Elizabeth's own crisis of conscience over Mary's death is also well played, but the film is far more interested in romantic intrigue and sea battles. Shakespeare was active in London from the 1580s, although it was with Elizabeth's successor, James I, that his company enjoyed its great royal favor. This is an epic, to be sure, but it is also a melodrama, a soap opera of titanic scale and bluster. "Elizabeth: the Golden Age" should have been a great follow-up to a great film. To handle the scoring, Kapur turned to two composers, Craig Armstrong and A.R. With the same cavalier attitude to history as this second film, we could be talking about "Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love.". If I have to be honest, I loved "Elizabeth, the Golden Age." Sign up here. No matter. While the performances keep the film afloat, Kapur's over indulgent direction and his inadequate interpretation of history comes dangerously close to running it aground. And times when the struggle between the Protestant English (the good guys) and the Spanish Catholics (the bad … But instead Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a colourful romp that’s not too concerned with historical accuracy. That’s not to say that Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a perfect film. By Total Film 02 November 2007. Cate Blanchett stars as Elizabeth I, who in 1558, at the age of 25, took the throne of a Catholic country, declared it Protestant, fought off assassination by the French, the Spanish, her rivals and the pope, and ruled for 45 years. There are scenes where the costumes are so sumptuous, the sets so vast, the music so insistent, that we lose sight of the humans behind the dazzle of the production. "Elizabeth, the Golden Age" is weighed down by its splendor. The texture of the film is enough to recommend it, even apart from the story. and the Terms and Policies, 1 / Audio . Whereas Elizabeth covered the early years of the queen’s reign and her rise to power, Golden Age covers her middle years and the limitations of her position. As an historical reenactment it suffers from a great deal of simplification in order to make complex events quickly and easily understandable, and as a drama it suffers from a great deal of build that never really pays on it's promise. The screenplay is more action-oriented but not as smart, and some of the dialogue is downright cheesy. His weakness is his tendency to fall back on silly, melodramatic contrivance better suited to popcorn fare than to a believable meditation on Elizabethan England. Elizabeth: The Golden Age review. Every shot, every costume is decadent with color, and every single twitch of Blanchett's face is imbued with meaning as she negotiates her way through her warring roles of being a woman and being a queen. All rights reserved. Rated PG-13 It's as if the director has a checklist of the characteristics he wishes her to display and she should just get on with it. "Elizabeth, the Golden Age" is weighed down by its splendor. This Sir Walter, he is a paragon. You can quibble with me, … A pedigreed romance, an excuse for Blanchett to bind herself in satin and channel Kate Hepburn. Elizabeth (1998) charted the troubling circumstances surrounding the ascent to the throne of this English monarch in 1558. 5/10 The epic feel harkens back to Hollywood's Golden Age. Tweet. The elaborate costumes and set decoration provide the only interest. That Blanchett could appear in the same Toronto Film Festival playing Elizabeth and Bob Dylan, both splendidly, is a wonder of acting. Elizabeth: The Golden Age lacks the intricate plotting that characterized its predecessor. However, if you’re looking for a historically accurate, straight-to-the-point movie about Queen Elizabeth I’s life, this isn’t that. Elizabeth: the Golden Age (2007) review. Empty This review was written for the festival screening of "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." By Kendra on March 19, 2007 in Sixteenth Century. There are scenes where the elaborate lace on Elizabeth's costume is so detailed and flawless that we don't think about the character, we wonder how long Blanchett must have had to stand there while holding the pose and not ruffling anything. Get the freshest reviews, news, and more delivered right to your inbox! Can there be a third Elizabeth film? A sequel, a costume fantasy, a romantic melodrama, a CGI war spectacular, a puzzling celebration of beauty over substance. Rahman , who are co-credited on all the compositions. "The Golden Age" might have been called "Elizabeth II" had that title not already been taken.It's a sequel with Cate Blanchett reprising the royal role that won her instant stardom and an … She desired Raleigh for herself, of course, although there is no evidence that, in life, she had such feelings for him. Menos interesante y más rutinaria que la primera Elizabeth (de 1998), esta segunda parte vale la pena más que nada por otra brillante composición de Cate Blanchett. Some of the film's best scenes involve Mary, played by Samantha Morton as a heroic and devout woman who goes to the executioner's ax with dismay but royal composure. Elizabeth: The Golden Age fails at nearly every level, with an overly melodramatic tale, campy acting that… Review by Daniel Cruse Cate Blanchett’s performance is just as good, if not stronger than the first film but everything else is pretty much the same but slightly less interesting until the third act. He would have been 32 in 1585. We simply cannot care enough about this queen. odaje sve nedostatke i ograni%u010Denja olovnih vremena u kojima je nastao. It's close to a perfect moment in ELIZABETH: THE GOLDEN AGE, for it shows concisely the Virgin Queen's authority and loneliness, her genius and rage. a muddle that subsumes [its] premise in a mighty attempt to be several things all at once, with an uneven delivery. "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" is a worthy sequel to "Elizabeth". When Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) offers this bit of advice to a nervous royal suitor, he smiles obligingly but admits he just can't manage the pretense, not being as strong, independent-minded, or self-absorbed as she is. Cate Blanchett delivers the same performance that earned her so much praise the first time around. We see her kingdom threatened by two Catholics, Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton) who stood next in line to the throne, and Philip II of Spain (Jordi Molla), who was building a great armada to invade England. It also articulates the general aesthetic in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Shekhar Kapur's unawaited sequel to his fierce first go at her, 1998's Elizabeth. In the court, he is also a swordsman, seducing and impregnating Elizabeth's favorite lady-in-waiting, Elizabeth Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish).