FemaleFirst.co.uk: DVD: Elizabeth : Special Edition [1998] [DVD]

Elizabeth : Special Edition [1998] [DVD]
enlarge	Director: Shekhar Kapur Actors: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough Studio: Universal Pictures UK Category: DVD List Price: ~~£15.99~~ Buy New: £2.02 as of 25/11/2009 17:06 GMT details You Save: £13.97 (87%) New (33) Used (13) Collectible (1) from £1.00 Seller: zoverstocks Rating: 11 reviews Sales Rank: 7232 Format: PAL Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over Region: 2 Number Of Discs: 1 Running Time: 118 Minutes Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2 Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 EAN: 5050582508130 ASIN: B000UWXM1W Theatrical Release Date: 1998 Release Date: October 22, 2007 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days


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Editorial Reviews: Amazon.co.uk Review One of the big Elizabethan-era films of 1998, Shekhar Kapur's iElizabeth /i serves up a brimming goblet of religious tension, political conspiracy, sex, violence, and war. England in 1554 is in financial and religious turmoil as the ailing Queen "Bloody" Mary attempts to restore Catholicism as the national faith. She has no heir, and her greatest fear--that her Protestant half-sister Elizabeth will assume the throne after her death--is realised. Still, the late Queen Mary has her loyalists. The newly crowned Elizabeth finds herself knee-deep in dethroning schemes while also dodging assassination attempts. Her advisers (including Sir William Cecil, superbly played by Richard Attenborough) beg her to marry any one of her would-be suitors to stabilise England's empire. No matter that she already has a lover. The passionate Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes) is married, however, and shows he cannot stand up to the growing strength of the Queen. With the help of her aide Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), Elizabeth strikes against her enemies before they get to her first. But her rise ultimately entails rejecting love and marriage to redefine herself as the indisputable Virgin Queen. p Cate Blanchett's Oscar-nominated performance as the naive and vibrant princess who becomes the stubborn and knowing queen is both severe and sympathetic. Her ethereal, pale beauty is equal parts fire and ice, her delivery of such lines as "There will be only one mistress here and no master!" expressed with command rather than hysterics. As striking as Blanchett's performance is the film's lavish and dramatic production design. The cold, dark sets paired with the lush costuming show the golden age of England's monarchy emerging from the Middle Ages. Rich velvet brushes over the dank stones while power is achieved at any price, and with such attention to physical detail, iElizabeth/i fully immerses you into its compelling chronicle of pioneering feminism and revisionist history. --iShannon Gee/i

Customer Reviews: Showing reviews 1-5 of 11 1 2 3 Next » Sumptuous AND gritty March 28, 2009 Barney McGrew (UK) 3 out of 3 found this review helpful Shekhar Kapur's epic portrayal of Elizabeth I and her controversial rise to power, plus England's subsequent development into a powerful empire is a dark and murky but utterly absorbing masterpiece of contemporary cinema. While its sequel `Elizabeth: The Golden Age' was heavily criticised for its historical inaccuracies, the original was highly acclaimed, both for the performances of its eclectic but heavyweight cast and for its realistic depiction of the grimness and bloody nature of Sixteenth Century life. With talent like Christopher Eccleston, Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush and Richard Attenborough firing on all cylinders, it's little wonder the film was such a success. Even bizarre casting choices such as Eric Cantona as the French ambassador and Angus Deayton as a courtier seem to fit the mood of the film, as if inspired by the acting luminaries around them. br / br /The film charts the so-called Virgin Queen's ascension and subsequent growth as Queen and as a woman. Surrounded by disapproval and enmity she is aided by the Machiavellian Francis Walsingham, who pulls the strings in ruthless fashion and ensures that all the Queen's enemies are exposed and executed, thus securing her position. Her relationship with Joseph Fiennes' traitorous Robert Dudley proves to be the making of her as an independent ruler, as she comes to realise that she can survive without a man by her side, whilst the Catholic/Protestant schism forms the basis of the film - there are some harrowing torture and executing scenes involving religious persecution that are not for the faint-hearted. br / br /Overall this is a fine film that I would highly recommend, both for its performances from a great cast and for its lavish set design and costumes. Anyone looking for a pure historical recreation should look elsewhere; Elizabeth is a hugely enjoyable drama that needs to be approached as such; do this and I am convinced that you will not be disappointed. br / best ever film January 2, 2008 Mr. M. R. Whitmore (uk) 15 out of 23 found this review helpful this is joint number 1 on my favourite movies ever! its intriguing, interesting, good storylines and even though is historically unaccurate the changes the directors have made is for the overall benefit off the movie ! the acting is brialliant and it deserved all the awards it got! def worth the watch Elizabeth from princess to icon: One mistress and no master. November 2, 2008 Themis-Athena (from somewhere between California and Germany) 2 out of 3 found this review helpful Among Great Britain's monarchs, two queens stand out in particular: Elizabeth I. and Queen Victoria. Both came to power at extremely young ages, and at times of political instability which would have set the odds of survival against any new ruler, but particularly so, against a woman. Both beat those odds in ways few people would have foreseen: They not only persevered but ruled for a nearly unparalleled long time, and during their reign achieved to both strengthen England's economy and international stance and give new direction to its society. We have long come to identify their reign as "the Victorian Age" and "the Elizabethan Age," respectively. Yet, while "Victorian England" is an expression often used synonymously with moral conservativism, Elizabeth I. fostered not only the development of science but also the theater and arts; providing fertile ground for the works of Shakespeare, Marlowe and many others. (Influenced by her husband, Queen Victoria supported the exploration of new scientific developments, but the dominant force of her formative years as a ruler was conservative prime minister Lord Melbourne, who once advised her not to read Dickens because his books were "full of unpleasant subjects.") And while Queen Victoria derived strength from her long, stable marriage to German-born Prince Albert, Elizabeth I. resisted the pressure to marry at all and became known as "the Virgin Queen." br / br /Looking back at Elizabeth's reign, we see less a woman than an icon; the symbol of what her rule has come to stand for. Shekhar Kapur's 1998 movie explores, as the director explains in the DVD's "Making of" feature, the making of that icon; the formative processes, influences and personalities surrounding the young princess's ascent to the throne and her first years in power -- and of course, at the center of it all, Elizabeth herself, magnificently portrayed by Cate Blanchett (who should have won the Academy Award for her performance). The princess, as this movie sees her, certainly knew her insecurities about her role in life and in English politics, her people's expectations, and the intrigues of her own court. But she was also, as Kapur has her affirm to her protector and spymaster Walsingham, "[her] father's daughter" -- the proud, headstrong daughter of Henry VIII., who quickly learned from her mistakes and assumed true leadership early on. Having inherited a country deeply torn in religious conflict, and having barely survived the machinations of the court of her Catholic half sister and predecessor, "Bloody" Mary I., to find her, the "heretic," guilty of treason and execute her, one of Elizabeth's first acts in power was to have parliament pass the Act of Uniformity, reestablishing the Church of England formed by her father. And while she respected her Secretary of State Sir William Cecil, she eventually came to realize that his advice was overly guided by the hope that she marry and produce an heir to secure her kingdom, and she reluctantly retired him into his status as Lord Burghley. br / br /Indeed, there was not one single man who dominated Elizabeth's life but several, and Kapur was able to secure an extraordinary cast to surround then-newcomer Blanchett. Richard Attenborough plays Sir William Cecil with a humility and quiet dignity that few besides him could have brought to the screen. Christopher Eccleston bristles as the powerful, ambitious Catholic Duke of Norfolk, that key player from the inner circle of Mary's court who retained his position after her death and became the one member of Elizabeth's council most dangerous to her reign. Joseph Fiennes reprises his role as a burning-eyed, handsome lover from the almost simultaneously released "Shakespeare in Love" (which, while a splendid movie in its own rights, eclipsed much of the limelight that "Elizabeth" would so richly have deserved), playing the man most closely romantically linked to Elizabeth, "Sweet" Lord Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, whose love for her -- at least, as this movie would have it -- is ultimately his own undoing. "You're still my Elizabeth," the erstwhile princess's lover insists at a ball some time after her coronation. "I am no man's Elizabeth," the queen retorts, and affirms for all the court to hear: "I will have one mistress here, and no master!" br / br /Most impressive of all the queen's men is Geoffrey Rush's portrayal as her protector, secret advisor and supreme spymaster Francis Walsingham, the creator of what much later became Britain's MI-5, whose role Rush approached, inspired by the description Kapur had given him, much like the Hindu god Krishna, as "a very wise man who can kill people ... while smiling," as he explains in the DVD's "Making of" featurette -- an ability which his young, unfaithful companion in exile learns to know as much as powerful Marie de Guise (Fanny Ardant), aunt to Elizabeth's would-be suitor Henri d'Anjou and mother of her later rival Mary of Scots; who had refused Henry VIII.'s suit remarking "I may be big in person, but my neck is small," only to find herself terminally surrendering to Walsingham's unmatched cunning. br / br /Key to any great historical movie is the authenticity of its production design, and "Elizabeth" overflows with the rich and luxurious colors of the queen's renaissance court and its balls, gowns and pageants. But there are also the vast, high stone halls of the palace and the royal cathedral, symbolizing the perpetuity of the monarchy reestablished by Elizabeth I. At last, when contemplating a statute of the Virgin Mary, Elizabeth wonders whether, to perpetuate her reign, she must be "made of stone;" and it is again Walsingham who answers: "Aye, Madam, to reign supreme, [because] all men ... must be able to touch the divine here on earth" and as yet, "they have found nothing to replace [Mary]." And so, this movie tells us, the icon we all know was created - and like a nun married to God, a dehumanized Elizabeth reenters her council and holds out her hand to her old Secretary of State: "Observe, Lord Burghley: I am married to England!" Best costume drama February 11, 2009 A. D. Auckland (Spain) When it comes to costume dramas, this is one of the best I have ever seen. Cate Blanchett is a magnificent actress who slips into the character of the young Queen effortlessly and believably. The costumes are a dream to watch, the cinematography, script, support cast, the way it's directed is short of perfect. The journey of Elizabeth as she struggles to grow up in a world which is ruled by religion, fear and powerful men is remarkable. The way she finds herself, her own voice and courage against all odds during very difficult times is a joy to watch. For everyone who enjoys quality movie making out there - please buy this film. For those who like the Hulk- not for you. DVD "Elizabeth" Special Edition 1998 June 7, 2009 Bertie Bee (Devon, England) Being particularly interested in the Elizabethan period and Queen Elizabeth 1st as a person, I'd already seen two other DVDs on the subject (Elizabeth the Golden Years (Cate Blanchett) and Queen Elizabeth 1st (Helen Mirren) and wondered if this DVD would add much to what I'd already seen. br / br /In the event I was delighted with this purchase as it gave a different insight and perspective. I would with hindsight have seen this one first and the Elizabeth the Golden Years second, but all three are great historical films, brilliantly produced and terrific entertainment. I wouldn't be without any of them. br / br / br / br / br / br / br /. Showing reviews 1-5 of 11 1 2 3 Next »

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