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"British History At Its Best!"
"a lavish and lush medieval tapestry"
"one of the greatest human stories"
"stunning ... just stunning"
the golden age of England's monarchy emerging from the Middle Ages |
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Elizabeth starring Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes |
One of the big Elizabethan-era movies of 1998, Shekhar
Kapur's Elizabeth serves up a brimming goblet of religious tension,
political conspiracy, sex, violence and war. England in 1554 is in
financial and religious turmoil as the ailing Queen "Bloody" Mary attempts
to restore Catholicism as the national faith. She has no heir, and her
greatest fear- that her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth will assume the
throne after her death - is realised. The newly crowned Elizabeth finds
herself knee-deep in dethroning schemes while also dodging assassination
attempts. Her advisers (including Sir William Cecil, superbly played by
Richard Attenborough) beg her to marry any one of her would-be suitors
to stabilise England's empire. No matter that she already has a lover.
The passionate Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes) is married and shows he cannot stand up
to the growing strength of the Queen. With the help of her aide Walsingham
(Geoffrey Rush), Elizabeth strikes against her enemies before they get to
her first. Her rise ultimately entails rejecting love and marriage to
redefine herself as the indisputable Virgin Queen.
Cate Blanchett's Oscar-nominated performance as the naive and vibrant
princess who becomes the stubborn and knowing queen is both severe and
sympathetic. Her ethereal, pale beauty is equal parts fire and ice, her
delivery of such lines as "There will be only one mistress here and no
master!" expressed with command rather than hysterics. As striking as
Blanchett's performance is the film's lavish and dramatic production
design. The cold, dark sets paired with the lush costuming show
the golden age of England's monarchy emerging from the Middle
Ages.
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