History Film / Elizabeth

* ImportantHaircut: The film's climax, and one hell of a TearJerker for anyone sympathetic to what Elizabeth is doing to herself.

* HollywoodHistory: Good God, where to begin?

** Elizabeth may not have actually had a sexual encounter with the Earl of Leicester and she did not cut her hair to show that she was a virgin but because she had smallpox.

** Walter Raleigh basically steals the life of Francis Drake and becomes the hero who defeats the Spanish Armada, rather than a bit player in the battle.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Albeit applied retroactively, since given the focus on strong woman protagonists many people like to take this as the unofficial sequel to the film version of ''TheOtherBoleynGirl''. Bonus points given the last image in the latter film is Elizabeth running around in the fields, and one of the first sights we get of Elizabeth in this film is her in a field once more.

* HeyItsThatGuy: [[TheReturnOfSherlockHolmes Dr Watson]] is the Earl of Arundel and [[TheTudors Thomas Cromwell]] is a Spanish ambassador.
** JamesBond is a assassin monk and Creator/JohnGielgud is the Pope.
** The [[Characters/DoctorWhoDoctors Ninth Doctor]] is the Duke of Norfolk.
** A wee [[GameOfThrones Theon Greyjoy]] is the son of one of the anti-Elizabeth plotters.

** The [[Characters/DoctorWhoDoctors Ninth Doctor]] is the Duke of Norfolk.

* AllStarCast: And ''how''. Cate Blanchett, Richard Attenborough, Joseph Fiennes, Christopher Eccleston, Geoffrey Rush, Daniel Craig, John Gielgud... [[AndZoidberg and Eric Cantona.]]

** JamesBond is a assassin monk and JohnGielgud is the Pope.

* RealityIsUnrealistic: Presumably the reason why the second film [[HollywoodHistory claims]] that several ships were destroyed during the Spanish Armarda, when in reality, England didn't lose a ''[[CrowningMomentOfAwesome single]]'' ship in the entire battle!

** He's heavily implied to have been this to Mary as well, since we're [[EstablishingCharacterMoment first introduced]] to him offering reasonable advice, being deeply apologetic when attempting to get a confession from Elizabeth and then offering his cloak to her when she's sent to the tower, not out of pity, but because he didn't want her [[NiceGuy to be cold]].

'''Queen Elizabeth:''' I too, can command the wind, sir! I HAVE A HURRICANE IN ME THAT WILL STRIP SPAIN BARE IF YOU DARE TO TRY ME!

'''Queen Elizabeth:''' I too, can command the wind, sir! I HAVE A HURRICANE IN ME THAT WILL STRIP SPAIN BARE WHEN YOU DARE TO TRY ME!

*** To be fair the first film makes specific mention of English Privateers. In fact they are even called Pirates - both by the Spanish ambassador and by the 'actor' playing the Privateer. Let's also remember that the treasure in the Spanish treasure fleets has to be THE most ill-gotten loot in the history of conquest.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Pretty much the entire [[ChristianityIsCatholic Catholic Church]] and Catholics get this overhaul in the film. Both Bloody Mary and the Pope live in small, spartan, darkened rooms where they give orders to crazed fanatics. Bloody Mary herself is depicted as deranged toad of a woman [[UnfortunateImplications attended by a creepy dwarf maid.]] This is in contrast to Elizabeth, who is beautiful, brave, stately, and tolerant.

* HistoricalVillainUpgrade: Pretty much the entire [[ChristianityIsCatholic Catholic Church]] gets this overhaul in the film. Both Bloody Mary and the Pope even live in small, spartan, darkened rooms where they give orders to crazed fanatics.

** In one scene Elizabeth mentions her mother Anne Boleyn. In reality, she ''never'' spoke about her mother. Not even once.

*** The [[Characters/DoctorWhoDoctors Ninth Doctor]] is the Duke of Norfolk.

Followed by a sequel, ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age'' with the same director and Cate Blanchett once again as the Virgin Queen.

--> '''Gardener:''' I'm sure this infernal work has not saved your ''bastard'' Queen.

--> '''Gardener:''' ...By what count?

* TheWomanWearingTheQueenlyMask: pretty much TheMovie.

* BlueEyes: Elizabeth in the film, though the real Elizabeth famously had the very dark amber-brown eyes of her mother Anne Boleyn. However, Cate Blanchett has very sensitive eyes and can't wear contacts.

* JackBauerInterrogationTechnique: Walsingham having DanielCraig burned. Lampshaded by Her Majesty herself that anyone will say anything under torture.

* TheObiWan: Francis Walsingham to Elizabeth, and possibly one reason why his [[MagnificentBastard Magnificent Bastardry]] does not turn him into a CompleteMonster.
* OminousWalk: A Catholic priest, of all things. Done in SlowMotion for extra points.

* LadyOfWar: Elizabeth wears an armor and gives a rousing speech to her troops in the sequel.

* DidNotDoTheResearch: Good God, where to begin?
** William Cecil was not even thirty by the time Elizabeth came to the throne and she did not retire him by making him Lord Burghley, she ennobled him as a reward for his services and he remained her most loyal advisor until his death a few years before the queen's. Similarly, Francis Walsingham was only a few years older than Elizabeth. In the second film, Elizabeth visits him when he is dying. In real life she simply let him die in poverty and didn't go to see him.
** Henri of Anjou was probably not a crossdresser and he wasn't homosexual - the number of his ''female'' mistresses is almost uncountable. Also his aunt died of dropsy rather than any foul play.
** Mary I was actually very skinny rather than overweight in the film and Norfolk was a weak and easily-manipulated man rather than the film's powerful and scheming counterpart.
** Elizabeth knew that Leicester was already married ''because she had attended his wedding''. Moreover, he wasn't banished for being involved in a Catholic plot (because he was a Puritan) but instead because of a scandal over the mysterious death of his second wife.
** Bishop Stephen Gardiner died before Elizabeth came to the throne and thus could not possibly have been involved in any plots. The Earl of Arundel was not executed for his role but was instead imprisoned in the Tower of London where he died as a prisoner and the Earl of Sussex was actually a loyal supporter of Elizabeth who would not have tried to overthrow her.
** Elizabeth may not have actually had a sexual encounter with the Earl of Leicester and she did not cut her hair to show that she was a virgin but because she had smallpox.
** Throughout the film, bishops are shown wearing black mitres that they never would have worn in real life.
** In one scene Elizabeth mentions her mother Anne Boleyn. In reality, she ''never'' spoke about her mother. Not even once.
** Elizabeth reprimands one of her council members for divorcing twice. In reality, it was more or less impossible to obtain a divorce at this time - something that Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, knew very well.
** At the start of the film, the execution of Nicholas Ridley is shown with two other people of which one must be Hugh Latimer. However, their companion, an unnamed woman, is made up because Ridley and Latimer weren't burnt with anyone else.
** Sir Thomas Elyot is drowned by Ballard for being a ReverseMole. However, the real Elyot died at his estates in Cambridgeshire ''in 1546''.
** In the second film, Elizabeth frequently consults Dr John Dee over various matters. However, Dr Dee was abroad at this time and didn't return to England until more than a year after the Spanish Armada.
** In the second film, nearly everything that Walter Raleigh does was actually done by Sir Francis Drake. Raleigh was kept in England when the Armada attacked because the Queen did not want him to be killed. Defeating the Armada was Drake's moment of triumph but he is hardly in the film.
** The Earl of Nottingham states that the Spanish Armada have destroyed several English ships. In reality the English didn't lose a single ship.
** Philip II of Spain is shown as a hunched and shadowy figure with a dark beard who is an imcompetant king and a religious fanatic. The real Philip was known as being highly intelligent and had several successes with his foreign policies. He was also tall, blond and handsome.
** The Infanta of Spain was not a child at the time of the Armada but was in fact twenty-one.
** Sir Walter Raleigh was not knighted to keep him in England but to reward his services. He was also knighted on his ship and not against his will. Also, although Raleigh ''was'' imprisoned by Elizabeth, it didn't happen until several years after the Armada.
** Raleigh was not a pirate, Drake was.
** Mary, Queen of Scots gaoler, Amyas Paulet, actually treated her rather well.
** Walter Raleigh quite famously had a strong West Country accent that meant some courtiers had difficulty understanding him. Francis drake also had the same accent. In the second film, Mary, Queen of Scots is portrayed with a Scottish accent when she would have had a French one as result of living in France for years since she was a child.
** Frequently men at court are shown wearing long cloaks and carrying swords in the Queen's presence. Swords weren't allowed in court and the real Elizabeth actually banned long cloaks in case an assassin was hiding a weapon under it.
** At one point a man is hanged using the 'long drop' method with a trapdoor. This method of execution was not invented until the Nineteenth Century.
** Raleigh did not have an affair with Bess Throckmorton until three years after the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

* TheHighQueen: a major reason for Elizabeth's transformation at the end of the film. It's referenced directly in the film: