Elizabeth (Spotlight Series)

Elizabeth was the last monarch of the UK Tudor era and ruled for 45 years. Cate Blanchett performs the part so well. All the drama of facing execution before her reign, an assassination attempt while queen and conflict between religions are all part of her story. This film covers the early days of the period. Cate and her fellow actors give very good performances in a compelling tale. The later part of the queen’s reign is covered in ‘Elizabeth, the Golden Age’’, another excellent film.

SO. VERY. GOOD. Kate Blanchett is believable and the writers give background enough to understand the formation and motivations of various characters. Costumes, scenery, jewelry - fantastic!

Wonderful movie, about a woman in a man’s role and the uprising it causes during that time and how she handles conflict and power is artful. Could watch this over and over..

love this movie and the sec one

Exactly what I expected.

I'll try to make this as succinct as possible, this is a film you will want to watch for the quality of the performances, the camerawork, the elaborate costumes and settings, and the intriguing, overstuffed story. However, if you were a student using this film as a study aid for a test on the initial reign of Elizabeth I, you'd flunk for sure! The truth is stretched so far that if it were a spring it would break and snap back with a loud BOING! What a pity, since the Tudor dynasty is strong enough to stand on the actual facts to spin an enthralling tale dramatically without all the phony embellishments. The story begins in the last years of the reign of the pathetic Queen Mary Tudor (Kathy Burke) of England who is slowly dying of a tumor. Obsessed with her Roman Catholic religion, abandoned by her husband King Phillip of Spain, ill advised by the powerful Duke of Norfolk (Christopher Eccleston), and other nobility and clergy she is near breakdown both physically and mentally. She allows herself to be persuaded that her younger half sister the Princess Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett), heir to her crown, yet a Protestant is a possible traitor. Mary has Elizabeth transported and confined to the Tower of London. Although Mary has little love for Elizabeth, she cannot believe her guilty of treason and refuses to have her executed or disinherited. Elizabeth is eventually released to Hatfield one of her country estates where she lives quietly until Mary dies and she assumes the throne. However, her triumph is short lived as the fledgling queen is beset by serious problems, the treasury is empty, England threatened with an unfriendly neighbor, Scotland, the religious question divides the country, and she is pressured to marry and produce an heir. In addition she has to juggle an importunate lover Sir Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes), a secretary of state who seeks to govern her, Sir William Cecil (Sir Richard Attenborough), her enigmatic director of security Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), and the treacherous Duke of Norfolk who continues to be a malign presence. Front and center in this heady swirl of pageantry, sex, intrigue and melodrama is the star making performance of Cate Blanchett as the young Elizabeth. I'd never seen Ms. Blanchett before this film, and I was astounded at just how accomplished she was in developing her portrayal. Elizabeth Tudor was one of the most complex, brilliant women in history, a true Renaissance "Prince" in the Machiavellian sense. She was capricious, a mass of contradictions, formidably intelligent yet neurotic, cool headed but possessed of a fiery temper, charismatic yet kept most people at arms length. In turn she could be lion hearted, petty, shrewd, vain, generous, coquettish, diplomatic, bull headed, charming, devious and ruthless. Ms. Blanchett is able to evoke most of these characteristics as she undergoes Elizabeth's journey from the vulnerable, imperiled princess at the beginning to the iconic, majestic Gloriana at the end, without ever losing the audience's interest or sympathy. One of my favorite scenes is when Elizabeth is preparing to address a session of Parliament on the topic of religious conformity. She makes the queen endearingly human as she nervously rehearses her speech aloud by herself, forgetting pieces, making corrections, getting frustrated and angry the same as any college student preparing for their first lengthy speech in Effective Presentation 101. In terms of her appearance in the coronation scene at Westminster Abbey, clad in an ermine mantle over cloth of gold, jeweled gold crown perched atop her loose, flowing strawberry blonde hair Ms. Blanchett uncannily mirrors a famous portrait of Elizabeth in her coronation regalia. Her compelling, muti faceted portrayal heralded the arrival of an exciting, young actress brimming over with talent. Deservedly her achievement was rewarded with a Best Actress Oscar nomination and wins for both the Golden Globe and the British Film Academy Awards for Best Actress. Just as a fine diamond will sparkle more dazzlingly in the proper setting, an impressive supporting cast adds to the luster of Ms. Blanchett's portrait. Heading this list is another newcomer, Joseph Fiennes, who as Elizabeth's great passion Sir Robert Dudley, greatly resembles a younger version of an actual portrait of Dudley with his brooding, gypsy like looks, and acts with a feverish recklessness. Geoffrey Rush brings a cold blooded pragmatism to Sir Francis Walsingham, while Sir Richard Attenborough ably brings out the self-serving interest of Sir William Cecil. The malevolence of Christopher Eccleston's Norfolk makes him a truly dangerous adversary to Elizabeth. As the foppish, giddy Duke of Anjou, a would be suitor of Elizabeth, Vincent Cassel brings some moments of comic relief to the heavy drama. The hysterical Queen Mary of Kathy Burke, a woman haunted by her failures evokes pity. There is also a glimpse of the future James Bond, as Daniel Craig plays a small but key role as the Jesuit priest Father John Ballard. Finally, in one of his last roles, theatrical great Sir John Gielgud has a quick cameo as the Pope. The settings and costumes are opulent and magnificent, all the splendors of Elizabeth's court, a Renaissance tapestry brought to life, the musical score is effectively used to underscore the events unfolding on the screen. All were rewarded with Oscar nomiinations, a total of seven in all including Best Picture. However the only trophy won was by Jenny Shicore for Best Makeup. Regarding the extras, director Shekhar Kupur does a commentary, an insightful glimpse into the vision of the film, and there are two good featurettes, the better of the two is "The Making of Elizabeth", which is more developed, but the second one "Elizabeth" is also worth a look. Also when this DVD was released, the inferior sequel "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" was soon to open, there is a sneak peak at that as well. Though the film will certainly hold the average person's interest, the danger is that the uninformed viewer will take this very loose dramatic interpretation as the actual history of Elizabeth I and her early reign. So, by all means watch this if for no other reason than the glittering performance of Cate Blanchett, without it I would certainly drop the rating at least by one star. Please remember though to go into this cleared eyed with the definite understanding that this is the writer and director's dramatic interpretation of the Elizabethan Age, and not the way it really was. And, if you want to get a more accurate, balanced glimpse into a fascinating queen, try reading Alison Weir's excellent biography "The Life of Elizabeth I", published in 1998 the same year "Elizabeth" was released.

ELIZABETH is and was my introduction to director Shekhar Kapur. Boy, can this guy make a movie. Film is a medium that works via visuals, and Kapur delivers sensational vistas, landscapes, settings, and angles. There's a look and a feel of quality aesthetics in this film, which makes watching it a visually-enhancing experience. As Kapur in the special features readily admits, this is a speculative account of the early reign of Queen Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett). Her ascension certainly came at a most turbulent time; she succeeded her very Catholic sister, "Bloody Mary," whose persecution of Protestant "heretics" was tearing Britain apart. (In fact, the film opens with a disturbing scene depicting three "heretics" being burned alive at the stake; quite the "hook" to get the viewer to pay attention.) The young queen is in dangerous waters, and turns to two men for help. One of them, Sir William Cecil (played solidly by Sir Richard Attenborough), has consistent advice: Get married, produce an heir. The other advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush is sensational in this brooding, almost sinister role) is a bit more practical: Do whatever it takes to keep Elizabeth in power. To top it all off, there is the matter of Elizabeth's lover (although not proven historical fact), Robert Dudley. Played by an almost-dainty Joseph Fiennes, it becomes readily apparent young Robert will not be strong enough to handle a queen growing steadily more powerful and independent. Dudley's outcome is one of the more predictable plot lines of the film. And as we watch, we see the young Elizabeth become hardened, more cynical; we see her forfeit her own personal life in exchange for a persona--an icon around whom her people can rally. All of this is done through the exquisite professionalism of Cate Blanchett, who much deserved her Academy Award nomination. Other surprises in this film include a stunning Fanny Ardant, who plays Elizabeth's rival, Mary of Guise; and then there's the new James Bond, Daniel Craig, who plays a somewhat overzealous priest. The special features pale in comparison to the movie, but come on, the movie is where the rubber meets the road. ELIZABETH is a gripping, compelling, artistic period piece--a cinematic feast as rich as it is engrossing. Sign me up as a Shekhar Kapur fan. --D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning

Elizabeth I is by far my favorite historical figure, a powerful and fair woman who defined an entire age, lifting her country out of squalor into greatness. Although historically inaccurate, Kapur's Elizabeth is a masterpiece of cinematography. Cate Blanchett, a virtual unknown when she was cast for the role, couldn't have been a better choice for the role of this ageless monarch. The film covers approximately five years of Elizabeth's reign, from her life as a Princess, to her ascendancy to the throne on 17 November 1558 to her maturing as a monarch, taking the reigns of power from advisors. Again, ignoring the fact that some events in the film are not accurate (Kapur explains this in the bonus features), Elizabeth is a fantastic portrayal of the Tudor dynasty that died with Elizabeth I. Joseph Fiennes was the perfect choice for the Earl of Leicester (whom Elizabeth called "My Eyes"), as Fiennes is a well known Shakespearean actor, who portrayed Shakespeare the same year Elizabeth came out in "Shakespeare in Love". Great cast, including Geoffrey Rush and Sir Richard Attenborough, Elizabeth is a feast of photography, words, history and acting. I highly recommend this film, and am looking forward to Elizabeth: The Golden Age.