Honestly, I can groove to a historical period piece as much as the next guy. And by "groove", I mean that in spite of my love for such fare as Dangerous Liaisons, I prefer to bring my own pillow to them. Many period pieces tend to be populated by overblown, full-of-themselves actors dryly reading lines from an overblown, pretentious script.
Not so with Elizabeth: The Golden Age, the sequel to 1998's Elizabeth, which blessedly bestowed Cate Blanchett upon the world.
Once again guided by Indian director Shekhar Kapur, Blanch-ett returns to the role which she once before reluctantly accepted
...yet ironically ended up making her famous. In this new film, it is close to the end of the 16th Century, and Elizabeth the First once again faces treachery from both within and without her court. King Philip II of Spain(Jordi Molla, inheriting the role from George Yiasoumi) secretly conspires with the imprisoned Mary Stuart, otherwise known as "Mary, Queen of Scots"(Samantha Morton) to assassinate Elizabeth as prelude to a return of Catholic rule to England. Should that fail, then the King will attack openly with his fleet.
Yet Elizabeth I stands not alone; keeping her safe are Sir Fran-cis Walsingham(Geoffrey Rush, reprising the role), her loyal and trusted advisor, and new ally Walter Raleigh(Clive Owen), an English explorer and colonizer of the Americas. In fact, Raleigh settled and named the state of Virginia after Elizabeth, who was dubbed in her time on the throne as "The Virgin Queen". This historical plot point lends itself to a funny play on words by way of reply from the Queen to Raleigh.
The film features an able cast throughout, both primary and supportive. Dialogue which might otherwise sound overly flowery is delivered in a realistic manner which anyone can follow, be they fan of Shakespeare or Diddy. Don't worry, classicists--the material is treated with proper respect, unlike 1996's Romeo + Juliet, which felt a need to dumb down the bard by placing him in modern times to make him more "accessible". However, fans of Al Pacino's brilliant Looking For Richard from that same year--which essenti-ally made Shakespeare's deepest work, Richard III, more access-ible to the public in a much more respectful manner--will under-stand what I mean when I say Elizabeth: The Golden Age is just as easy to comprehend.
Perhaps the most astounding thing about Elizabeth: The Golden Age is the fact that it is really a thriller/action film dressed up in period clothing, a fact which the trailers from Universal should have taken greater pains to reveal. While I have great respect for the considerable thespian skills of Blanchett and Rush, I was amazed at how quickly and thoroughly the script by William Nicholson and Michael Hirst drew me in. Kapur's direction is sharp, crisp and tight--while we are given ample moments of grand shots in which we can appreciate the vivid set design and other ele-ments, not a moment is wasted or the camera forced to linger too long in one particular moment. Kapur stays true to the old filmmak-ers' credo: "Enter a scene as late as possible and leave as early as you can." There are moments of power and serene simplicity, of which the cast takes full advantage. Blanchett is obviously more comfortable in Elizabeth's skin this time around, and if rumors are true, we can look forward to seeing her don the Queen's regal garb one more time in another sequel.
To be fair, any history professors attending the film will more than likely want to claw out their own eyes at the litany of historical inaccuracies which plague this film, as they did the original. Sir Walter Raleigh was actually more of a flat-out butcher and baron landowner than he was a "pirate", which would actually be a kinder term for him. The secret relationship he carries out with Elizabeth Throckmorton(Abbie Cornish) strays quite far from the true chronological order of events as they happened. While she dons her armor and joins her men on the battlefield, Elizabeth's famous Speech to the Troops at Tilbury is referenced but barely para-phrased(although to be honest, the scene itself is still inspiring). And it was actually Lord High Admiral Charles Howard who won the war for the English against the Spanish Armada, not the singular efforts of Raleigh(oh, come on--I'm not giving anything away! You know England isn't a Spanish colony...right?).
Don't let these quibbles lessen your enjoyment of the film. After all, folks don't usually go to the movies for a history lesson...they go to forget about the real world and be entertained. And on this point, Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a surprisingly rousing success. It is bold, it is enchanting, it's full of rich performances and believable characters, and it even has a little something for the action crowd as well. And given some of the less-than-stellar offerings we've had to endure lately, what more could you ask for?
Official Archives of LanceReviews...
Last Action Queen
Cate The Great returns in an action flick disguised as a period piece
This flick, which could otherwise be known as "Elizabeth II: The Vengeance" takes some pleasantly surprising turns.
Geoffrey Rush returns as Elizabeth's ever-faithful advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham.
The Pride and the Power: No, this isn't an old Eurythmics video! Blanchett as Elizabeth ponders a possible doom for her country from the approaching Spanish armada.
