Elizabeth (movie)
Elizabeth is a 1998 movie about the early reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England.
Actors
The movie was written by Michael Hirst and directed by Shekhar Kapur. It stars Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Christopher Eccleston and Richard Attenborough.
Joseph Fiennes and Geoffrey Rush also starred in the other Elizabethan era movie from the same year, Shakespeare in Love.
Awards
It won the Academy Award for Makeup, and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Cate Blanchett), Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Music, Original Dramatic Score and Best Picture.
Plot
Spoiler warning: Plot or ending details follow.
The film begins with Elizabeth as heir to the throne of her sister, Mary (played by Kathy Burke). After her accession, the story mainly concerns the subversive activities of some of Elizabeth's Roman Catholic opponents, notably Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (played by Christopher Eccleston). The climax is the discovery of their plot by Sir Francis Walsingham (played by Geoffrey Rush), and Elizabeth's decision to remain unmarried, shunning her favourite and lover, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. Some of the historical details are questionable.
