a HUMAN way to try and keep in touch with the events that shaped the world we live in. Being interested in history and costume history myself, nothing STRIKE me as BLATANTLY anachronistic. I think that Mr. Kapur primarily wanted to illustrate Elizabeth's rise to power, not her entire reign, which would take several films. His film is an account of an episode of English history, not a chronic on life in Tudor England, hence the lack of filth and lice, as someone mentioned... The second element is a more personal one, that in fact came to my mind while watching the film: how could Cate Blanchett lose the Oscar to Gwyneth Paltrow, of all people?! Her performance in Shakespeare in Love was charming, no less but no more. I think that trying to catch the conscience of a queen, to make an illustrious historic figure come to life is far more difficult than playing William Shakespeare's (fictitious) love interest.

It was my humble opinion, and I wanted to share it with other IMDB users.