an excellent film with terrific performances

Rating: 9/10 (25 October 1998)

From the moment this film starts you know you are in for a treat. You can sense the director's total confidence in his work and this shines through from beginning to end.
The performances are all outstanding and Cate Blanchett is brilliant as Elizabeth and is surely certain to get an Oscar nomination . Geoffrey Rush is never less than totally captivating as the devious Sir Walsingham, and gives a quietly sinister performance which constantly keeps you guessing as to whose side he is really on. Kathy Burke is only on screen for a short time but creates a big impression as Queen Mary.
For me though, the most enjoyable performance in the film is given by Vincent Cassel (La Haine) as a French duke. He only appears in a handful of scenes but his performance bursts with life and humour and had me laughing out loud. Probably the best line in the film is delivered by him, when he says to Elizabeth, "What ! What ! Wha - t! " - you'll have to see the film to understand why this line is so funny.