Good Historical Drama

Rating: 8/10 (19 June 1999)

The opening scene is dark and horrific, and sets the tone for the remaining story. That story is a behind-the-scenes look at the English monarchy during the final days of the Catholic and childless Queen Mary, and the ascendancy of the Protestant and unmarried Elizabeth.
Dark and brooding with deep colors, smoke and shadow, Elizabeth is not a light Renaissance romp. Bodies do pile up, and cross and double-cross abound as Elizabeth gropes her way to power. And that's about it as far as the story goes...Queen Mary's dying, the Earl of Norfolk and his friends try to kill Elizabeth and fail, Mary dies and Elizabeth becomes queen, Norfolk and friends try again and fail again, then its payback time for Elizabeth.
One of my few complaints about the movie is the lack of character development outside of Elizabeth. The motivations of the surrounding characters is only superficially addressed. The movie's success rests on two pillars, Cate Blanchett's wonderful acting, and the beautiful cinematography and sets. Blanchett (and Geoffrey Rush) carry the acting chores, and they are remarkable. The remainder seem to go a little overboard, like they're doing a 1550s England bit for MTV.
The movie certainly entertains and makes for a good viewing. My only regret is that I saw it on the small screen, and wished I'd seen it in a theater.