Review of Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) by Corey C — 07 Jun 2012

Released nine years after telling the story of the ascension of the Virgin Queen to the throne in 1998's sumptuous Elizabeth, we now have Elizabeth: The Golden Age, or more accurately, Elizabeth: The Sequel Nobody Expected. The year is now 1585 and Philip II of Spain has declared holy war upon England and its Protestant monarch. Meanwhile, Liz' Catholic half-sister Mary "Queen of Scots" Stuart remains imprisoned while a network of devotees plot to place her in power.

If you think Elizabeth: The Golden Age is another dull history lesson, think again, as it is as much of a stylized work of visual art as Girl With A Pearl Earring or Moulin Rouge - or Avatar for that matter - as it is in telling the story. If this film didn't reap every award for costumes, makeup, and set decoration, then there is no point to giving them out. Simply stunningly beautiful, from the colorful costumes to the cavernous cathedrals to the curves of Cate's countenance. A long shot of red fires at sea to the left and her billowing dress in silhouette on a sheer cliff-face against the midnight blue sky to the right is breathtaking.

The film delivers in the drama department too, with Cate Blanchett once again portraying the Queen as a real breathing human being, complete with bouts of doubt, fear, and petty jealousy beneath the authority, generosity, and sharp wit. She is without a doubt in my view the English language's finest working actress - we will never know what the real Elizabeth was like, but Ms. Blanchett has given her a definitive representation.

There are some problems with the structure of the film, with important subplots shoehorned between scenes that left me confused about who the people were. But as I said, this experience is less a history lesson and more an eyecandy extravaganza; one would guess that director Shekhar Kapur cut his teeth on opulent Bollywood productions. Don't grow overly concerned about the political machinations - this is not the film equivalent of a textbook, this is the graphic novel adaptation so you can look at the pretty pictures.