BBBB.5
(out of 5)
Stunning costume drama concentrates on the period between Elizabeth I’s youthful coronation and her decision to become the untouchable Virgin Queen who led England to world superpower status. Cate Blanchett flawlessly navigates the character from her shaky days as a torn woman pulled in so many personal and political directions to the confident monarch who knows that to rule successfully she must be made of stone. Shekhar Kapur directs with great pictorial relish, using creative camera angles and light filters and getting pointed performances from all his actors. The only drawback to the film is a too-academic script by Michael Hirst that throws countless names out and expects viewers to know too much of the history of that particular period. That won’t preclude the great pleasure you’ll have in watching it, however. Joseph Fiennes is a sniveling annoyance as one of Elizabeth’s earliest lovers, and British comedienne Kathy Burke is an absolutely delicious fright as Bloody Mary Tudor.
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, Working Title Films, Channel Four Films
Directed by Shekhar Kapur
Screenplay by Michael Hirst
Cinematography by Remi Adefarasin
Produced by Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Alison Owen
Music by David Hirschfelder
Production Design by John Myhre
Costume Design by Alexandra Byrne
Film Editing by Jill Bilcock
Academy Awards: 1998
Golden Globe Awards: 1998
Toronto International Film Festival: 1998
Great post, loved Cate Blanchett in this film.