Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Director:

Shekhar Kapur

Writers:

William Nicholson (written by) and
Michael Hirst (written by)

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

Woman. Warrior. Queen.

Plot:

An exploration of the relationship between Elizabeth I and the adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh.

Plot Keywords:

Empire | Horse | British History | Beheading | Historical

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Cate Blanchett	...	Queen Elizabeth I
Geoffrey Rush	...	Sir Francis Walsingham
Clive Owen	...	Sir Walter Raleigh
Samantha Morton	...	Mary Stuart
Rhys Ifans	...	Robert Reston
Jordi Mollà	...	King Philip ll of Spain
John Shrapnel	...	Lord Howard
Aimee King	...	Infanta
Susan Lynch	...	Annette
Elise McCave	...	Laundry Woman
Abbie Cornish	...	Elizabeth Throckmorton
Penelope McGhie	...	Margaret
Eddie Redmayne	...	Thomas Babington
Stuart McLoughlin	...	Savage
Adrian Scarborough	...	Calley

Also Known As:

Elizabeth - Das goldene Königreich (Germany)
Elizabeth - L'âge d'or (France)
The Golden Age (UK) (working title)
Elizabeth - La edad de oro (Argentina) (Uruguay) (Venezuela) [es]
Elizabeth - L'âge d'or (Belgium: French title) (Canada: French title) [fr]
Elisabet - Kultainen aikakausi (Finland) [fi]
Elizabeth - A Idade de Ouro (Portugal) (literal title) [pt]
Elizabeth: A Era de Ouro (Brazil) [pt]
Elizabeth: Altin çag (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Elizabeth: Az aranykor (Hungary) [hu]
Elizabeth: Golden Age (Japan: English title) [en]
Elizabeth: I hrysi epohi (Greece) [el]
Elizabeth: Kuldajastu (Estonia) [et]

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

UK | France | Germany

Language:

English | Spanish | Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Netherlands:12 | Sweden:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43467) | Ireland:12A | Brazil:14 | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:PG | Hong Kong:IIA | France:Unrated | UK:12A | Canada:14A | Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12 | Australia:M | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | South Africa:13V | South Korea:12 | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Malaysia:U | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13

Filming Locations:

Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire, England, UK

Company:

Motion Picture ZETA Produktionsgesellschaft

Trivia:

The scene where Bess is learning to dance the Volta required the actress to be lifted in the air for every six counts. There were so many retakes that the actress was sore and had trouble walking the next day.

Goofs:

Factual errors: The execution of Mary Stuart (Mary, Queen of Scots) is shown with a single, swift ax stroke. Historically, it was far worse, actually taking at least two strokes - the first hitting Mary in the back of the head (reportedly prompting her to cry out, "Sweet Jesus") and the second severing all of her neck save some sinew, which the executioner then cut through by using the ax as a saw. Some reports say the execution in fact required a third stroke as well.

Quotes:

Queen Elizabeth I: [in German] You play the game very well, my young friend. But don't you sometimes feel an overwhelming desire to say what you're really thinking?
Archduke Charles: I daren't even think what I'm really thinking.

Movie Connections:

Featured in 14th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards (2008) (TV)

A Huge Opportunity for Greatness …is Missed

With a dream cast, a fascinating subject, and a budget larger than a pirate's booty, this film could have been great. But the chance is missed.

(Pros:) The cast is definitely the film's biggest asset. Cate Blanchett is incredibly brilliant even at times that the script fails to provide her with a worthy line. Her powerful performance is utterly captivating. Clive Owen's Walter Raleigh is as dashing as a man can be. As the man who charmed the Queen out of her heart and wits and dared to tell her not to act like a fool, Owen's Raleigh is daring at times, vulnerable at others, but always compelling and spectacular. Geoffrey Rush makes the best out of the very little that he's given to work with and Abbie Cornish and Samantha Morton are each great in their parts.

It's also worth a mention that the costumes and the locations are spectacular, paired with a few moments of good story-telling (only if those moments would last all through the film) they make a few absolutely extraordinary scenes. Another great characteristic of this film is it's subtlety, the emotions that are there yet not talked about, the wishes, feelings, disappointments, desires, and fears that are only hinted are the best parts of an otherwise disappointing story-telling.

(Cons:) Sloppy editing, campy scenes, and poor writing are what mostly hurts the film. Unfortunately the film's precious time is spent on side-stories that could have easily been discarded, and consequentially, not enough time is spent on the development of the main story. Everything that happens after Sir Walter meets Elizabeth seems forced. Vague at times, the film seems to be in rush to hit certain notes at certain times. Elizabeth meets Walter and a few lines later she's mad about him, so is Bess and so on. The audience is not given the chance to feel or take in what's really happening, not even enough time to get to know the characters let alone feel what they are going through. At times, it seemed as though many of the scenes were cut short in the editing room and had lost their essence in the process. (If that's the case, lets hope the DVD includes the director's cut.)

The film could have benefited from more climax and action (the battle is barely touched), (other than a few great scenes) most of the story is told through conversations in closed areas. More than anything, the writers leaned on poetic lines to deliver their story. Also, for all it's subtlety, the film takes sides so obviously that it hurts any chances it had at reaching some level of realism or fairness. For instance, not only Phillip of Spain is utterly evil, he's one ridiculous, petty, dim character.

Overall, the cast certainly makes the experience worthwhile, and as long as one does not expect absolute greatness or historical accuracy, this film can be great entertainment for most.