- Film Review
- Reviewed By Alan Jones
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4 out of 5
This Elizabethan political thriller charting the turbulent life and times of the self-proclaimed "Virgin Queen" is given a vivid contemporary focus by Indian director Shekhar Kapur's keen visual eye. A far cry from the usual costume drama, this sumptuous biography is a thoughtful and dramatic triumph and Australian actress Cate Blanchett is a revelation as the strong-willed monarch who nimbly transforms from naive girlhood to true majesty, assisted by Sir Francis Walsingham (Shine's Geoffrey Rush). Richard Attenborough, Joseph Fiennes, Angus Deayton and ex-footballer Eric Cantona flesh out an interesting cast as "Bollywood" meets The Godfather.
Plot Summary
Historical drama set in the 16th century, starring Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush. Spirited young Elizabeth is crowned queen upon the death of her sister Mary, amid religious conflict and intrigue at court. Her advisers urge her to protect England from attack by making a political marriage with a suitor from either France or Spain, but her first commitment is to ruling her country.
Cast and crew
Cast
- Elizabeth I
- Cate Blanchett
- Sir Francis Walsingham
- Geoffrey Rush
- Sir William Cecil
- Richard Attenborough
- The Pope
- John Gielgud
- Mary of Guise
- Fanny Ardant
- Bishop Gardiner
- Terence Rigby
- Duke of Norfolk
- Christopher Eccleston
- Lettice Howard
- Amanda Ryan
- Queen Mary Tudor
- Kathy Burke
- Alvaro de la Quadra
- James Frain
- Earl of Sussex
- Jamie Foreman
- Earl of Arundel
- Edward Hardwicke
- Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
- Joseph Fiennes
- Isabel Knollys
- Kelly Macdonald
- Dance tutor
- Wayne Sleep
- Kat Ashley
- Emily Mortimer
- Woad, Chancellor of the Exchequer
- Angus Deayton
- Monsieur de Foix
- Eric Cantona
- Duc d'Anjou
- Vincent Cassel
- John Ballard
- Daniel Craig
- Lady in Waiting
- Lily Allen
Crew
- Director
- Shekhar Kapur
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