A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.
A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her 15-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond platonic friendship.
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.Written by
CharmedGirl47
The card before the end credits states, "Elizabeth reigned for another 40 years. Walsingham remained her most trusted and loyal adviser to the end". By "the end", the filmmakers apparently mean Sir Francis Walsingham's death, as he died in 1590, thirteen years before the Queen. Whatever his loyalty, Elizabeth tended to resist his advice, most famously regarding the execution of Mary, Queen of Scots. See more »
Goofs
As Elizabeth is being arrested, Robert Dudley's gold chain suddenly disappears from around his neck. See more »
Quotes
Duc d'Anjou:
[as he stands before Elizabeth and entourage in a dress, speaking in a heavy French accent]
What? Huh? What? Wha-do, what? You stare, Madame.
[snorts]
Duc d'Anjou:
What is it, do you see... somesthings... strange perhaps? Heh-heh... Hmm?
Elizabeth:
You are wearing a dress, Your Grace.
Duc d'Anjou:
Oh, yes, I am wearing a dress! Yes, yes, I'm wearing a dress! Wha- I wear a dress like this, my mother, and you... Hm-hm. But I only dress like this-a, when I'm alone, in private, with my friends... Hmm?
Elizabeth:
Your Grace.
[...] See more »
Anyone who is looking for an historically accurate representation of the early years of Elizabeth 1's reign had best pass this one by. As far as this type of drama is concerned it has some superficial charm in respect to location, costumes and casting but the hideous distortions of fact are so blatant and so pervasive that the film becomes almost satirical. William Cecil cast as an ancient white-bearded dotard for example - Cecil was actually a mere 38 years old during the period portrayed. Why Hollywood feels obliged to revise history so often (shades of 'Braveheart' and 'The Patriot') is a mystery. Usually the real history is far more dramatic than anything the Hollywood hacks can dream up. Probably the only character who was reasonably treated in this particular film was Geoffrey Rush's Walsingham.
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Anyone who is looking for an historically accurate representation of the early years of Elizabeth 1's reign had best pass this one by. As far as this type of drama is concerned it has some superficial charm in respect to location, costumes and casting but the hideous distortions of fact are so blatant and so pervasive that the film becomes almost satirical. William Cecil cast as an ancient white-bearded dotard for example - Cecil was actually a mere 38 years old during the period portrayed. Why Hollywood feels obliged to revise history so often (shades of 'Braveheart' and 'The Patriot') is a mystery. Usually the real history is far more dramatic than anything the Hollywood hacks can dream up. Probably the only character who was reasonably treated in this particular film was Geoffrey Rush's Walsingham.