ELIZABETHÂ (15)
D: Shekhar Kapur
Polygram/Channel 4/Working Title (Allison Owen, Tim Bevan
& Eric Fellner)
UK 🇬🇧 1998
121 mins
Historical/Drama
W: Michael Hirst
DP:Â Remi Adefarasin
Ed: Jill Bilcock
Mus: David Hirschfelder
PD:Â John Mhyre
Cos:Â Alexandra Byrne
Cate Blanchett (Queen Elizabeth
I), Geoffrey Rush (Francis Walsingham), Christopher Eccleston (Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk), Joseph Fiennes (Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester), Richard Attenborough
(William Cecil), Kathy Burke (Mary I of England) Â Â Â
A rather staid and heavy-going historical drama about the
former English monarch, Elizabeth I.
Great efforts have been done to recreate the Elizabethan
period, with impeccable production design, costumes, makeup and photography whilst lead actress Cate Blanchett carries the film almost entirely with an enigmatic central performance. It drags
impossibly slow in places, but overall makes a decent film, though it's unlikely to be subjected to repeat viewings.
A sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, was released a decade
later.
7/10