Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.

Director:

Shekhar Kapur

Writers:

William Nicholson, Michael Hirst

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 33 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jordi Mollà	...	King Philip ll of Spain (as Jordi Molla)
Aimee King	...	Infanta
Cate Blanchett	...	Queen Elizabeth I
Laurence Fox	...	Sir Christopher Hatton
John Shrapnel	...	Lord Howard
Geoffrey Rush	...	Sir Francis Walsingham
Susan Lynch	...	Annette
Elise McCave	...	Laundry Woman
Samantha Morton	...	Mary Stuart
Abbie Cornish	...	Bess Throckmorton
Penelope McGhie	...	Margaret
Rhys Ifans	...	Robert Reston
Eddie Redmayne	...	Thomas Babington
Stuart McLoughlin	...	Savage
Clive Owen	...	Sir Walter Raleigh

Storyline

Two faiths, two empires, two rulers - colliding in 1588. Papist Spain wants to bring down the heretic Elizabeth. Philip is building an armada but needs a rationale to attack. With covert intrigue, Spain sets a trap for the Queen and her principal secretary, Walsingham, using as a pawn Elizabeth's cousin Mary Stuart, who's under house arrest in the North. The trap springs, and the armada sets sail, to rendezvous with French ground forces and to attack. During these months, the Virgin Queen falls in love with Walter Raleigh, keeping him close to court and away from the sea and America. Is treachery or heroism at his heart? Does loneliness await her passionate majesty?

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Plot Keywords:

elizabeth i character | female ruler | female monarch | queen | spain | 

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Taglines:

Blanchett returns in the role for which she received an OSCAR nomination

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | War

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violence, some sexuality and nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Studio Canal [France]

Country:

UK France Germany USA

Language:

English Spanish Swedish

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Filming Locations:

Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$55,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$6,153,075, 14 October 2007, Wide Release

Gross USA:

$16,285,240

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$74,870,866

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures, StudioCanal, Working Title Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Elizabeth speaks German to Charles II, Archduke of Austria. There is in fact no historical evidence of Elizabeth having learned German. It is more like that, if they did not converse in English, they would have done so in Spanish, which Elizabeth was known to have learned, and Charles certainly would have, since one branch of the Hapsburg family was Spanish.

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Goofs

A Spanish lumberjack uses a double-bitted axe to chop down a tree. This was invented in the United States in the 1870s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: 1585
Title Card: Spain is the most powerful empire in the world. Philip of Spain, a devout Catholic, has plunged Europe into holy war. Only England stands against him, ruled by a Protestant Queen.

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Connections

Featured in Universal's Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories (2012)

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Soundtracks

Rondes I & VII (Dansereye)
Written by Tylman Susato (as Tielman Susato)
Performed by the New London Consort
Conducted by Philip Pickett
Courtesy of The Decca Music Group
Under licence from Universal Music Operations Ltd

User Reviews

Cate Blanchett shines in biographical drama; some fiction added to the events

Cate Blanchett reprises her role as the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I, and is the film's greatest highlight. She exudes power, strength and influence in portraying the 16th century monarch. Her commanding presence on the screen really gives the majestic qualities that the real queen certainly had. At the same time, she gives us a personal glance inside the woman's heart, where she has suppressed from public view an inner vulnerability and melancholy. Elizabeth certainly endured many sorrows, and this portrayal gives us a glance inside the woman's who carried all this upon her shoulders, and is credited with raising England to prominent status on the world stage.

In addition to Blanchett, the supporting cast all turn in superior work. The sets, costuming, and period speech are all mastered well, creating a true feel for the era being depicted. Although many of the people and events are real, a few liberties have been taken apparently to spice up the drama. Such fictionalizing probably wasn't necessary; enough happened during this queen's rule to make the story interesting without it. One example: the flashy Sir Walter Raleigh was indeed a favorite of the queen, but this movie puts them in a romantic triangle that just gets in the way of other things going on. Also, Raleigh, better known as an explorer, was not the hero in the battle with the Spanish Armada.

Blanchett shines when she delivers the famous speech to the troops on the eve of the Spanish invasion. But even she is burdened by the director's preoccupation with Elizabeth as a suffering angst-filled woman facing middle-age with less bravery than facing the world's most powerful fleet at that time. We get endless views of her taking her wig off in secret, and staring at a mirror. The first time this device is used is fine to get the point across of her hopeless situation of never taking a husband (and the slow advance of time having its way), but we see her looking like a shriveled ghost in too many such scenes, and it's way overdone in this context. Her "real" hair sans the wig looks like an inebriated Edward Scissorhands was her hairdresser, and her pale complexion looks like somebody pasted white-out all over her face.

Those few mistakes notwithstanding, this is a fine biopic with superior acting by Blanchett, and is recommended.