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Elizabeth (1998)

Director: Shekhar Kapur

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2 reviews

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From Time Out Film Guide

The costume drama escapes its mothballs in this labyrinthine conspiracy movie, which opens on the fiery persecution of Bloody Mary's reign. When young, skittish Elizabeth (Blanchett) succeeds, one can well understand the misgivings of the court. Cecil (Attenborough) would have her marry a foreign prince to shore up the country's parlous state, but the new queen prefers the company of the charming Lord Dudley (Fiennes). Elizabeth's pragmatic Protestantism makes her the target for numerous Catholic intrigues, drawing in the Duke of Norfolk (Eccleston), Mary of Guise (Ardant) and her nephew Anjou (Cassel), the French and Spanish ambassadors (Cantona and Frain), and even the Pope himself (Gielgud). Best known for the revenge saga Bandit Queen, Kapur is a bold, intuitive director with a taste for melodrama and an aversion towards the staid. hence this eclectic and electric cast. The film plays fast and loose with history but creates a sweeping portrait of her early life and times. It's a mark of how thoroughly Blanchett makes the role her own that we're reminded more of Diana and Thatcher than Glenda Jackson or Bette Davis. Kapur cunningly confuses gender roles, equates sex with death, and rattles through dark, stony passions with some considerable panache.

Author: TCh 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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User reviews of this film

KATE said...

Posted on Sep 26 2007 14:11 EXCELLENT PORTRAYAL OF BRITAINS GREATEST MONARCH. BEAUTIFULLY FILMED AND EXCELLENTLY ACTED. CATHY BURKE IS AN EXCEPTIONAL DRAMATIC ACTRESS IN THE ROLE OF ELIZABETHS CATHOLIC SISTER MARY. I WILL DEFINATELY GO TO THE CINEMA TO SEE 'GOLDEN AGE'.

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Leona Luk said...

Posted on Jul 24 2007 03:53 This is one of those films I didn't get to see in theatre and have been' meaning to see ever since. When word came out that "The Golden Age" would be at TIFF this year, I decided it was about time I take a look at this.
It starts off with a bang, and while it doesn't quite hold all the attention it grabs at the beginning, this is still a very well done drama. The cast is, unsurprisingly, very competent and not doubted for a moment. Worth the time, and yes, I should have watched it on the big screen, however it wasn't bad on DVD either.

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