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In her majesty's service

Arthur J Pais

Catherine Blanchett in Elizabeth I

Shekhar Kapur, whose success in depicting the misadventures of Phoolan Devi in Bandit Queen, brought him to the attention of Polygram, a top-flying independent movie studio, has another winner on hand.

Elizabeth, the screen bio of the Virgin Queen who ruled England in the 16th century for more than 40 years, received excellent reviews at the Venice International Film Festival last week.

One of the more prestigious film festivals, the Venice film event showed, among others, the latest work of such veteran directors as John Frankenheimer (Ronin, starring Robert De Niro) and Woody Allen (Celebrity).

The ovation Elizabeth received in Venice also augurs well for the European run of the movie, trade experts say. "Usually, films about British royalty do not perform well in Europe," says entertainment writer and short film-maker Paul Noglows. "Kapur's film could prove to be an exception."

Richard Attenborough in Elizabeth I

"Propelled by Shekhar Kapur's muscular direction, Michael Hirst's witty script, and perhaps most significant, by Carte Blanchett's remarkable performance (in the title role)," said Variety, the bible of the entertainment industry, "this richly entertaining saga is accessible enough to go beyond upscale crowds and possibly find wider appeal." The magazine went on to add, "Kapur rarely puts a foot wrong."

And though like many other historical films, Elizabeth too takes liberties with history, Kapur does not face law suits as it happened in the case of Bandit Queen.

Polygram, the makers of such artistic movies as Tim Robbins' Dead Man Walking, which were also successful at the box-office, will release Elizabeth in England and America in about three weeks. The film will have a "platform release" -- it will open in a handful of movie houses in key British and American cities, and will gradually expand, hopefully fuelled by good reviews and positive word of mouth.

A still Elizabeth I

If the first few weeks' box-office is encouraging, eventually, it could play on 400 movie screens in America. The more popular films typically reach 1,800 screens. Rounders, the new Mat Dammon film, for instance, is on 2,200 screens.

Elizabeth stars the Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush (for Shine) and Sir Richard Attenborough, the Oscar-winning director of Gandhi. Rush plays Sir Francis Walsingham whose loyalties are ever uncertain.

If Elizabeth turns out to be a hit, Kapur will make history; he will become the first Indian director with a mainstream hit. Though Mira Nair's Mississippi Masala was quite a success, grossing about $ 20 million worldwide, it was still considered an ethnic film.

Geoffrey Rush

Though there have been several well-received mainstream films directed by Indian directors (Waris Hussein, Night Shyamalan, Amin Q Chaudhary) in England and America, only Chaudhary's Tiger Warsaw was a substantial hit, grossing $ 40 million worldwide a decade ago.

Elizabeth, modestly budgeted at $ 18 million (the average Hollywood movie costs $ 60 million), is expected to do better than the critically acclaimed royal saga, Mrs Brown, which was released last year to critical acclaim and a healthy box-office, and earned an Oscar nomination for Dame Judi Dench, who played the cold and reserved Queen Victoria. The $ 3 million movie grossed over $ 10 million worldwide. Elizabeth offers more intrigue, drama, and production values than Mrs Brown, say trade pundits.

A still from Elizabeth I

Trade sources expect Elizabeth to do at least $ 20 million worldwide because of first rate performances, lavish scenery, and an intriguing story line. "And if it gets a handful of Oscar nominations, its box-office will zoom considerably," says Noglows. "It would have a great shelf life as a video."

A movie has to gross two and half times its budget in movie houses and through television cable deals before it breaks even. Elizabeth could fetch at least $ 10 million from television and cable deals in America and Britain, trade sources say.

EXTERNAL LINKS (Pages will open in a new browser window):
The Week's story on the controversy over the film
Polygram's page on Elizabeth I