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Elizabeth : Special Edition [1998] [DVD]
 
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Elizabeth : Special Edition [1998] [DVD]

DVD ~ Cate Blanchett
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
RRP: £15.99
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Frequently Bought Together

Elizabeth : Special Edition [1998] [DVD] + Elizabeth: The Golden Age [DVD] [2007] + The Other Boleyn Girl [DVD] [2008]
Total RRP: £53.97
Price For All Three: £12.93

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

Elizabeth : Special Edition [1998] [DVD]
69% buy the item featured on this page:
Elizabeth : Special Edition [1998] [DVD] 4.2 out of 5 stars (11)
£4.98
Elizabeth/Elizabeth - The Golden Age
15% buy
Elizabeth/Elizabeth - The Golden Age 3.9 out of 5 stars (7)
£6.88
Elizabeth: The Golden Age [DVD] [2007]
8% buy
Elizabeth: The Golden Age [DVD] [2007] 3.5 out of 5 stars (30)
£4.97
The Duchess [DVD] [2008]
5% buy
The Duchess [DVD] [2008] 4.1 out of 5 stars (77)
£5.48
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Product details

  • Actors: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough
  • Directors: Shekhar Kapur
  • Format: PAL
  • Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
  • Number of discs: 1
  • Classification: 15
  • Studio: Universal Pictures UK
  • DVD Release Date: 22 Oct 2007
  • Run Time: 118 minutes
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
  • ASIN: B000UWXM1W
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 6,542 in DVD (See Bestsellers in DVD)

    Popular in this category:

    #53 in  DVD > Drama > Historical

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Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

One of the big Elizabethan-era films of 1998, Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth 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.

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, Elizabeth fully immerses you into its compelling chronicle of pioneering feminism and revisionist history. --Shannon Gee



Synopsis

Shekhar Kapur's visually stunning film tells the story of Queen Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett), from her days as an innocent young woman to her coronation, up to the formation of her reputation as England's stern 'Virgin Queen.' A lush portrait of history, full of pomp, intrigue, and romance and anchored by Blanchett's award-winning performance and colourful direction from Kapur. The excellent supporting cast includes Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Fiennes, Christopher Eccleston, and Richard Attenborough.
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Customer Reviews

11 Reviews
5 star:
 (7)
4 star:
 (2)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (11 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Sumptuous AND gritty, 28 Mar 2009
By Barney McGrew "Charlie" (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)      
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.

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.

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.
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15 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars best ever film, 2 Jan 2008
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
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13 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Special?!, 28 Feb 2008
By J "chasingshadows" (Liverpool, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
With the release of `Elizabeth: The Golden Age' on DVD, I decided to buy this special edition DVD along with the exclusive version of the second Elizabeth film, thinking I'd get more special features than I would with the newly released box-set that includes both movies. Sadly, I made the wrong choice. Firstly (and I don't know whether this applies to all copies, or just my own), but as soon as I put the disc in the machine it caused an incredible whirring noise and a really powerful vibration in the machine, which continued throughout the trailers, the menus and the first two chapters, slowly diminishing and disappearing as the third chapter began. I tested the disc on another DVD player and the result was the same, although not quite as intense. It's not something I think I could complain about and get a refund for, but it was distracting while it was happening.

I liked the `making of' featurette on this DVD, but one feature does not a special edition DVD make. Although there is also a director's commentary & a sneak peak of `Elizabeth: The Golden Age', which will please some fans, for me it just wasn't enough to warrant the `special edition' tag line. So in short, I recommend the `Complete Elizabeth Collection' box-set. It's gotta be better value for money than this!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Remarkable.
Elizabeth : Special Edition [1998] [DVD]...Backstabbing, betrayal, dishonour, blood, deciet, jealousy, sibling rivalry, hatred and extra marital sex. Read more
Published 2 days ago by Tommo 18/7

5.0 out of 5 stars Strong but sad
There is something about this Elizabeth that invokes a sense of sadness, that she realises she is alone and can only rely on herself. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bev

5.0 out of 5 stars DVD "Elizabeth" Special Edition 1998
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... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Bertie Bee

5.0 out of 5 stars Best costume drama
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... Read more
Published 9 months ago by A. D. Auckland

5.0 out of 5 stars Elizabeth from princess to icon: One mistress and no master.
Among Great Britain's monarchs, two queens stand out in particular: Elizabeth I. and Queen Victoria. Read more
Published 12 months ago by Themis-Athena

4.0 out of 5 stars The Godfather, Tudor style
Partially reinventing the period movie, stylistically at least, almost as radically as Martin Scorsese reinvented the Biblical epic with his Last Temptation, Shekhur Kapur's... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Trevor Willsmer

1.0 out of 5 stars Historically inaccurate
A huge dissappointment. Having read Alison Weir's book on Elizabeth 1st, I was amazed by the inaccuracy's in the film. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Not applicable

4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting movie.
The struggle between the Catholics and the Protestants are threatening to tear the nation in two. Out of this chaos rises Englands greatest Monarch, but one mans hero is another... Read more
Published 20 months ago by N. Thompson

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