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Elizabeth: The Golden Age

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Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Promotional film poster
Directed byShekhar Kapur
Written byWilliam Nicholson
Michael Hirst
StarringCate Blanchett
Clive Owen
Geoffrey Rush
CinematographyRemi Adefarasin
Edited byJill Bilcock
Music byCraig Armstrong
A. R. Rahman
Distributed byUniversal Studios
Release dates
October 12, 2007(USA)
November 2, 2007 (UK)
Countries United Kingdom
France France
LanguagesEnglish, Spanish
Budget$50-60 million
Box office$72,611,658 (worldwide)

Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a 2007 film sequel to the film Elizabeth. It stars Cate Blanchett and is based on events during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. Written by William Nicholson and Michael Hirst and produced by Universal Pictures and Working Title Films, and distributed by Universal. The Golden Age is directed by Shekhar Kapur. The film has music composed by Craig Armstrong and A. R. Rahman.

It was filmed at Shepperton Studios and various locations around the United Kingdom with an estimated production budget of 50 to 60 million USD.[1] Guy Hendrix Dyas was the production designer and the costumes were created by Alexandra Byrne.

The film premiered on 9 September 2007 at the Toronto International Film Festival. It opened in wide release in the United States and Canada on 12 October 2007. It premiered in London on 23 October 2007 and is on general release from 2 November 2007 throughout the rest of the UK and Republic of Ireland.

It opened in Australia and New Zealand on 15 November 2007.[2]

The film won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design and was nominated for Best Actress (Cate Blanchett).

Historical background

In 1558, Philip II of Spain’s second wife, Mary I of England – “Bloody” Mary – died. They had wed in July 1554, a year after Mary’s accession to the English throne, but the English Parliament had refused to crown him jointly with Mary so he had little power in England.[3] On Mary’s death he had then tried unsuccessfully to persuade her sister and successor, Elizabeth, to marry him, but she would not agree.

Plot synopsis

The film opens in 1585; Roman Catholic Spain is the most powerful country in Europe, with King Philip II on the throne. Seeing Protestant England as a threat, and in retaliation for England's constant piracy of Spanish ships, Philip intends to make war on his long-time enemy in order to take over the land that is now England and add it to what is already Spain, making his daughter Isabella Queen of England.

File:CateBlanchettasElizabeth.jpg
Blanchett portrays Elizabeth I of England in Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Meanwhile, in England, Elizabeth (Cate Blanchett) is still being pressured to marry by her advisor, Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush). She is aging in years (she was actually born in 1533) and, with no child, the throne will pass to her next of kin, her cousin once removed Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton). The Queen is presented with many portraits of crowned heads of Europe and princes; these include Ivan the Terrible, Erik of Sweden, Charles II of Austria, the Archduke of Austria and a French prince. As always, Elizabeth refuses to take someone's hand in marriage, particularly that of the young Austrian archduke who has become infatuated with the Queen.

Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) is presented at Elizabeth's court, having returned from the New World, and offers her some of the New World's riches: potatoes, tobacco, and two Native Americans. Raleigh also offers her gold from Spanish ships that he ironically claims were unable to continue their journey, but the Spanish ambassadors who are present protest that Raleigh is a pirate and should not be welcomed. Elizabeth commands that the Native Americans should be treated well, and refuses to accept the gold.

Elizabeth quickly finds Raleigh attractive. She becomes enamoured of his tales of high-seas adventure and asks Elizabeth Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish) (nicknamed Bess), her most favoured lady-in-waiting, to observe him. Bess also finds Raleigh an attractive man and secretly begins an affair with the explorer. Elizabeth meanwhile seeks guidance and advice from John Dee who predicts that two empires will go to war. However, he cannot predict which will triumph over the other, leaving Elizabeth to ponder her fate.

Meanwhile, a Jesuit group in London conspires with Philip to assassinate Elizabeth and replace her on the throne with Mary, Queen of Scots in what is referred to between Philip and the group as "The English Enterprise", and is known to history as the Babington Plot. Mary sends secret correspondence from Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire, England, where she is imprisoned, to the Jesuits, who recruit Anthony Babington to assassinate Elizabeth.

Walsingham constantly warns Elizabeth of Spain's rising power and of Catholic plots against her life. However she, unlike her predecessor and sister “Bloody” Mary, does not force her people (half of whom remain loyal to Catholicism) to share her beliefs. Even then, those conspiring against Elizabeth are being hunted and murdered, including Bess's cousin, whom she tries to protect but fails to do so. After learning of her cousin's death, Bess turns to Raleigh for comfort. The barely hidden closeness of Bess and Raleigh causes tension between Elizabeth and Raleigh to mount, testing her desire to keep him in England and increasing his desire to go back to the New World.

Walsingham's brother is a Papist who knows of the plot against Elizabeth. It is revealed, though, that Walsingham had known of the plot all along, intercepting letters, and his brother is jailed. He reveals the plot to Elizabeth, who angrily confronts the Spanish diplomats. The Spanish ambassador feigns ignorance and accuses Elizabeth of receiving Spanish gold from pirates and insinuating a sexual relationship with Raleigh. A sword fight nearly ensues between the queen's male escorts and the Spanish contingent. She throws the Spaniards out of court. Meanwhile, Philip is cutting the forests of Spain to build the Spanish Armada in order to build the invasion fleet.

Mary, Queen of Scots, writes a letter condoning the plot. Anthony Babington storms into a cathedral where Elizabeth is praying and points a gun at her. Elizabeth opens her arms, seemingly fearless. He pulls the trigger, and the Queen falls. It is later revealed by the traitor in the torture chamber that there was no bullet in the gun, Walsingham at first unable to discern why the gun was harmless.

Elizabeth learns of Mary's involvement and Walsingham insists she be executed to quell any English Catholic revolt. Elizabeth is reluctant, but nevertheless Mary is tried for high treason. Mary ascends the block in a blood-red dress, red being the Catholic liturgical colour for martyrs. She is beheaded on February 8, 1587. Walsingham realises this was part of the Jesuit's plan all-along. Philip had never intended for Mary to become queen (while Catholic, Mary was in fact more French than Scottish, being the daughter of a French queen and having been raised in France; her accession to the English throne would have benefited France, a major rival of Spain).

Rather, Philip had planned on handing the throne over to his young daughter, Isabella. Now, with Mary dead, Philip uses this to obtain approval from the Pope to go to war. Since the Pope and other Catholic leaders regarded Mary as the true Queen of England, beheading Mary constituted regicide - which was just cause enough to avenge her death and overthrow Elizabeth's court.

In England, Raleigh asks to leave for the New World, which Elizabeth forbids instead knighting him and making him Head of the Queen's Guard. Bess discovers she is pregnant with Raleigh's child and after telling him the news, she pleads him to leave. He chooses not to and the couple marry in secret. At the same time, Elizabeth awakes during a dream as the wedding is taking place. She confronts Bess a few weeks later, who confesses that she is indeed pregnant with her husband's child. An enraged Elizabeth confronts her, reminding Bess that she cannot marry without royal consent. Feeling betrayed, the queen banishes Bess from court and has Raleigh imprisoned for seducing a ward of the Queen.

As depicted in the film, Elizabeth was in love with Raleigh, but since the end of her youthful affair with Robert Dudley in the earlier film she had completely given up engaging in sexual relationship , which might undermine her rule (the most she would ever allow herself with Raleigh is a single kiss, at a time when both their lives would be in immnent peril from the approaching Armada). Rather, she regards Bess as her surrogate, who could do what Elizabeth herself could not, and quite blatantly throws Bess and Raleigh into each other's arms - which does not prevent her from acting bitterly jealous when the relationship is indeed consummated.

At the same time, Walsingham arranges for his brother, William, who is eleven years Francis' junior, to leave for France on the condition that he must never return to England.

The Spanish Armada begins its approach across the English Channel, and Elizabeth forgives Bess and sets Raleigh free to join Sir Francis Drake in the attack on the Armada. Elizabeth gives her Speech to the Troops at Tilbury seated on a war horse wearing full plate armour . The Spanish ships vastly outnumber England's, but at the last moment a major storm begins to blow the Armada towards the beaches, potentially wrecking their formation. Dropping anchor, the Armada becomes a sitting duck for English fire ships. Raleigh arranges for the English to set their ships on fire and direct their sails to steer into the heart of the fleet while abandoning ship. Elizabeth, back at her coastal headquarters, walks out to the cliffs and watches the Spanish Armada sink in flames. Philip's plan is shattered, and the Spanish naval fleet suffers their most humiliating loss in history.

As the film ends, Elizabeth visits Walsingham on his deathbed, telling her old friend to rest. She then visits Raleigh and Bess and blesses their child, presumably Damerei. Elizabeth seemingly triumphs personally through her ordeal, again resigned to her role as the Virgin Queen and mother to the English people.

Cast

Critical reception

Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian, gave the film 1 star out of 5, remarking on the film's historical revisionism and melodrama. He writes: "Where Kapur's first Elizabeth was cool, cerebral, fascinatingly concerned with complex plotting, the new movie is pitched at the level of a Jean Plaidy romantic novel."[4]

The film received mixed reviews from U.S. critics. As of November 24, 2007 on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 34% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 145 reviews.[5] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 45 out of 100, based on 32 reviews.[6]

Roger Ebert gave the film 2 1/2 stars out of 4, saying 'there are scenes where the costumes are so sumptuous, the sets so vast, the music so insistent, that we lose sight of the humans behind the dazzle of the production.' Ebert did, however, praise many of the actors' performances, particularly that of Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth I. He said 'That Blanchett could appear in the same Toronto Film Festival playing Elizabeth and Bob Dylan, both splendidly, is a wonder of acting.'[7] Blanchett portrayed Bob Dylan in the film I'm Not There and was nominated for an Academy Award for her role in both movies.

Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune gave the film 3 stars out of 4 said '... as a pseudo-historical fable, a romantic triangle and a blood-and-thunder melodrama, the film can't be faulted' and also wrote, 'This isn't historical fabrication, it's mutilation. But for all its lapses, this is probably the liveliest, most vibrant Elizabethan production since Baz Luhrmann's Romeo + Juliet.'[8] while Wesley Morris of The Boston Globe said, 'Historians might demand a little more history from "Elizabeth: The Golden Age." But soap opera loyalists could hardly ask for more soap.'[9]

Michael Gove, speaking on BBC Two's Newsnight Review, said: ‘It tells the story of England’s past in a way which someone who’s familiar with the Whig tradition of history would find, as I did, completely sympathetic. It’s amazing to see a film made now that is so patriotic ... One of the striking things about this film is that it’s almost a historical anomaly. I can’t think of a historical period film in which England and the English have been depicted heroically for the last forty or fifty years. You almost have to go back to Laurence Olivier’s Shakespeare’s Henry V in which you actually have an English king and English armies portrayed heroically.’[10]

Claims of Anti-Catholicism

The film depicts an important episode in the violent struggle between the Reformation and the Counter-Reformation that polarised European politics. Several critics claimed the film was "anti-Catholic". A British-based priest, Father Peter Malone, declared the film to be jingoistic in his review at the (Cathport website).

In the U.S. the National Catholic Register film critic Steven D. Greydanus compared it to The Da Vinci Code, and wrote: "The climax, a weakly staged destruction of the Spanish Armada, is a crescendo of church-bashing imagery: rosaries floating amid burning flotsam, inverted crucifixes sinking to the bottom of the ocean, the rows of ominous berobed clerics slinking away in defeat. Pound for pound, minute for minute, Elizabeth: The Golden Age could possibly contain more sustained church-bashing than any other film I can think of." Greydanus asked: "How is it possible that this orgy of anti-Catholicism has been all but ignored by most critics?"[11]

Stephen Whitty of the Newark Star-Ledger said: "This movie equates Catholicism with some sort of horror-movie cult, with scary close-ups of chanting monks and glinting crucifixes."[12] Colin Covert of the Minneapolis Star Tribune complained of what he saw as "ugly anti-Catholic imagery",[13] and Bob Bloom of the Lafayette Journal & Courier agreed that anti-Catholicism was one of the film's "sore points".[14]

Monsignor Mark Langham, Administrator of Westminster Cathedral, was criticised by some Roman Catholics for allowing scenes to be shot there; although praising the film as a ‘must see’, he suggested that ‘it does appear to perpetuate the myth of “killer priests”’.[15][16]

Historian Franco Cardini of the University of Florence, alleged 'the film formed part of a "concerted attack on Catholicism, the Holy See and Papism" by an alliance of atheists and "apocalyptic Christians"'.[17][18] ‘Why put out this perverse anti-Catholic propaganda today, just at the moment when we are trying desperately to revive our Western identity in the face of the Islamic threat, presumed or real?’[19]

Director Shekhar Kapur rejected this criticism of his film, saying: “It is actually very, very deeply non anti-Catholic. It is anti extreme forms of religion. At that time the church in Spain, or Philip had said that they were going to turn the whole world into a very pure form of Catholicism. So it's not anti-Catholic. It's anti an interpretation of the word of God that is singular, as against what Elizabeth's was, which was to look upon her faith as concomitant.’[20][21] ‘The fact is that the Pope ordered her execution; he said that anybody who executes or assassinates Elizabeth would find a beautiful place in the kingdom of heaven. Where else have you heard these words about Salman Khan or Salman Rushdie? That’s why I made this film, so this idea of a rift between Catholicism and Protestants does not arise. My interpretation of Elizabeth is an interpretation of greater tolerance and Philip, which is absolutely true. It’s completely true that she had this kind of feminine energy. It’s a conflict between Philip, who had no ability to encompass diversity or contradiction, and Elizabeth who had the feminine ability to do that.’[22]

Kapur extended this pluralist defence to his own approach: ‘I would describe all history as fiction and interpretation ... [A]sk any Catholic and they’ll give you a totally different aspect of history ... History has always been an interpretation ... I do believe that civilizations that don’t learn from history are civilizations that are doomed to make the same mistakes again and again, which is why this film starts with the idea of fundamentalism against tolerance. It’s not Catholic against Protestant; it’s a very fundamental form of Catholicism. It was the time of the Spanish Inquisition and against a woman whose half of her population was Protestant, half was Catholic. And there were enough bigots in her Protestant Parliament to say, “Just kill them all”, and she was constantly saying no. She was constantly on the side of tolerance. So you interpret history to tell the story that is relevant to us now.’[23]

DVD & HD DVD Release

The film was released on Region 1 on DVD and HD DVD February 5, 2008.

Awards and nominations

At the 80th Academy Awards Alexandra Byrne won an Academy Award for Best Costume Design .Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). Cate Blanchett was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the film, becoming the first female actor to receive another Academy Award nomination for the reprisal of the same role. Cate Blanchett was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama for her performance in the film[24], and the Critic's Choice Award for Best Actress in a leading role, she was also nominated for a SAG Award. The film won two Satellite Awards for Best Art Direction and Production Design for Guy Hendrix Dyas and David Allday and Best Costume Design for Alexandra Byrne. The film received a nomination from the Art Directors Guild for Best Production Design in a Period Film, and a nomination from the Costume Designers Guild for Best Costume in a Period Film, and was nominated for four BAFTA awards including Actress in a Leading Role, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design and Best Makeup.

Box office performance

Elizabeth: The Golden Age grossed $6.1 million in 2,001 theatres during its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, ranking #6 at the box office.[25] In the United Kingdom and Ireland the film entered at #4 and earned £1.3 million ($2.7 million) on its opening weekend.[26] As of May 2008 the worldwide total was $72.5 million, including $16.4 million in the U.S. and Canada and $56.2 million elsewhere.[27]

In 1998, the preceding film, Elizabeth, opened in 9 theatres and grossed $275,131.[28] Its widest release in the United States and Canada was in 624 theatres.[28], and its largest weekend gross throughout its run in theatres was $3.4 million in 516 theatres[28], ranking #9 at the box office.[29] The 1998 film Elizabeth went on to gross $30 million in the United States and Canada, and a total of $82.1 million worldwide.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.cateblanchett.net/pages.php?section=upcoming_goldenage
  2. ^ "Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) - Release dates". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  3. ^ King Philip II of Spain on elizabethan-era.org.uk
  4. ^ "Elizabeth: The Golden Age -". Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
  5. ^ "Elizabeth: The Golden Age - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  6. ^ "Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-10-13.
  7. ^ Roger Ebert (2007-10-12). ":: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: Elizabeth: The Golden Age". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2007-10-13. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  8. ^ Colin Covert (2007-10-14). "Movie review: 'Elizabeth' a golden delight". Minneapolis Star Tribune. Retrieved 2007-10-14. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ Wesley Morris (2007-10-12). "Elizabeth: The Golden Age Movie Review". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2007-10-25. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Newsnight Review, BBC Two, 26 October 2007.
  11. ^ Steven D. Greydanus. "Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)". National Catholic Register via decentfilm.com. Retrieved 2007-10-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  12. ^ Stephen Witty (2007-10-15). "Glittering like fool's gold". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved 2007-10-15. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  13. ^ Colin Covert, 'Elizabeth' a golden delight Star Tribune, 12 October, 2007
  14. ^ Bloom, Bob 'Golden Age' adds nothing as a sequel Journal & Courier, 12 October 2007
  15. ^ Malcolm Moore in Rome, ‘Catholics condemn “twisted” Elizabeth film’, Telegraph, 3 November 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  16. ^ Mark Langham, ‘The Golden Age Dawns’, Solomon, I Have Surpassed Thee, 10 August 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  17. ^ Richard Owen, 'Rome condemns Queen Elizabeth again - this time over film of her reign', The Times, 1 November 2007. Retrieved on 1 November 2007.
  18. ^ 'Historian bags Blanchett's Elizabeth: The Golden Age', Herald Sun, 2 November 2007. Retrieved on 2 November 2007.
  19. ^ Sajeda Momin, ‘Elizabeth is anti-Christian’, DNA, 2 November, 2007. Retrieved on 2 November, 2007.
  20. ^ Sandy George, ‘Elizabeth film “not anti-Catholic”’, Australian, 2 November, 2007. Retrieved on 2 November, 2007.
  21. ^ ‘Blanchett defends new role at STC’, ABC News, 2 November, 2007. Retrieved on 2 November, 2007.
  22. ^ Girish Rao, ‘Elizabeth is not anti-Catholic’, Rediff News, 21 November, 2007. Retrieved on 22 November, 2007.
  23. ^ Rebecca Murray, ‘Director Shekhar Kapur Discusses Elizabeth: The Golden Age’, About.com: Hollywood Movies. Retrieved 9 November 2007.
  24. ^ "HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007". goldenglobes.org. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2007-12-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) - Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  26. ^ "Box-office UK". AlloCine. Retrieved 2007-11-06.
  27. ^ "Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) - Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-11-05.
  28. ^ a b c "Elizabeth (1998) - Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  29. ^ Weekend Box Office November 27–29, 1998, Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 15 October 2007.
  30. ^ .htm "Elizabeth (1998)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2007-10-15. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
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