Elizabeth:
The Virgin Queen - British Films - Sekhar Kapur
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Elizabeth: The Virgin Queen
Great Britain/India - 1998
Directed by Sekhar Kapur
From the director of "The Bandit Queen", Sekhar Kapur's
English language debut presents 16th Century England in all its grandeur, brought to the
screen not in huge sweeping vistas but in tightly moving voyeuristic shots filtered
through linen. Ensuing direction takes us through chilly castle conduit, connecting
us, in a way, to the damp corridors of stale and unwholesome air. Cate Blanchett
delivers a convincing performance and seems to reinvent herself as the very real woman
that Elizabeth I was. While Queen Mary Tudor is on the throne, she has Elizabeth
thrown in the Tower of London and subjected to psychological torture, trying to extract a
confession of heresy from the young heir apparant, but Elizabeth refuses and lives to see
the Queen relent. When Mary dies without an heir, Elizabeth is crowned Queen.
The romantic quandry she finds herself in, once she is crowned Queen of England, is the
primary focus of the film. Torn between the unattainable (married) and politically
unuseful, Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Joseph Fiennes)
with whom she has fallen in love, and her regal duty, Elizabeth must find
her way to her true state of grace.
Considered a heretic by Rome, Elizabeth's tenuous grasp on the throne is constantly
challenged, Pope Pius V (played to perfection by John Gielgud) even puts a price on her
head. Her advisors urge her to strike a strong alliance with France or Spain by
marrying either the Duc D'Anjou (Vincent Cassel) or King Philip of Spain. Geoffrey
Rush delivers a stoic performance as the complex Sir Francis Walsingham, her ever vigilant
protector.
The transformation of Elizabeth,
from a dutiful young girl to a queen is carefully presented as she endures the betrayal of
those she most trusts and emerges triumphant, to continue her reign as "The Virgin
Queen" for forty more years, leading England to what is known now as "The Golden
Age".
The costumes, sets and make-up are exquisite. "Elizabeth: The Virgin
Queen" won an Oscar for Best Make-Up, and received numerous other awards
internationally.
| Golden Globe winner for Best Actress -
Golden Globe nominations for Best Director, and Best Drama Oscar winner for Best Makeup - 6 Academy Award Nominations for: Best Picture, Actress in a Leading Role, Art Direction, Cinematography, Costume Design, Makeup and Original Dramatic Score. |
VHS NTSC
Item#:GBR088-4
Price: $24.95
ALSO
AVAILABLE ON DVD
DVD
Item#:
GBR088-1DVD
Price: $29.95
All videos
available through 1-World Festival of Foreign Films
are on VHS-NTSC format, please e-mail PAL format requests.
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