Elizabeth MPAA Rating: R Entertainment: +2 Content: -2

This rather dark, intense drama is the story of England's Queen Elizabeth in the mid 1500's. It takes place at a time when the Protestants are being accused of being heretics by the Catholics and the film opens with a gruesome scene of three Protestants being burned at the stake. But Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) shows tolerance for Protestants and, when she becomes Queen, exhorts the clergy and the people to do the same. She is beset with many problems, including battles with French invaders, religious conflicts and schemes by conniving noblemen and foreign dignitaries to take control of her empire. And she is criticized for an ongoing affair with her handsome lover, Robert Dudley (Joseph Fiennes). But she is a wise and caring queen and shows great perseverance and integrity. She does have one very loyal advisor (Geoffrey Rush) who shrewdly protects her from her enemies. The story is intriguing and apparently historically accurate, but doesn't have many happy moments. Most scenes take place in dark buildings, dungeons, and churches and on dreary days. It will appeal mostly to serious minded, intellectual moviegoers.

Adding to the film's intensity are some gruesome scenes of bloody injured prisoners and soldiers, torture scenes, stabbings and a beheading. Also, some rather graphic, but obscured bedroom sex scenes are shown, some with buttocks nudity. One particularly graphic sex scene occurs in a hallway. An effeminate homosexual of a French royal family courts Elizabeth briefly, and makes some suggestive remarks to her. He's later shown in a orgy acene in which homosexual conduct is implied along with brief breast nudity. As would be expected, proper English is spoken with no crudities, except some terms such as bastard and whore are used but not in a crude sense. Elizabeth is a sincere and dedicated queen and eventually decides not to marry and become England's virgin queen. She openly expresses regret for her affair with Robert Dudley, but does not harm him. Although the sexual affairs are presumably realistic, they are unnecessarily graphic, as is the nudity which accompanies them. This explicitness unfortunately spoils an otherwise decent historical docudrama.

Preview Reviewer: John Evans
Distributor: Polygram Filmed Entertainment, 9333 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90210