Review:
In 1998's
Elizabeth, Shekhar Kapur
added a layer of suds to his
history lesson; the director
follows the same
audience-pleasing recipe in
Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Since the first film,
Blanchett scored an Oscar
for her note-perfect
rendition of Katharine
Hepburn in The Aviator,
and she plays the
preternaturally bemused
monarch in a similar
fashion. By 1585, Elizabeth
I is an experienced ruler
about to face two of her
biggest challenges: betrayal
by her Catholic cousin, Mary
Stuart (Control's
Samantha Morton), and
invasion by the Spanish
Armada. It isn't so much
that the Protestant
Elizabeth wishes to rid
England of "papists," but
that she wants her country
to remain free from foreign
domination. Closer to her
home, she enjoys a sisterly
relationship with
lady-in-waiting Bess (rising
Aussie star Abbie Cornish).
That changes when Sir Walter
Raleigh (a dashing Clive
Owen) hits the scene. In
order to continue exploring
the New World, he seeks the
queen’s sponsorship. She is
charmed, but Raleigh only
has eyes for Bess. As in the
previous picture, Elizabeth
enjoys better luck at
affairs of state than
affairs of the heart, but
the conclusion is more
beatific than before (and
Kapur intends a third
installment if Blanchett is
willing). Elizabeth: The
Golden Age is a rush of
royal intrigue, bloody
torture, fantastic
headpieces, and irresistibly
ripe dialogue, like "I have
a hurricane in me that will
strip Spain bare if you dare
to try me!" To Kapur,
victory for the Virgin Queen
was a viable alternative to
sex...more
Extras: Deleted
scenes, "The Reign
Continues: Making Elizabeth:
The Golden Age," "Inside
Elizabeth's World"
featurette, "Commanding the
Winds: Creating the Armada,"
"Towers, Courts and
Cathedral" locations and
sets featurette, commentary
by director Shekhar Kapur.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age Release
Date:
October 12, 2007 Studio: Universal Pictures Director: Shekhar Kapur Screenwriter: William Nicholson, Michael Hirst Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Samantha Morton,
Abbie Cornish Genre: Historical Thriller MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for violence, some sexuality and nudity) Official Website:
ElizabethTheGoldenAge.net
Plot Summary:
Reprising the roles they originated in seven-time
Academy Award®-nominated "Elizabeth," Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush return
for a gripping historical thriller laced with treachery and romance--"Elizabeth:
The Golden Age." Joining them in the epic is Clive Owen as Sir Walter Raleigh, a
dashing seafarer and newfound temptation for Elizabeth.
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" finds Queen Elizabeth I (Oscar®-winner Cate
Blanchett) facing bloodlust for her throne and familial betrayal. Growing keenly
aware of the changing religious and political tides of late 16th century Europe,
Elizabeth finds her rule openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II (Jordi
Molla)--with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada--determined to restore
England to Catholicism.
Preparing to go to war to defend her empire, Elizabeth struggles to balance
ancient royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Raleigh.
But he remains forbidden for a queen who has sworn body and soul to her country.
Unable and unwilling to pursue her love, Elizabeth encourages her favorite
lady-in-waiting, Bess (Abbie Cornish), to befriend Raleigh to keep him near. But
this strategy forces Elizabeth to observe their growing intimacy.
As she charts her course abroad, her trusted advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham
(Academy Award® winner Geoffrey Rush), continues his masterful puppetry of
Elizabeth's court at home--and her campaign to solidify absolute power. Through
an intricate spy network, Walsingham uncovers an assassination plot that could
topple the throne. But as he unmasks traitors that may include Elizabeth's own
cousin Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton), he unknowingly sets England up for
destruction.
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" tells the thrilling tale of an era...the story of
one woman's crusade to control love, crush enemies and secure her position as a
beloved icon of the western world
EN 5 Second Review:
A movie with a plot, it must be getting to be fall. Then
again we really don't watch for the plot, but our wives do.
Cate
Blanchett has grown from a thin, pale, girlish unknown into a formidable
screen presence Roger Moore: Paper
There are more dalliances, more palace intrigues and more
threats to the crown. But by this time, the overmatched girl has grown
into a lady made of iron, or at least clad in it, as she thumbs her nose
at those who send their Armada her way and the film thumbs its nose at
history...more
Cate
Blanchett can do anything, even play Bob Dylan Peter Travers: Rolling Stone
Cate Blanchett can do anything, even play Bob Dylan, but she
can't save this creaky sequel to her star-making 1998
biopic of Elizabeth I...more
Release
Date:
October 12, 2007
EN 5 Second Review:
A movie with a plot, it must be getting to be fall. Then
again we really don't watch for the plot, but our wives do.