Film · TMDB
7.2The 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.
Released: 1998-09-13123 minDir: Shekhar KapurDrama, History
Cast
- Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I
- Joseph Fiennes as Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
- Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham
- Christopher Eccleston as Duke of Norfolk
- John Gielgud as The Pope
- Richard Attenborough as Sir William Cecil
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Key facts
- Directed by
- Shekhar Kapur
- Written by
- Michael Hirst
- Produced by
- Tim Bevan Eric Fellner Alison Owen
- Starring
- Cate Blanchett Geoffrey Rush Christopher Eccleston Joseph Fiennes John Gielgud Richard Attenborough
- Cinematography
- Remi Adefarasin
- Edited by
- Jill Bilcock
- Music by
- David Hirschfelder
- Production companies
- Kapurfilm Working Title Films Channel Four Films ProsonFilm
- Distributed by
- PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
- Release dates
- 8 September 1998 ( 1998-09-08 ) ( Venice ) 23 October 1998 ( 1998-10-23 ) (United Kingdom)
- Running time
- 123 minutes
- Country
- United Kingdom
Key dates
- Published
- 29 October 1998
via Wikidata · CC0
Wikidata facts
- Instance of
- film
- Genre
- drama film
- Country of origin
- United Kingdom
- Original language
- English language
- Followed by
- Elizabeth: The Golden Age
- Main subject
- Elizabeth I
- Director
- Shekhar Kapur
- Screenwriter
- Michael Hirst
- Cast member
Article
Elizabeth is a 1998 British biographical historical drama film directed by Shekhar Kapur and written by Michael Hirst. It stars Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I of England, with Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, John Gielgud, and Richard Attenborough in supporting roles. The film is based on the early years of Elizabeth's reign, when she is elevated to the throne after the death of her half-sister Mary I, who had imprisoned her. As she establishes herself on the throne, she faces plots and threats to take her down.
Elizabeth premiered at the 55th Venice International Film Festival on 8 September 1998 and was theatrically released by PolyGram Filmed Entertainment in the United Kingdom on 23 October. The film became a critical and commercial success. Reviewers praised Kapur's direction, costume design, production values and most notably Blanchett's titular performance, bringing her to international recognition, while the film grossed $82 million against its $30 million budget.