Elizabeth

"Declared illegitimate aged 3. Tried for treason aged 21. Crowned Queen aged 25."

1998 2h 3m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🍅

83%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.4

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 1,538🍅83%Rotten Tomatoes●75Metacritic★7.4IMDB · 108,734

DramaHistory

Synopsis

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The story of the ascension to the throne and the early reign of Queen Elizabeth the First, the endless attempts by her council to marry her off, the Catholic hatred of her and her romance with Lord Robert Dudley.

“Declared illegitimate aged 3. Tried for treason aged 21. Crowned Queen aged 25.”

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Cast

Cate Blanchett
Elizabeth I
Joseph Fiennes
Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Geoffrey Rush
Sir Francis Walsingham
Christopher Eccleston
Duke of Norfolk
John Gielgud
The Pope
Richard Attenborough
Sir William Cecil
Fanny Ardant
Mary of Guise
Éric Cantona
Monsieur de Foix

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Shekhar Kapur
Writers: Michael Hirst
Languages: French, English
Countries: United Kingdom, United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

28 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Elizabeth Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Shekhar Kapur, shot by Remi Adefarasin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by David Hirschfelder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Jill Bilcock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Shekhar Kapur directs. Remi Adefarasin behind the camera. David Hirschfelder scores. Jill Bilcock cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United Kingdom, United States of America. Dialogue in French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

128 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, English.
3International production across 2 countries: United Kingdom, United States of America.
4Part of the "Elizabeth Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5Directed by Shekhar Kapur, shot by Remi Adefarasin. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by David Hirschfelder. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Jill Bilcock shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Cate Blanchett and Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "Declared illegitimate aged 3. Tried for treason aged 21. Crowned Queen aged 25.".
10IMDB entry: tt0127536 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Classified under 11 themes, including "queen", "duke", "treason", "queen elizabeth i".

The technical file

Cinematography: Remi Adefarasin
Original score: David Hirschfelder
Editing: Jill Bilcock
Production design: John Myhre
Costume design: Alexandra Byrne
Makeup / hair: Christine Whitney
VFX supervisor: Peter Chiang
Sound: Mike Dowson
Stunt coordinator: Terry Forrestal
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.78:1 (16:9)
Status: Released
Budget: $30,000,000
Box office: $82,150,642
Return: 274% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Elizabeth (1998)
Rotten Tomatoes: 83% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 75/100
IMDB rating: 7.4/10 · 108,734 votes
MPAA: R

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 35 wins & 56 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Makeup and Hairstyling

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Part of

Elizabeth Collection

Duology of Queen Elizabeth Movies

Also by

Shekhar Kapur

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

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Community reviews

What people are saying

crastana2022-07-18
★ 8/10
Even The Footballer did a decent job Forget about historical records and accuracy or Henry VIII architecture, their buildings look like they are in the BC XI. I wont give it 10 because is full of historical inaccuracies, if this was a Russian film they would say it is disinformation and propaganda..., as a work of fiction it works, the cast is great every one here does great acting i can´t say who was better, if it was Ecclestone or Kate Blanchet; like most of the movies before the XXI century a cast full of stars was a guarantee of a good movie.
CinemaSerf2023-08-28
★ 7/10
A very good looking depiction of the early reign of England's Queen Elizabeth I with Oscar-nominated Cate Blanchett in the title role. Initially, she struggles to stay alive during the reign of her devoutly Catholic (a superbly cast Kathy Burke) half-sister Mary, with the help of her childhood friend Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes). These risks do not diminish at all once she succeeds to the throne and faces conspiracies and plots from all around. It's not the most historically accurate version of her early reign, but Richard Attenborough, Geoffrey Rush and a devious, unscrupulous schemer in Christopher Eccleston as the Duke of Norfolk keep this intrigue of treachery, betrayal and power moving along tautly. Michael Hirst has a definite penchant for writing of the Tudor times and Shekhar Kapur brings the costumes and palaces alive with some creative direction.