Elizabeth
Dir: Shekhar Kapur
1998
****
1998's Elizabeth is a stunningly beautiful film and as historical accuracy goes, it's not too bad either. My only gripe with Shekhar Kapur's direction are that he over does the down shots and the one scene that nearly ruined the whole thing for me was the very contemporary quick cut editing during Elizabeth's speech practice. I will put that one to one side though, as he more than made up for it with the stunning transformation scene towards the end, with Elizabeth emerging from the light. The imagery and symbolism work together beautifully. Certainly my favourite period drama in recent years, with fantastic performances, most notably from the amazing Cate Blanchett.