(Shekhar Kapur, UK 1998, 124 min., 35mm)
Queen Elizabeth I’s rise to power and early rule in a fractured England is dramatized in this lush production. Loyalty is split along religious lines when Catholic Queen Mary I dies in 1558, leaving her half-sister, Protestant Elizabeth, as the heir to the throne. Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) is immediately beset by plots within her own court, as well as international proposals from France and Spain, providing obstacles to her efforts to re-unify England under one rule. Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress, the film is filled with esteemed British thespians, including Richard Attenborough, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, John Gielgud, Emily Mortiner, and Daniel Craig.