Elizabeth

When we think of films that seem to embody the term “Oscar Bait”, period piece dramas tend to float to the top of that list, be it Jane Austen romances, Shakespearian interpretations, or films about European monarchies. There have been plenty of each that have made it onto the list of the Academy Awards Best Picture nominated films, with the most recent being 2010’s The King’s Speech. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, an attempt was made to get two such films onto that list, films that told the story of Queen Elizabeth I of England. While the first of these did indeed make headway by securing the nomination, the follow-up, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, didn’t quite reach the same levels of accolade, though it did score a rare second nomination for an actress in the same role. The sequel, released nine years after the original, was an attempt to catch the Oscars’ attention but didn’t quite live up to that legacy, though it is a great film in its own right. Incidentally, Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett were both nominated for Oscars for playing the same character this year, 1998, with Judi winning for Shakespeare in Love. 

The problem with costume dramas is that they tend to feel stuffy and aimed more towards people who look down on genre films as a lower form of entertainment. For the average moviegoer, a period drama about the British monarchy in the 1500s seems like a boring endeavor, best left for art house cinemas and cinema snobs. To some degree, that is an accurate assessment. No one is looking at Anne of the Thousand Days as a popcorn flick or Becket as a rollicking good time at the movies. These are serious films designed to educate as well as entertain the discerning mind, not check your brain at the door and enjoy the exciting action. 

Elizabeth falls into that category, too, though there are moments where its more modern production livens things up in ways the old British dramas starring Laurence Olivier or Richard Burton do not. For one, Cate Blanchett, who was a relatively unknown screen presence at this time, is imbuing her character with a humanity and youthful naivety that immediately makes her relatable. When she is faced with difficult decisions involving the safety of her subjects, she is uncertain of what to do, and that ingratiates her to us. She is also vulnerable, being pressured by those who seemingly have her, and the country’s, best interests at heart, yet some are conceiving behind the scenes for their own benefits. 

Cate’s Elizabeth is not a stupid woman, but she is inexperienced, and we spend a good portion of the film watching her grow more wiser to the ways of things, growing into her role of the queen as we watch. Any of us who have stepped into leadership roles, no matter how trivial, can relate to the uncertainty and nervousness that comes with the sudden increase in responsibilities. It’s fascinating to see such a historical figure portrayed this way, less like the mythical regal figure of textbooks but as the person they most likely were in real life. 

We also learn a great deal about the uprising that was going on; the clashing of ideals and beliefs that she represented being a Protestant in the face of Catholicism. Her father, Henry VIII, broke religious tradition to put aside his first wife in favor of Anne Boleyn in a vain attempt to sire a male heir. Instead, he had Elizabeth and put Anne Boleyn to death. Elizabeth represented a challenge to the Catholic Church, and her rise to the crown was a threat to them. So, despite one of the commandments forbidding killing, a church-sanctioned assassin, played in the film by Daniel Craig, is sent to eliminate her. 

This is a film that revels in deceit and political intrigue. Few want to see Elizabeth crowned as the new queen, yet they have no legal basis to prevent it. In the early scenes of the film, she is placed under house arrest by Queen Mary I on charges that there is no evidence for. This is done knowing that a trial would be unsuccessful since there is no evidence. Ultimately, Mary I’s death from a cancerous tumor sees Elizabeth relieved of house arrest and take her place on the throne. 

As is generally the case with the royal family, an heir needs to be created in order to secure her position, but Elizabeth has no interest in the suitors available, preferring the company of Lord Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes), her childhood friend and lover. She has also inherited a distressed England filled with debts, crumbling infrastructure, hostile neighboring countries, and treasonous nobles within her administration, chief among them being Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk. All of this is the backdrop for a story that is as complicated and twisted as any modern story.

This is an England that is a dark and treacherous place, filled with shadowy conspiracies and obscene luxuries. Fitting perfectly into this mix is Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), a Protestant exile returned from France, who acts as Elizabeth’s bodyguard. Rush fits into this environment so well that it is almost unnerving whenever he is on-screen. At first, you are uncertain if he is a man that can be trusted, but eventually, his loyalties become more clear, even if his actions push the boundaries more than a little. 

The story is rich with intrigue and drama, but the production supersedes even that. This is a gorgeous film to look at, and the details enrich an already colorful story. It sets the tone for so much that is to be seen here and leaves us wanting more. Nearly every scene could be freeze-framed and hung on the wall like a piece of art; there is so much intricacy to it all. Director Shekhar Kapur, alongside his production team of John Myhre and Peter Howitt, has crafted a masterpiece in cinema, and though they lost out on the Oscar for Art Direction to the impressive looking Shakespeare in Love, that win feels more like a product of voter lobbying than legitimately besting Elizabeth. 

This film has the unfortunate reputation that comes with nearly all monarchy period dramas: being considered overly serious and droll. It isn’t that at all, nor is it playing too lightly with its tone, either. Instead, it is a well-made political drama with plenty of suspense, romance, and intrigue thrown in to keep things interesting. There’s also a fair bit of sex to, more than is usual for this kind of story, giving it its R rating. While it plays a little loose with the established history, it hews close enough to give you the basics of what really happened without feeling like a history lesson. Cate Blanchett wows in one of her earliest roles, too, showing the world that she was destined to be a star.

Academy Award Nominations:

Best Picture: Alison Owen, Eric Fellner, and Tim Bevan

Best Actress: Cate Blanchett

Best Art Direction: John Myhre and Peter Howitt

Best Cinematography: Remi Adefarasin

Best Costume Design: Alexandra Byrne

Best Makeup: Jenny Shircore (won)

Best Original Dramatic Score: David Hirschfelder

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Release Date: October 23, 1998

Running Time: 123 minutes

Rated R

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, John Gielgud, and Richard Attenborough

Directed by: Shekhar Kapur