Few historical dramas capture the grandeur, political intrigue, and emotional turmoil of the Tudor court quite like Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007). Directed by Shekhar Kapur and starring Cate Blanchett in her Oscar-nominated role, this film is a masterclass in cinematic storytelling. It depicts the latter years of Queen Elizabeth I’s reign, focusing on her struggle against the Spanish Armada, her complex relationship with the adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh, and her internal battle between duty as a monarch and her identity as a woman.

Elizabeth’s chief minister, William Cecil, is entirely missing.