ELIZABETH (1998) Review by Victory A. Marasigan http://www.gl.umbc.edu/~vmaras1/reviewsidx.html
Elizabeth is a potent historical drama set in England in the mid-1500s. It is a time when stately royal ceremonies are as commonplace as public burnings. Internally, the Catholics wage war against the Protestants. Meanwhile, Spain, Scotland and France strategize their next moves in the struggle for power. Little does England know that a young woman named Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) will be their greatest hope for survival.
The film charts Elizabeth's tumultuous struggle to gain true power over her kingdom. As a Protestant, she is the last person any of the Catholic royalty would want to be Queen. But her half-sister Queen Mary (Kathy Burke), deathly ill and unable to conceive a child, pleas with Elizabeth to take over the throne. Mary gives her her blessing on only one condition: that Elizabeth renounce her faith and uphold the teachings of Catholicism across the land. Once declared Queen, Elizabeth immediately finds herself under assault, both by her own subjects (including the Duke of Norfolk, played with steely-eyed grace by Christopher Eccleston) and by forces abroad. Slowly but surely, the neophyte ruler takes England by its reigns and forges a new path for her kingdom.
Elizabeth is surrounded by a keenly drawn cadre of subjects and advisers. Her closest ally is the mysterious Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush, in a perfectly subtle performance). Also on her side is Sir William Cecil (Sir Richard Attenborough), her well-meaning but misguided chief adviser. With few people she can trust, Elizabeth must prove her self-worth any way she can, even if it means being the iron-fisted ruler she secretly despises.
Blanchett deserves an Oscar for her performance as Elizabeth. She portrays the young Queen with just the right balance of gawky self-consciousness and shrewd charisma. Though not a classical beauty, Blanchett is able to entrance the viewer with just a coy smile or an impish smirk. She is at home with her character's playful tendencies, particularly in one scene where Elizabeth dances unabashedly with childhood friend and lover Lord Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes). Whether fending off unctuous suitors or "playing" the Houses in court, Blanchett's Elizabeth radiates a confidence which impossible to dislike.
Almost as interesting as the character of Elizabeth are Shekhar Kapur's visual delights. He and cinematographer Remi Adefarasin have crafted a film with a rich color palette that is a feast for the eyes. Rolling green hills, extravagant ceremonial galas, dark and foreboding corridors -- all are depicted with a real sense of artistic appreciation. The castles and cathedrals of Europe have rarely been doted on so lovingly as they are here.
Though writer Michael Hirst's script gets a little murky at times, and his injections of humor get a little overplayed, Elizabeth pulses with the right amount of dramatic and cinematic verve to make it just deserving of a theatrical viewing. As a whole, the story survives because Elizabeth's struggle is one which deserves attention. By the time she makes her shocking (but very sensible) final declaration, we're ready to bow to Elizabeth as our own Queen.
GRADE: A-
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