--- title: "Elizabeth" year: 1998 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/elizabeth" fi1m_id: "elizabeth" imdb_id: "tt0127536" tmdb_id: 4518 wikidata_id: "Q499656" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 80 critics_reviews: 8 published: "2026-09-13" updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:20.748181+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Elizabeth (1998) Directed by Shekhar Kapur · 2h 03m · MPA R · Drama, History ## Identity Elizabeth - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/elizabeth - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** elizabeth - **IMDb ID:** tt0127536 - **TMDB ID:** 4518 - **Wikidata ID:** Q499656 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0127536/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/4518, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q499656 **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 80 from 8 reviews *In a sentence:* The crown looks splendid; the working conditions need attention > Shekhar Kapur’s *Elizabeth* is an absorbing political thriller, carried by Cate Blanchett’s alert, vulnerable queen. The history gets pushed about and the grandeur can become insistent, but the struggle to hold power feels personal. ## Synopsis Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) grows up with a disputed royal status: declared illegitimate at three, she is tried for treason at twenty-one and crowned queen at twenty-five. Shekhar Kapur’s drama follows the young ruler as she faces the demands of power and the competing interests around her. Joseph Fiennes plays Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, with Richard Attenborough as Sir William Cecil and Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham. Christopher Eccleston is the Duke of Norfolk and Kathy Burke is Queen Mary Tudor. Elizabeth must learn how much of her private life she can preserve while taking on a public role. ## Review Shekhar Kapur’s *Elizabeth* is a persuasive political thriller, with a performance by Cate Blanchett that makes its royal anxieties matter. Kapur approaches the costume drama impatiently, favouring danger, desire and conspiracy over the reassuring business of watching important people conduct themselves properly. That suits a woman declared illegitimate at three and tried for treason at twenty-one. The film can be overemphatic, but we rarely wished it would settle down and behave. Blanchett’s young Elizabeth seems capable of enjoying life, a quality that can disappear under the obligation to play a historical figure. We were frightened for her when she faced treason accusations. Blanchett makes her early openness look dangerously unsuited to the people judging her. Her intelligence remains visible, but the performance gives her room to be uncertain and unprepared. We believe that this woman has a private life worth keeping, which gives the demands of office something to threaten. Richard Attenborough’s Sir William Cecil and Geoffrey Rush’s Sir Francis Walsingham give Blanchett substantial company, and neither needs to compete with her for our attention. Rush is particularly well suited to a film in which political calculation supplies much of the suspense. Joseph Fiennes, as Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, is less persuasive; beside Blanchett, his performance can seem to offer only one response at a time. We wanted the same mixture of impulses from him that she brings so readily to Elizabeth. Remi Adefarasin’s cinematography makes the court’s splendour feel oppressive, an effective choice for a story so concerned with survival. John Myhre’s production design gives the royal surroundings a weight that helps explain why individual wishes count for so little here. We sometimes found the combined effect too insistently impressive, especially when Blanchett was already doing everything the scene needed. Still, the images make power attractive enough for the struggle to possess it to make sense. Jill Bilcock’s editing keeps the intrigue moving with a welcome impatience, sustaining Kapur’s approach to the material as a thriller. The 123 minutes feel occupied, and the film’s appetite for incident usually carries us through its broader characterisation. David Hirschfelder’s music adds to the grandeur, though we occasionally wished it would give the performances more space. With so much already being insisted upon in the images, the extra emphasis can be tiring. Michael Hirst’s screenplay is brisk and often witty, but it can make the political struggle seem too readily intelligible in modern terms. The appeal is clear: we recognise the pressures and understand what is at stake for Elizabeth. The cost is that the people around her sometimes seem to have been arranged chiefly to explain her difficulties. A stronger sense of their beliefs would have helped, particularly when those beliefs make them dangerous to her. As costume drama, this has enough energy to survive its occasional heavy hand, and enough feeling to keep us concerned about the people caught in the conspiracies. Kapur’s strongest decision is to trust Blanchett with the vulnerability that all the ceremony might otherwise conceal. Even when the film grows emphatic, she remains worth watching closely. Watch it for Blanchett, with some patience for the history being pushed into shape around her. *Fi1m score 82, published 13 September 2026.* ## What the critics say Most critics welcome Elizabeth as a forceful historical drama that replaces the restraint of conventional costume drama with political intrigue and a modern pace. Praise centres on Cate Blanchett, whose performance makes the young queen’s growing authority convincing without losing sight of her private desires. Shekhar Kapur’s bold direction also wins broad approval: the reviews repeatedly describe a thriller, finding its visual richness and conspiratorial plotting both entertaining and effective at connecting personal change to the exercise of power. The main disagreement concerns what that modern approach costs in historical understanding. The New York Times finds substance in Blanchett’s performance while noting that spectacle and contemporary flourishes take precedence over accuracy; the Los Angeles Times is more troubled, finding those contemporary attitudes distracting. Enthusiasm varies more than approval does, with the reservations concentrated on the treatment of history rather than the central performance. ## Straight answers **Is Elizabeth worth watching?** *Elizabeth* is worth watching for anyone who likes their costume drama treated as a political thriller, and we scored it 82. Cate Blanchett makes the young queen alert and unprepared enough that the conspiracies around her feel personal. The history gets pushed about and the grandeur can grow insistent, so bring some patience for that. **How long is Elizabeth, and what is it rated?** *Elizabeth* runs 2h 03m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama and history film. **Where can I watch Elizabeth in the US?** *Elizabeth* is available to rent from Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV from $3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service. **How violent or frightening is Elizabeth, and is it suitable for children?** *Elizabeth* carries a UK 15 certificate, so it is not for children, and its intrigue turns on treason accusations, conspiracy and desire rather than battle scenes. The court's splendour is made to feel oppressive, and we were frightened for Blanchett's queen when she stood accused. Older teenagers with a taste for history should be fine. **How does Elizabeth compare to The Lion in Winter?** *Elizabeth* is the more restless of the two, a young ruler learning to survive conspiracies, where [*The Lion in Winter*](https://film.one/film/the-lion-in-winter) is a family quarrel in a cold castle fought almost entirely with words. Kapur's film wins on incident and visual weight; Harvey's wins on dialogue and on the O'Toole–Hepburn pairing. Choose Elizabeth for a thriller, The Lion in Winter for the talk. **What should I watch after Elizabeth?** After *Elizabeth*, try [*The Lion in Winter*](https://film.one/film/the-lion-in-winter) (1968, Fi1m 81): Royal business becomes a family argument, with every affection available for bargaining. Then [*Throne of Blood*](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood) (1957, Fi1m 88): Kurosawa makes the pursuit of power frightening, with little patience for royal dignity; and [*A Royal Affair*](https://film.one/film/a-royal-affair) (2012, Fi1m 70): For another young royal discovering how quickly private choices become political threats. ### Reviews we read (10) - **The Guardian** (90/100, inferred): The critic calls Shekhar Kapur’s Elizabeth the model of a successful historical drama that is imposingly beautiful, persuasively resonant and unfailingly entertaining. Blanchett is singled out for creating a thoroughly convincing depiction of the queen’s journey from carefree girlhood to imperial resolve. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/1998/oct/02/film-of-the-week-elizabeth) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (85/100, inferred): Ebert praises the film's rich, sensuous texture and Cate Blanchett's commanding performance as Elizabeth, who grows from a naive young woman into a shrewd ruler. He highlights the director's fresh perspective and the way the story blends political intrigue with personal transformation. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/elizabeth) - **Radio Times**, Alan Jones (4/5): The critic highlights the film's vivid contemporary focus and sumptuous biography style, calling it a thoughtful and dramatic triumph with Blanchett's revelatory performance. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-fqy9m0/elizabeth/) - **Time Out**, TCh (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the film's departure from staid costume drama into a melodramatic conspiracy thriller with a strong performance by Cate Blanchett and bold direction by Kapur that confuses gender roles and equates sex with death. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/elizabeth) - **Variety** (80/100, inferred): The review hails the film as superior historical soap opera that avoids costume-drama clichés with bold, modern energy and strong performances, especially Blanchett's. It credits Kapur's muscular direction and the witty script for making the intrigue accessible and entertaining. [Read](https://variety.com/1998/film/reviews/elizabeth-2-1200455269/) - **The New York Times**, Janet Maslin (70/100, inferred): Maslin calls the film a lusty, flamboyant spectacle that prioritizes visual flair and modern flourishes over strict historical accuracy. She singles out Blanchett's spirited performance for bringing substance to the role of a stressed, scheming young queen. [Read](https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/library/film/110698elizabeth-film-review.html) - **Los Angeles Times**, Jack Mathews (60/100, inferred): Mathews finds the film distracting in its modern reflections but notes Blanchett's captivating turn as a strong-willed Elizabeth who sacrifices personal life for duty. He criticizes how the period drama reveals more about contemporary attitudes than historical ones. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-nov-06-ca-39761-story.html) - **Empire**, Angie Errigo: The critic finds it a powerful, arty production that presents Elizabeth's story as a dark historical thriller rather than a typical costume drama. Blanchett's spirited and intelligent performance is singled out for praise amid a strong cast. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/elizabeth-review/) - **Total Film**: The review calls it a refreshing change from the usual frock flick, describing a perceptive study of the conflict between private desires and public duty. Blanchett's remarkable title performance is singled out as powering the film. [Read](https://www.gamesradar.com/elizabeth-review/) - **Eye for Film**, Angus Wolfe Murray (5/5): The critic views the film as a raw political thriller about power and survival rather than a traditional costume drama. Kapur's fresh, rule-breaking direction and Blanchett's layered performance as the evolving queen are singled out for praise. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/elizabeth-film-review-by-angus-wolfe-murray) ## Details - **Director:** Shekhar Kapur - **Director:** Shekhar Kapur - **Screenplay:** Michael Hirst - **Cinematography:** Remi Adefarasin - **Editor:** Jill Bilcock - **Music:** David Hirschfelder - **Production design:** John Myhre - **Costume design:** Alexandra Byrne - **Producer:** Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Alison Owen - **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; Fanny Ardant as Mary of Guise; Éric Cantona as Monsieur de Foix - **Runtime:** 2h 03m - **Certificate (MPA):** R - **Release (the US):** 13 September 1998 - **Genres:** Drama, History - **Also in:** [Best Picture winners](https://film.one/collections/oscar-best-picture.md) (Nominee, 1998); [BAFTA Best Film winners](https://film.one/collections/bafta-best-film.md) (Nominee, 1998); [Golden Globe Best Drama winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-drama.md) (Nominee, 1998) - **Budget:** $30 million - **Box office:** $82 million ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, uhd - Apple TV: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $12.99, uhd - Apple TV: buy $12.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-13.* Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HU, IE, IL, IN, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1999: Best Actress (nominated); Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Costume Design (nominated); Best Original Dramatic Score (nominated); Best Picture (nominated); Best Production Design (nominated); Best Makeup and Hairstyling (won) ## If you liked this - *The Lion in Winter* (1968), Fi1m 81: Royal business becomes a family argument, with every affection available for bargaining. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-lion-in-winter.md) - *La Reine Margot* (1994): Religious conflict and royal intimacy make another court a dangerous place to live. - *Throne of Blood* (1957), Fi1m 88: Kurosawa makes the pursuit of power frightening, with little patience for royal dignity. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/throne-of-blood.md) - *A Royal Affair* (2012), Fi1m 70: For another young royal discovering how quickly private choices become political threats. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-royal-affair.md) - *Wolf Hall* (2015): A quieter Tudor court, where careful listening can be a means of survival. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/elizabeth