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Elizabeth

  • 19981998
  • RR
  • 2h 4m
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
101K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,167
65
Cate Blanchett in Elizabeth (1998)
Home Video Trailer from USA Films
Play trailer2:24
2 Videos
99+ Photos
BiographyDramaHistory
The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.The early years of the reign of Elizabeth I of England and her difficult task of learning what is necessary to be a monarch.
IMDb RATING
7.4/10
101K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
3,167
65
    • Shekhar Kapur
    • Michael Hirst
  • Stars
    • Cate Blanchett
    • Liz Giles
    • Rod Culbertson
    • Shekhar Kapur
    • Michael Hirst
  • Stars
    • Cate Blanchett
    • Liz Giles
    • Rod Culbertson
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 452User reviews
    • 115Critic reviews
    • 75Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 Oscar

    Videos2

    Elizabeth
    Trailer 2:24
    Watch Elizabeth
    Cate Blanchett Almost Played Clarice Starling?
    Clip 3:37
    Watch Cate Blanchett Almost Played Clarice Starling?

    Photos121

    Geoffrey Rush in Elizabeth (1998)
    Fanny Ardant in Elizabeth (1998)
    Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes in Elizabeth (1998)
    John Gielgud in Elizabeth (1998)
    Cate Blanchett and Daniel Craig in Elizabeth (1998)
    Joseph Fiennes in Elizabeth (1998)
    Cate Blanchett and Shekhar Kapur in Elizabeth (1998)
    Christopher Eccleston in Elizabeth (1998)
    Geoffrey Rush in Elizabeth (1998)
    Richard Attenborough in Elizabeth (1998)
    Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes in Elizabeth (1998)
    Cate Blanchett, Lily Allen, and Kelly Macdonald in Elizabeth (1998)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Cate Blanchett
    Cate Blanchett
    • Elizabeth I
    Liz Giles
    • Female Martyr
    Rod Culbertson
    • Master Ridley
    Paul Fox
    Paul Fox
    • Male Martyr
    Terence Rigby
    Terence Rigby
    • Bishop Gardiner
    Christopher Eccleston
    Christopher Eccleston
    • Duke of Norfolk
    Peter Stockbridge
    • Palace Chamberlain
    Amanda Ryan
    Amanda Ryan
    • Lettice Howard
    Kathy Burke
    Kathy Burke
    • Queen Mary Tudor
    Valerie Gale
    • Mary's Dwarf
    George Antoni
    George Antoni
    • King Philip II of Spain
    • (as George Yiasoumi)
    James Frain
    James Frain
    • Alvaro de la Quadra
    Jamie Foreman
    Jamie Foreman
    • Earl of Sussex
    Edward Hardwicke
    Edward Hardwicke
    • Earl of Arundel
    Emily Mortimer
    Emily Mortimer
    • Kat Ashley
    Joseph Fiennes
    Joseph Fiennes
    • Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
    Kelly Macdonald
    Kelly Macdonald
    • Isabel Knollys
    Wayne Sleep
    • Dance Tutor
      • Shekhar Kapur
      • Michael Hirst
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      1998 was the only year that two performers were nominated for Academy Awards for playing the same character in two different movies: Dame Judi Dench was nominated (and won) for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for playing Queen Elizabeth I in Shakespeare in Love (1998), and Cate Blanchett was nominated for Best Actress for portraying Elizabeth I in this movie. Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush appeared in both movies as well.
    • Goofs
      Robert Dudley recites Sir Philip Sidney's sonnet "My true love hath my heart" to Elizabeth in a boat. This sonnet was not written until at least 1580, about 20 years after the time the movie is set, and wasn't published until 1593.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Elizabeth: Observe, Lord Burghley, I am married. To England.

    • Connections
      Edited into Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
    • Soundtracks
      Te Deum
      Composed by Thomas Tallis

      Performed by St. John's College Choir, Cambridge

      Conducted by George Guest

    User reviews452

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    A Shallow Masterpiece, Cheap and Cynical
    It's painful to watch this movie, because the overpowering beauty of the locations, the cinematography, and the cast (mainly Cate Blanchett) is used in the service of an almost unbelievably shallow, smug, and cynical reading of English history.

    Other reviewers have already done a superb job of pointing out the factual inaccuracies of the film's portrayal of Elizabeth and her advisors. What I'd like to comment on is the overriding theme. This is not a feminist movie. This is a pseudo-feminist movie. In order to make Elizabeth strong, the men have to be presented as weak, duplicitous, or stupid -- or sometimes all three at once! Cynically, the film makers seem to assume that the only way to make Elizabeth look strong is to surround her with weak, morally repellent men. Or perhaps they think that the mere presence of a strong woman automatically emasculates men.

    In actual fact, of course, the remarkable thing about Elizabeth's reign is that she brought out the best in the men who served her. She was in fact an inspiring figure. None of this comes through in the movie. Weak men fail her, and strong men are simply destroyed by her. Whose fantasy is this, anyway?

    Related to this is the problem of patriotism. Elizabeth's ruthlessness and determination are presented cynically in the film as a matter of strict self-preservation. In actual fact, Elizabeth was beloved by her people precisely because she loved England much more than her own security or safety. Moreover, her ability to take risks and defy France and Spain stemmed from her intuitive knowledge of the strength of the English people. She trusted them, and they trusted her. None of that comes across here. To put it another way, Elizabeth in real life was a master politician who enjoyed interacting with her subjects and was always able to communicate with them. But in this movie there is not one single crowd scene, not one single time when Elizabeth seems interested in, let alone guided by, the hopes and fears of the English common people.

    This movie assumes that to a modern audience, "patriotism" is a dirty word. As a result it entirely misses the point of Elizabeth's life, and fails to understand either her motivations or the underpinnings of her success. Cynicism without insight, spectacle without grandeur, passion without emotion . . . this is the most shallow masterpiece ever made.

    Cate Blanchett deserved better, and so did Elizabeth.
    helpful•8
    3
    • Dan1863Sickles
    • Mar 24, 2004

    FAQ1

    • How accurate is this movie to the actual history?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 19, 1999 (United States)
      • United Kingdom
      • English
      • French
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
      • Working Title Films
      • Channel Four Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • 2 hours 4 minutes
      • Color
      • DTS
      • Dolby Digital
      • SDDS

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