Elizabeth

Drama, History

Cate Blanchett	Elizabeth I
Geoffrey Rush	Sir Francis Walsingham
Christopher Eccleston	Duke of Norfolk
Joseph Fiennes	Robert Dudley
Richard Attenborough	Sir William Cecil
Fanny Ardant	Mary of Guise
Eric Cantona	Monsieur de Foix
Vincent Cassel	Duc d'Anjou
Kathy Burke	Queen Mary Tudor
Edward Hardwicke	Earl of Arundel

Director	Shekhar Kapur
Producer	Tim Bevan; Eric Fellner; Liza Chasin
Writer	Michael Hirst

Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) becomes Queen of England amid much turmoil. The previous monarch, Queen Mary, Elizabeth's half-sister, was Catholic. However, Elizabeth is Protestant. This is cause for a great deal of plotting and political intrigue by those who wish England to remain Catholic. There is also controversy due to the fact that Elizabeth is unmarried and therefore, without an heir. Although many noble men vie for Elizabeth's hand, none are men that she could love or trust. Elizabeth does have affection for Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Joseph Fiennes), but, unfortunately, he isn't of suitable class for her to marry. The Virgin Queen, as she becomes known, suffers through years of loneliness and unhappiness but becomes one of England's greatest rulers.