I don’t think that anyone was expecting a sequel to Elizabeth, but director Shekhar Kapur and star Cate Blanchett deliver and do so with style and acting worthy of the monarch.
The year is 1585 and King Philip of Spain (Jordi Molla), a Catholic, has decided that God has instructed him to take over England, which is ruled by the Protestant Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett).
Meanwhile royal advisor Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush) is suggesting that the “Virgin Queen” Elizabeth marry so that she will have offspring and the throne will not pass to her cousin Mary Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton) who is being held prisoner to keep her from usurping Elizabeth.
Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) has returned from the new world and brings Elizabeth some of it’s treasures, including tobacco, but the Spanish ambassador is offended that Raleigh also offers gold doubloons pirated from Spanish ships. Elizabeth is intrigued with the charismatic Raleigh and tells her lady in waiting Elizabeth Stockmorton (Abbie Cornish) to keep her eye on the dashing captain.
Mary is plotting secretly to have Elizabeth assassinated so that she can ascend to the throne. The plot fails and Mary is found out and Walsingham convinces Elizabeth to have Mary executed. Unfortunately, this will have repercussions that neither will have foreseen, as will Elizabeth’s orders that her lady in waiting keep an eye on Raleigh.
Elizabeth, the first film, was a pretty big hit as far as box office went as it made up its production costs and then some. Not only that but it secured seven Academy Award nominations, including best picture and best actress, but won for best makeup. I sadly have to report that I haven’t seen the first film but after viewing a quick trip to my local DVD store remedied that hole in my collection.
However, I’ll say that watching the first film is not particularly a requirement since I wasn’t lost in the slightest bit. Although an interest in English history wouldn’t hurt matters. The performances are captivating with major kudos going to both holdover players Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush.
Blanchett would again be nominated for best actress and another nomination for costume design as well, but both would come up empty handed at the Oscars ceremony. Newcomer to the franchise Clive Owen also impresses as the charmer Walter Raleigh and you can sense a bit of Connery about his as I would imagine Sir Sean assaying the role if the project would’ve gotten off the ground in the 1960s.
I found the film quite the rousing adventure and am sure that some might find some modern comparison since the Spanish are hell-bent to conqueror England in the name of God, but I was caught up too much in the political intrigue and rousing adventure to decide if that were the case of the filmmakers.
Elizabeth the Golden Age is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary by director Shekhar Kapur. Next is 8 minutes of deleted scenes. The 11-minute “The Reign Continues” is a making of featurette.
The 7-minute “Inside Elizabeth’s World” explores the set design. The 12-minute “Commanding the Winds” tells how they created the English ships for the picture. The 10-minute “Towers, Courts, and Cathedrals” explores the true-life locations used for the filming of the picture.
Elizabeth the Golden Age is a fine film full of adventure and intrigue. The adventure supplied by the dashing Clive Owen and the intrigue by Geoffrey Rush and Blanchett. Knowledge of the first film is not necessary, but if you were like me then you’ll want to pick that one up after watching this sequel. The film is perhaps not very historically accurate, but a grand adventure nonetheless. Golden indeed.
Elizabeth - The Golden Age is now available at Amazon . It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a Feb. 25th release. Visit the DVD database for more information.
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