Released 1998
Stars Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, Fanny Ardant
Directed by Shekhar Kapur

The reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England began in 1558, when, at the age of 25, she succeeded her half-sister, Mary. Over the course of the next 45 years, Elizabeth established herself as one of the most popular and successful monarchs ever to rule England. Elizabeth, the pseudo-biographical film from director Shakhar Kapur, presents the young queen's struggles in the form of a grand costume melodrama (of the sort that the French are famous for). It's a rousing adventure that keeps the audience involved for the entirety of the two hour running time while opening a window into the culture that gave birth to Christopher Marlowe, Edmund Spenser, Francis Bacon, and William Shakespeare.

The film starts in 1554, with the Catholic Queen Mary (Kathy Burke), the daughter of Henry VIII, on the throne. Frightened that her younger half-sister, Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett), is involved in a plot to usurp her crown, Mary has her heir thrown into the Tower of London. Elizabeth survives the ordeal and, upon Mary's death, assumes the throne. Immediately, she is confronted by a legion of problems: a dry treasury, a weak army, the need to marry to secure the blood line, and a growing threat from Mary of Guise (Fanny Ardant), who is massing troops to move against England. There are also dangers within Elizabeth's court, the most notable of which comes from the dangerous Duke of Norfolk, who wants her dead. And, because Elizabeth is a Protestant, Pope Pius V declares her a heretic and issues a proclamation releasing all English Catholics from following her. To help her in her struggles, Elizabeth has three strong allies: the ever-faithful William Cecil (Richard Attenborough), the wily and dangerous Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), and the love of her life, Lord Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes).

Summary by  James Berardinelli