Fresh
Without [Blanchett], Kapur's extravagant history lesson (written by Michael Hirst) blurs into dark doings among men in tights.
Lisa Schwarzbaum, Entertainment Weekly
Elizabeth
Declared illegitimate aged 3. Tried for treason aged 21. Crowned Queen aged 25.
1998 · 2h 3m · R
Drama, History
Directed by
Shekhar Kapur
Overview
The story of the ascension to the throne and the early reign of Queen Elizabeth the First, the endless attempts by her council to marry her off, the Catholic hatred of her and her romance with Lord Robert Dudley.
Director and cast
- Shekhar Kapur Director
- Cate Blanchett as Elisabeth I
- Joseph Fiennes as Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
- Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham
- Christopher Eccleston as Duke of Norfolk
- John Gielgud as The Pope
- Richard Attenborough as Sir William Cecil
- Fanny Ardant as Mary of Guise
- Éric Cantona as Monsieur de Foix
- Vincent Cassel Cast
- Kathy Burke Cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
83%
Tomatometer
Fresh
"Elizabeth" is superior historical soap opera that shrewdly sidesteps all the cliches of British costume drama with its bold, often modern approach.
David Rooney, Variety
Fresh
It's almost guaranteed to get a couple of Oscar nominations in the technical categories, and I think Blanchett deserves one, too.
Paul Tatara, CNN.com
Fresh
Kapur cunningly confuses gender roles, equates sex with death, and rattles through dark, stony passions with some considerable panache.
Time Out
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