Review

by Clarence B

Interesting despite some odd casting and slow-pacing

Cate Blanchett takes up the lead role to illustrate the pressure that Elizabeth came under to marry and produce an heir to the throne. Relationships, religion and ruling routines are all brought to the fore in this rather heavy and cumbersome movie. As soon as you get to grips with the slow-paced story some slightly bizarre casting pops up to confuse you even more. The strangest of all must be when Kathy Burke appears as royalty in the form of Queen Mary. All this dampens the films credibility and it becomes difficult to take the movie seriously. Despite these problems it’s not all doom and gloom. There is some admirable acting on display and the combination of interesting history and eye-catching backgrounds is enough to at least keep the viewer awake. If this isn’t enough then there is always a thoroughly enjoyable cameo from football legend Eric Cantona.