A very good looking depiction of the early reign of England's Queen Elizabeth I with Oscar-nominated Cate Blanchett in the title role. Initially, she struggles to stay alive during the reign of her devoutly Catholic (a superbly cast Kathy Burke) half-sister Mary, with the help of her childhood friend Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes). These risks do not diminish at all once she succeeds to the throne and faces conspiracies and plots from all around. It's not the most historically accurate version of her early reign, but Richard Attenborough, Geoffrey Rush and a devious, unscrupulous schemer in Christopher Eccleston as the Duke of Norfolk keep this intrigue of treachery, betrayal and power moving along tautly. Michael Hirst has a definite penchant for writing of the Tudor times and Shekhar Kapur brings the costumes and palaces alive with some creative direction.