Film: Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Directed by: Shekhar Kapur

Written by: William Nicholson, Michael Hirst

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Abbie Cornish, Jordi Mollà, Samantha Morton

Year: 2007

Country: UK

Reviewed by: Kate

The second in the series of probably three movies (the first was Elizabeth (1998) and the third will be Elizabeth: With a Vengeance (2011)), Cate Blanchett returns as Queen Elizabeth I, the greatest monarch in English history.

I like historical movies, so I decided to see this one. Besides, somebody else paid.

I was not at all disappointed.

Cate Blanchett does wonderfully as Queen Elizabeth. She played a strong Queen, who goes through a whole range of emotions and at times questions herself.

Clive Owen plays the pirate turned English hero, Walter Raleigh, whom we see knighted by the Queen midway through the movie.

Jordi Mollà plays Phillip II, the King of Spain and a religious fanatic whose zealotry will eventually be the undoing of the Spanish Empire (if you read history books).

The actors were all really good. Cate Blanchett's a classy actress, like those old-time actresses. I thought that talent was lost, but she has it. Most of today's actresses couldn't pull off what Cate Blanchett did. They're too whiney and needy to play one history's strongest women ever.

The costumes were some of the best I've seen in a long time, besides Pirates of the Caribbean.

The set designs were good. They reminded me of the old Robin Hood from 1937. They were more "alive" than high tech, and I enjoyed them much better.

Overall - an enjoyable movie if you're into classics, a history buff, etc. The people were quiet, even the younger crowds. There were a lot of old women there, and the movie was exciting enough that the teenagers in the audience sat still and stayed quiet and watched the movie. I can't wait until it goes on DVD. 9 Hearts out of 10.

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