Click Poster to Purchase
Review #545 of 365
Movie Review of Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) [PG-13] 114 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.75
Where Viewed: United Artists Denver Pavilions Stadium 15, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 13 October 2007
Time: 7:10 pm
DVD Release Date: 5 February 2008 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Film's Official Website • Film's Trailer
Soundtrack: order the CD below
Directed by: Shekhar Kapur (The Four Feathers)
Written by: William Nicholson (Gladiator) • Michael Hirst ("The Tudors")
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Cate Blanchett (Hot Fuzz) • Clive Owen (Shoot 'Em Up) • Geoffrey Rush (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End) • Abbie Cornish (Candy) • Jordi Mollà (The Alamo) • John Shrapnel (Alien Autopsy) • Susan Lynch (Someone Else) • Samantha Morton (The Libertine) • Penelope McGhie (The Shell Seekers) • Rhys Ifans (Hannibal Rising) • Eddie Redmayne (The Good Shepherd) • Tom Hollander (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End)
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
Reports suggest that when Shekhar Kapur first set out to make Elizabeth, a film about England's first power Queen, Queen Elizabeth I, and arguably one of its most magnificent and beloved leaders of all time, he had no idea he was creating but part 1 in what is now set to be a trilogy of films about her reign. Thus, Elizabeth: The Golden Age, suddenly becomes the middle child with all stereotypical implications intact. As the bridge between two films, this story suddenly needed to be less crisp such that a third will be able to clean things up. The main problems with the film are: the plodding plot, the lack of unimaginable urgency, and a Queen embroiled in subterfuge from which she seems to be unable to escape. While her human needs are raging just below the surface of nearly every line, every gesture, and every facial expression the mesmerizing Cate Blanchett so elegantly and eloquently delivers, these seem so odd when juxtaposed with an impending war with the then world's largest and most powerful navy, that of King Philip II (Jordi Mollà) of Spain.
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age possesses merits, but … misdirects too much attention on all the wrong elements of this period in her history."
While screen writers William Nicholson and Michael Hirst had to rely on history for their sequence of events, they most certainly did have options when it came to what elements of her historic reign would make it into the film and how long each would get attention. With the threat and treasonous actions of Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton) to collude with King Philip who saw the multi-religious nation and the non-Catholic Queen as sources of demonic influence and the work of the Devil and the war, one would think this would be an incredible film. The very idea of what must have been seen as a truly auspicious armada approaching the shores of England for an all out assault to invade and destroy the nation, too, would seem to be just the sorts of glorious source material writers would crave. Instead, the film delves far too much into the niceties of life in the Golden Age with King Philip's messengers preening about like a flock of peacocks delivering messages of their disregard for the stench of open sewers as a metaphor for their feelings about the Queen's new confidant and ally, if not potential suitor, in that of pirate Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). Instead, the film turns the Mary Stuart debacle and attempted assassination of Elizabeth into a long series of tiny scrolled messages traded at night leading to nearly anti-climatic consequences when the attempt is finally unfurled. It takes nearly too long for the Queen's most trusted governmlental advisor, Sir Fancis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), to reconcile why the gun used in the attempt was not loaded to kill the Queen afterall. And, instead, the film spends an inordinately long time on the fancy hairdos of the Queen and interactions with her first lady in waiting, Elizabeth Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish), which barely engage any worthy attention. These decisions are nearly as ironic as the Queen's reign appears in the film. With so much going on against her, how did she succeed? Whatever worked to hold it all together in her real history did not, largely, work to hold together the film.
With spectacular costumes with the best of regal refinement, mostly worthy performances with only Samantha Morton's Mary Stuart coming across as just a bit too maudlin, and a stirring musical score, it's really the directing and the plotting that throw the film off the 'best of year' track. Epic stories like this generally come with an underlying understanding that they are automatically Best Picture nomination material. Unfortunately, the failure of this one to capture the heart and the imagination stands out most obviously when Elizabeth gives her rallying speech on the dawn of the Spanish invasion. Dressed in regal armor and intending to die on the battlefield with her under funded and under manned army; her speech, one would think, should rival that of William Wallace's in Braveheart. Instead she seems oddly incapable of keeping her horse steady despite appearing earlier to be an accomplished equestrian and of finding either the language or the vocal intonation to inspire and encourage her troops to victory. While they do rally at her call, it seems more for her bravery in being there--most leaders of the time would have fled someplace for sanctuary taking the nation's treasures with them—and not because of what she says. Fortunately, mostly a stormy sea and Sir Walter Raleigh's fire ships destroyed the Spanish armada so a battle on land never needed to be fought.
Finally, believe it or not, it is not Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth who turns out to be the most interesting nor Kate Blanchette's performance the most delicious, instead, really it is Clive Owen's Sir Walter Raleigh who steals what little thunder the film has to muster. His cavalier devotion to the Queen, while mostly dismissed by her to the point of his seeding his passions in the loins of Elizabeth Throckmorton, stands out most in the film. To put it differently, the results of this film would lead one to believe that rather a film focused on his swashbuckling life, 'discovery' and claim of the new colony of Virginia so named for his Virgin Queen, and his subsequent entrapment in a gilded cage when Elizabeth declares him Captain of her personal guard, would have been far, far better indeed. Elizabeth: The Golden Age possesses merits, but as far as being a great film that captivates and illustrates the magnificent splendor of her leadership, it misdirects too much attention on all the wrong elements of this period in her history.
Alternate Poster
Click to Purchase
Send This Review To a Friend
Related Products from Amazon.com
Other Projects Featuring Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)
Cast Members
Cate Blanchett • Clive Owen • Geoffrey Rush
Abbie Cornish • Jordi Mollà • John Shrapnel
Susan Lynch • Samantha Morton • Penelope McGhie
Rhys Ifans • Tom Hollander
Director
Shekhar Kapur
Writers
William Nicholson • Michael HirstCD Soundtrack
|
|
|
Related Book
| Related DVD
| Related VHS
|
Review-lite
Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) [max of 150 words]
Believe it or not, it is not Queen Elizabeth who turns out to be the most interesting nor Kate Blanchette's performance the most delicious in Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth: The Golden Age, instead, really it is Clive Owen's Sir Walter Raleigh who steals all the film's thunder. His cavalier devotion to the Queen, while mostly dismissed by her, stands out most in the film. Indeed, a film focused on his swashbuckling life, 'discovery' and claim of the new colony of Virginia so named for his Virgin Queen, and his subsequent entrapment in a gilded cage when Elizabeth declares him Captain of her personal guard, would have been far, far better. Elizabeth: The Golden Age possesses merits, but as far as being a great film that captivates and illustrates the magnificent splendor of her leadership, it misdirects too much attention on all the wrong elements of this period in her history.
Send This Review To a Friend
No comments:
Post a Comment