'Commanding the screen much as Elizabeth does her subjects, Blanchett suggests her character's androgynous nature. Her face masked in chalky white powder and wearing elaborate red wigs (some with feathers sprouting from them) and long gowns, she's the height of femininity presiding over balls. But she could be a man covered in armor riding out to meet her troops or pass as a boy alone at night in her bed shirt, her short-cropped hair uncovered.'

'Blanchett's features appear hardened by the demands of power (not unlike Al Pacino's in the second Godfather). Elizabeth has learned the lesson of absolute rulers that there is no need to shout. So when she does, the effect is chilling.'

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Also read: Nominee Spotlight: Paul Thomas Anderson

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