Violent and sexy historical costume drama

Rating: Null/10 (23 January 1999)

Anglophiles who demand fact over good drama might blanch at the substantial creative license that littered Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth with historical inaccuracies, but lovers of texture, tone and mood will undoubtedly champion the flick for its exciting depiction of political intrigue. Cate Blanchett leads a great cast of noteworthy talents like Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston and Fanny Ardant (John Gielgud even shows up as The Pope) through a sumptuous depiction of 16th century life re-imagined through costume and production design with a decidedly Indian spin. The transformation of Elizabeth into The Virgin Queen is a show-stopper which Kapur daringly swipes directly from the legendary baptism scene in The Godfather.