Elizabeth (1998)
86%RT Audience Score: 86%
Awards & Nominations: Won 1 Oscar
34 wins & 55 nominations total
No mere historical drama, Elizabeth is a rich, suspenseful journey into the heart of British Royal politics, and features a typically outstanding performance from Cate Blanchett
If you’re looking for a movie that’s got everything – drama, action, romance, and men in tights – then Elizabeth is the one for you. Cate Blanchett shines as the titular queen, and the film’s bold and modern approach to British history will keep you on the edge of your seat. Plus, the rich colors and emotions will make you feel like you’re right there in the dank interior castle settings, experiencing the paranoia and sinister machinations firsthand. All hail Queen Elizabeth!
Production Company(ies)
Film Nation Entertainment, Nostromo Pictures, Temple Hill Entertainment,
Distributor
Gramercy Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Polygram
Release Type
Theatrical
Filming Location(s)
Alnwick Castle, Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK
MPAA / Certificate
Rated R for violence and sexuality
Year of Release
1999
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:DTS Dolby Digital SDDS
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:2h 1m
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Language(s):English, French
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Country of origin:United Kingdom
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 6, 1998 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 28, 2002
Genre(s)
History/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, Fanny Ardant, directed by Shekhar Kapur, written by Michael Hirst, History, Drama, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Lisa Schwarzbaum, David Rooney, Mick LaSalle, Peter Travers, Jack Mathews, Roger Ebert, Keeva Stratton, Emanuel Levy, MPAA rating R, Queen Elizabeth I, England, 16th century, monarchy, politics, power struggle, espionage, conspiracy, romance, betrayal, sacrifice, trust, loyalty, historical accuracy, costumes, makeup, production design, cinematography, soundtrack, Gramercy Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Polygram, Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Alison Owen, produced by
Worldwide gross: $82,150,642
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $147,462,693
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 840
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 16,080,992
US/Canada gross: $30,082,699
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $53,999,283
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,036
US/Canada opening weekend: $275,131
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $493,868
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,410
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $30,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $53,850,836
Production budget ranking: 740
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $28,998,675
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): $64,613,181
ROI to date (est.): 78%
ROI ranking: 1,020
Geoffrey Rush – Sir Francis Walsingham
Christopher Eccleston – Duke of Norfolk
Joseph Fiennes – Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Richard Attenborough – Sir William Cecil, Lord Burghley
Fanny Ardant – Mary of Guise
Director(s)
Shekhar Kapur
Writer(s)
Michael Hirst
Producer(s)
Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Alison Owen
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
Won 1 Oscar
34 wins & 55 nominations total
Academy Awards
Oscar Best Achievement in Makeup Winners, Oscar Nominees, Oscar Winners
All Critics (63) | Top Critics (15) | Fresh (52) | Rotten (11)
Without [Blanchett], Kapur’s extravagant history lesson (written by Michael Hirst) blurs into dark doings among men in tights.
September 7, 2011 | Rating: B+
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
TOP CRITIC
“Elizabeth” is superior historical soap opera that shrewdly sidesteps all the cliches of British costume drama with its bold, often modern approach.
July 31, 2008
David Rooney
Variety
TOP CRITIC
June 18, 2002 | Rating: 4/4
Mick LaSalle
San Francisco Chronicle
TOP CRITIC
May 11, 2001 | Rating: 3.5/5
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
TOP CRITIC
February 14, 2001 | Rating: 4/5
Jack Mathews
Los Angeles Times
TOP CRITIC
As seen through the fresh eyes of… Shekhar Kapur, Elizabeth is not a light Masterpiece Theater production, but one steeped in rich, saturated colors and emotions. The texture of the film is enough to recommend it, even apart from the story.
January 1, 2000 | Rating: 3.5/4
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
TOP CRITIC
What we witness is Queen Elizabeth’s inspiring (and daunting) personal sacrifice of love and human emotion in order to become an empty vessel for the divine to shine through, thereby reigning with the elevated compassion of a true spiritual leader.
October 25, 2021 | Rating: 4.5/5
Mark Jackson
Epoch Times
The emotions are violent in Elizabeth. Everybody’s emotions are at such a high level, unlike what we are used to seeing in dramas about British history.
May 1, 2020 | Rating: B
Murtada Elfadl
Sundays with Cate
Acted and directed with great energy and imagination.
March 21, 2019 | Rating: 3/4
CSM Staff
Christian Science Monitor
With her power constantly challenged by the state and the church, and with powerful men conspiring against her at every turn, it’s little wonder that the strength of the first Elizabeth to rule England is legendary.
September 15, 2017
Keeva Stratton
Rescu (Australia)
Cate Blanchett gives a bravura performance in this dark and lurid account, which is done from a contemporary standoint as a conspiracy thriller, emphasizing the violent actions
January 11, 2011 | Rating: B-
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Dank interior castle settings create a claustrophobic intensity that underscores the growing sense of paranoia and people’s sinister machinations in this battle for England.
September 12, 2007 | Rating: 83/100
Dan Jardine
Apollo Guide…
Plot
This film details the ascension to the throne and the early reign of Queen Elizabeth the First, as played by Cate Blanchett. The main focus is the endless attempts by her council to marry her off, the Catholic hatred of her and her romance with Lord Robert Dudley.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Cate Blanchett delivers a typically outstanding performance in Elizabeth.
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