Elizabeth begins during the tense period before Elizabeth I became Queen of England. She is a young vivacious girl thrust suddenly into the machiavellian world of politics when she is tried for treason at the age of 21. Surviving this she becomes Queen, and the film charts the beginning of her reign as she struggles to learn the skills of a monarch. Cate Blanchett is amazing as a young woman who slowly casts off her youth and becomes the legendary Virgin Queen that ruled the Elizabethan age. Shekhar Kapur’s film manages to be both entertaining and historically insightful. Lavish costumes and an excellent cast make this compelling viewing. The cast also includes Joseph Fiennes as Elizabeth’s lover Lord Robert Dudley, Richard Attenborough as Sir William Cecil, and Geoffrey Rush as her political adviser Sir Francis Walsingham. (Awards: Cate Blanchett won the 1998 Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama, and “Elizabeth” won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Makeup)
Content notification
Our collection comprises over 40,000 moving image works, acquired and catalogued between the 1940s and early 2000s. As a result, some items may reflect outdated, offensive and possibly harmful views and opinions. ACMI is working to identify and redress such usages.
Learn more about our collection and our collection policy here. If you come across harmful content on our website that you would like to report, let us know.
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
310879
Language
English
Audience classification
M (15+)
Subject categories
Advertising, Film, Journalism, Mass Media & TV → Academy awards (Motion pictures)
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour