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Elizabeth (1998)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
22 November 1998 (USA) moreTagline:
Declared illegitimate aged 3. Tried for treason aged 21. Crowned Queen aged 25. morePlot:
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. full summary | full synopsisAwards:
Won Oscar. Another 29 wins & 32 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(95 articles)
Keira Knightley Said Beating Scarlett Johansson for Role in 'My Fair Lady' (From Celebrity Mania. 25 October 2009, 8:59 PM, PDT)
Video – FlashForward 1.04 – "Black Swan" Sneak Peeks
(From TVovermind.com. 13 October 2009, 6:49 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
Elizabeth could have unfolded in front of me all day and I would have remained enraptured. more (374 total)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 |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated R for violence and sexuality.Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
124 minCountry:
UKColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 moreCertification:
Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | USA:R (certificate #35933) | Iceland:16 | Canada:14+ (Ontario) | Brazil:16 | Philippines:PG-13 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Austria:16 | Chile:14 | Finland:K-14 | France:U | Germany:12 (bw) | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:16 | Peru:14 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:M18 (re-rating) | Singapore:R(A) (original rating) | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15Fun Stuff
Goofs:
Anachronisms: Elizabeth is shown washing her face with water. In 16th-century England, water was considered dangerously unhealthy and almost never used for washing the body. Elizabeth would have "bathed" by rubbing her face with a dry cloth. moreQuotes:
Queen Mary: Why will you not confess your crimes against me?Elizabeth: Because, Your Majesty, I have committed none.
Queen Mary: You speak with such sincerity. I see you are still a consummate actress. My husband is gone. They have poisoned my child. They say it is a tumor.
[Moans in pain]
Elizabeth: Madam, you are not well.
Queen Mary: They say this cancer will make you queen, but they are wrong. Look there, that is your death warrant. All I need do is sign it.
Elizabeth: Mary, if you sign that paper you will be murdering your own sister.
more
Soundtrack:
Te Deum moreFAQ
Where can I purchase a physical VCD of this movie from an online site?more
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England. 1555. Henry VIII has snuffed it from gout or syphilis, it depends on who you read, Bloody Mary's got a tumour and the Catholics' greatest fear is Anne Boleyn's daughter Elizabeth. Director Kapur has brought to the screen some of the most intriguing moments in English history and the result is dazzling.
Following recent grandiose French historical epics, such as the glorious Ridicule, Elizabeth more than holds its own as a no-holds barred, gripping English extravaganza. Historians across the land will no doubt pick holes in the accuracy, but it hardly matters.
The opening scene signals the film's intent. Protestant heretics are burnt mercilessly at the grisly stake, accompanied by proclamations that they should burn in Hell. It's clear that England is in a pretty gloomy state and ruled by a humourless zealot, Mary (the ubiquitous Kathy Burke), who is hell-bent on converting or murdering Elizabeth: "My sister was born a whore of that Ann Boleyn."
Cheery Mary rules a poor, remote island that is very likely to become the next possession of the growing empire of Spain. She is surrounded by rebels who want to place the Protestant Elizabeth on the throne. So, Mary gets her trusted Lord Norfolk (Eccleston cuts an impressive presence; you can imagine this man swishing on the battlefield) to arrest Lizzy and dispatch her to the Tower of London.
The camerawork and the pace of this film are breathtaking. Kapur directs with ambitious panache, whilst supplying more than a wink to Coppola's The Godfather in the process. Two scenes in particular reek of the Mafia masterpiece: one in the Vatican, the other a succession of assassinations sparked by the majesty's demand, "let it all be done". Pure Pacino.
If you shimmy past the slightly silly inclusions of the likes of Eric Cantona (the IKEA School of Acting) and Angus Deayton, and the fact that Dickie Attenborough (plays a fussy sidekick who sniffs the Queen's bedsheets and claims, "her body belongs to the State") is starting to resemble an Ewok, the acting is otherwise splendid.
Cate Blanchett not only resembles the great lady, but imparts her with enormous affection (her love of Lord Dudley, played by Fiennes, is tenderly dealt with) and delivers her lines with a steely intelligence, "I do not see why a woman must marry at all" and "I'm no man's Elizabeth" . Her performance is a revelation and if it weren't for Geoffrey Rush she would have stolen every scene. However, the Shine star, playing her demonic sidekick Walsingham, delights in creeping in the shadows and pulling the devilish strings. A positively Machiavellian turn and worthy of another Oscar.
This is a history film made at its very finest and the equal of A Man For All Seasons. Elizabeth could have unfolded in front of me all day and I would have remained enraptured. Intoxicating imagery ("English blood on French colours" the wicked Mary of Guise, Ardant, proclaims), naughty shenanigans, dastardly deeds, an epic tale and a superb cast. Stunning cinema.