Excellent performances

Rating: 7/10 (16 July 2001)

Elizabeth is an ambitious film that relies mostly on the performances of a great cast. Though visually superb, it never quite reaches a satisfactory climax except for the emotionally strong final scenes. The standout actor in this fine cast is of course, Cate Blanchett who portrays Elizabeth with the suitable depth, vulnerability and subsequent strength without failing. She was robbed of the Oscar in a sense, not so much because she was the best but because Gwyneth Paltrow just didn't deserve it compared to her. The other excellent performance is delivered by the ever-great Geoffrey Rush as Elizabeth's cunning but loyal counselor. The final shot of him crying when he first sees the Virgin Queen proves what a range of emotions he can portray and how many dimensions he can bring to a character. Kathy Burke as Queen Mary and Christopher Eccleston as Norfolk are equally great, and Joseph Fiennes proves that he is much more than Ralph's brother with his subtle portrayal of a somewhat controversial and of uncertain integrity character. Shekhar Kapur's direction is certainly elegant but also repeats some motifs without adding anything new. Overall, it's an interesting and superbly acted British production. 7/10