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Elizabeth (film)

From Alfawiki
Elizabeth
Company typeFilm
IndustryFilm industry
Founded1998; 28 years ago (1998)
FounderShekhar Kapur (director), Michael Hirst (screenplay)
Headquarters
United Kingdom
ProductsHistorical biographical drama film

Elizabeth is a 1998 British historical biographical drama helmed by director Shekhar Kapur with a screenplay authored by Michael Hirst. The film features Cate Blanchett portraying Queen Elizabeth I, supported by performances from Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, John Gielgud, and Richard Attenborough. It chronicles the initial phase of Elizabeth's monarchy following the demise of her half-sister Mary I, emphasizing her efforts to solidify authority amid political dangers.

Debuting at the 55th Venice International Film Festival on 8 September 1998 and subsequently released in UK cinemas on 23 October, Elizabeth garnered both critical acclaim and box office success. The production was lauded for Kapur’s direction, its costume and production design, and particularly Blanchett’s portrayal, which propelled her to global recognition. The movie earned $82 million worldwide against a $30 million production budget.

At the 56th Golden Globe Awards, the film secured three nominations including Best Motion Picture – Drama, with Blanchett winning Best Actress. It received twelve nominations at the 52nd British Academy Film Awards, winning five awards such as Outstanding British Film and Best Actress for Blanchett. At the 71st Academy Awards, it was nominated seven times, including Best Picture and Best Actress categories, taking home the Oscar for Best Makeup. In 2007, Blanchett and Rush reprised their roles in Kapur’s sequel, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, which portrays the later years of Elizabeth’s reign.

Plot

In 1558, Queen Mary I of England, aged 42 and daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, passes away—likely due to a cancerous growth. Her successor, her 25-year-old half-sister Elizabeth I, born to Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, is released from house arrest and crowned monarch.

Guided by Sir William Cecil, Elizabeth inherits a kingdom fraught with financial debt, deteriorating infrastructure, hostile foreign powers, and disloyal nobles such as Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. Cecil advises Elizabeth to wed and produce an heir to strengthen her reign. Unwilling to marry unsuitable candidates, Elizabeth postpones marriage while maintaining a relationship with Lord Robert Dudley. Cecil assigns Protestant exile Francis Walsingham as Elizabeth’s protector and counselor.

Mary of Guise, acting as regent for Mary, Queen of Scots, deploys 4,000 French soldiers into Scotland. A military campaign initiated by Elizabeth fails disastrously due to her inexperience and internal betrayal; Walsingham uncovers that Catholic nobles deliberately undermined the army to justify Elizabeth’s overthrow. Confronted with this conspiracy, Elizabeth contemplates marrying Henry, Duke of Anjou—Mary of Guise’s nephew.

To consolidate her authority and reconcile religious divisions, Elizabeth introduces the Act of Uniformity, which unites English Christians under the Church of England while breaking ties with the Roman Catholic Church. In retaliation, the Vatican dispatches a priest to support Norfolk’s conspiracy against Elizabeth. Unaware of this scheme, Elizabeth meets Henry but remains inclined toward Dudley. After Cecil reveals Dudley’s secret marriage, Elizabeth rejects Henry upon discovering his cross-dressing and banishes Dudley.

Following an assassination attempt linked to Mary of Guise, Elizabeth commands Walsingham to clandestinely meet her in Scotland under the guise of marriage negotiations with Henry. Instead, Walsingham assassinates Guise, provoking French animosity. Ignoring Cecil’s counsel to ally with Spain, Elizabeth opts for her own strategy.

Walsingham exposes another Catholic conspiracy involving Norfolk’s intended marriage to Mary, Queen of Scots—a Vatican-backed plan aimed at placing Norfolk on the throne. Norfolk and his co-conspirators are arrested and executed except Dudley, whom Elizabeth spares as a reminder of past threats.

Motivated by religious symbolism, Elizabeth fashions herself after the Virgin Mary and declares herself wedded to England as its "Virgin Queen."

Cast

Production

The design and arrangement of the coronation sequence drew inspiration from Elizabeth’s official coronation portrait. Filming for principal photography took place between 2 September and 2 December 1997.

Director Shekhar Kapur initially approached Emily Watson for the lead role; following her refusal, several prominent actresses were considered before ultimately choosing Cate Blanchett, whose work in Oscar and Lucinda impressed Kapur.

The character of Pope Pius V, portrayed by John Gielgud, was originally intended for Marlon Brando; however, Brando withdrew due to scheduling conflicts, necessitating a recast.

Key interior scenes representing the royal palace were shot at Durham Cathedral, utilizing its unique architectural elements to lend authenticity to the setting.

Release

Elizabeth had its debut in September 1998 at the Venice Film Festival, followed by a screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The London premiere occurred on 2 October 1998, with a United States opening on 13 October 1998. The film’s theatrical release in the UK was on 23 October 1998. In the US, it opened in a limited release across nine theaters on 6 November 1998, earning $275,131 initially. Its widest North American distribution expanded to 624 theaters, achieving a peak weekend gross of $3.8 million from 516 cinemas and ranking ninth at the box office. Overall, it garnered $30 million in the US and Canada and accumulated $82 million globally.

Critical response

The movie was met with considerable critical praise, holding an approval rating of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 67 critiques, with an average rating of 7.40 out of 10. The general consensus describes it as a richly detailed and suspenseful exploration of British royal politics featuring a standout performance by Cate Blanchett. On Metacritic, it earned a score of 75 out of 100 from 30 reviewers, indicating "generally favorable reviews."

Historical accuracy

Elizabeth attracted criticism for its historical liberties and for compressing events from Elizabeth’s mid-to-late reign into her early years. Patrick Collinson noted in the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography that the film seemed to "scatter known facts and uncertainties about the reign randomly," likening it to a jigsaw puzzle mixed up on a table. Carole Levin faulted the portrayal of Elizabeth as frail and capricious with poor decision-making skills, contrasting sharply with historical evidence depicting her as resolute, intelligent, and commanding. The depiction of Elizabeth as overly reliant on Walsingham and inaccurately representing her relationship with Robert Dudley diminishes her stature, making her appear subordinate to male figures rather than an authoritative leader.

Claims of Anti-Catholic Sentiment

The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights criticized the movie for exhibiting anti-Catholic prejudice, contending that it depicts religious strife as entirely instigated by the Catholic Church. The New York Times review described the film as "firmly anti-Catholic," highlighting a "conniving pope," whereas the Buffalo News observed that every Catholic figure portrayed in the movie comes across as sinister, harsh, and manipulative.

Honors and Recognitions

Award Category Nominee(s) Outcome Reference(s)
Academy Awards Best Picture Alison Owen, Eric Fellner, and Tim Bevan Template:Nom [1]
Best Actress Cate Blanchett Template:Nom
Best Art Direction Art Direction: John Myhre; Set Decoration: Peter Howitt Template:Nom
Best Cinematography Remi Adefarasin Template:Nom
Best Costume Design Alexandra Byrne Template:Nom
Best Makeup Jenny Shircore Template:Won
Best Original Dramatic Score David Hirschfelder Template:Nom
American Society of Cinematographers Awards Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases Remi Adefarasin Template:Nom Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Art Directors Guild Awards Excellence in Production Design for a Feature Film John Myhre Template:Nom Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
British Academy Film Awards Best Film Alison Owen, Eric Fellner, and Tim Bevan Template:Nom Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Outstanding British Film Alison Owen, Eric Fellner, Tim Bevan, and Shekhar Kapur Template:Won
Best Direction Shekhar Kapur Template:Nom
Best Actress in a Leading Role Cate Blanchett Template:Won
Best Actor in a Supporting Role Geoffrey Rush Template:Nom
Best Original Screenplay Michael Hirst Template:Nom
Best Cinematography Remi Adefarasin Template:Won
Best Costume Design Alexandra Byrne Template:Nom
Best Editing Jill Bilcock Template:Nom
Jenny Shircore Template:Won
David Hirschfelder Template:Won
John Myhre Template:Nom
Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film Remi Adefarasin Template:Won Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Best Actress Cate Blanchett Template:Won Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Best Cinematography Remi Adefarasin Template:Nom
Best Original Score David Hirschfelder Template:Nom
Best Movie Template:Nom Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Best Actress Cate Blanchett Template:Won
Best Supporting Actor Geoffrey Rush (also for Shakespeare in Love) Template:Nom
Best Cinematography Remi Adefarasin Template:Nom
Best Picture Template:Nom Cite error: The opening <ref> tag is malformed or has a bad name
Best Actress Cate Blanchett Template:Won


See also

External links

  1. ↑ Cite error: Invalid <ref> tag; no text was provided for refs named Oscars1999
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