Blanchett and the film powerfully embody the range of Elizabeth's mind and the force of her intellect, along with the necessary balance between moral scruple and realpolitik.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:162
Fresh:55
Rotten:107
Average Rating:5.1/10
Consensus: This sequel is full of lavish costumes and elaborate sets, but lacks the heart and creativity of the original Elizabeth
Runtime: 1 hr 55 mins
Genre: Dramas
US Box Office: $16,264,475
Synopsis: 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... 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--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. --© Universal Pictures [More]
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Rhys Ifans
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Clive Owen, Rhys Ifans, Samantha Morton, Abbie Cornish, Jordi Molla
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Screenwriter: William Nicholson, Michael Hirst
Producer: Tim Bevan, Eric Fellner, Jonathan Cavendish
Composer: Craig Armstrong, A.R. Rahman
Studio: Universal Pictures
Reviews for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Unreliable as history and misguided as a contemporary allegory, Golden Age finally fails because it is a half-hearted spectacle, not even filmed in a widescreen format.
Cate Blanchett's workaholic Queen Liz too busy for boy toys, in this royal runway strut more about fashion statements than political statements.
Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth sequel is a beautifully shot, impeccably designed and largely entertaining drama, providing you're not a stickler for historical accuracy.
If this is a film that irritates nearly as much as it pleases, we do get a sense of the times, and of the lady in question. The eyes, if not the brain, are certainly given a workout that they will remember.
See it anyway for Blanchett's soulful modulation between queenly command and womanly anguish.
For all the shortcomings of its clunky, stubbornly anachronistic dialogue, the first instalment of the Elizabeth saga packed a real punch.
Where Kapur's first Elizabeth was cool, cerebral, fascinatingly concerned with complex plotting, the new movie is pitched at the level of a Jean Plaidy romantic novel.
Rich in colour, sumptuous costumes, political intrigues and the personal relationships which dominate Elizabeth once more.
Kapur’s film is visually arresting, each frame a work of art in miniature. But there is something rather breathless about the storytelling.
Despite all that’s going for it, you can’t help thinking this movie could have been so much better.
The film is just about worth seeing for the wigs and costumes. But Elizabeth: The Golden Age sank without trace in American cinemas, and I fear it will do the same here.
A lesser movie compared to its 1998 predecessor, this sequel nonetheless delivers the sort of stirring drama and sweeping spectacle its subject demands. Blanchett, meanwhile, shines brightly enough in the title role to make Elizabeth III a certainty.
Making soap of statecraft, the film has plenty of juicy moments, but offers an inconsistent rather than complex view of Elizabeth.
Sidelines Sir Francis Drake in favour of the dashing Raleigh, nicely summing up the film: all flash, very little bang.
Over-indulgent and melodramatic, as is the nature of artistic mythmaking, The Golden Age will beguile and repel in equal measure. The performances are supreme, although some viewers may struggle to reconcile the director’s epic intentions.
Even though the script plays fast and loose with historical facts, that indomitable bulldog spirit rings true and holds you captive for the duration.
Latest News for Elizabeth: The Golden Age
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October 27, 2008:
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