2008 Woodie Awards
'Elizabeth: The Golden Age' reviewed
by Sammi Cassin
Issue date: 10/19/07 Section: Mosaic
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age"
Universal Pictures
Rating: 2 1/2 stars (out of 4)
The story is not a new one. Anyone who has ever opened a history book knows how it ends - your college tuition is going to waste if you need to see the movie to know about the Spanish Armada.
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," the second film in the "Elizabeth" trilogy, can almost be separated into two different movies. One is an in-depth character study of a dynamic personality, the other, a grand lesson in 16th century history and a look into the darker side of politics and war.
Cate Blanchette returns to play Elizabeth after an Oscar nomination for the first film. Director Shekhar Kapur is back behind the camera for the sequel as well.
The film explores the struggle between the desire for a personal and romantic life and the necessary evils of the celebrity that goes along with being Queen. Though the film does its best to balance the two worlds, it plays like one long, 114-minute history lesson meets soap opera, with no real feeling or genuine personality.
Elizabeth is a Protestant ruler during a rising Catholic era, and she faces aggression from all sides. From her romance with Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) to her cousin Mary Stuart, who eventually loses her head after committing treason by attempting to assassinate the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth eventually puts her personal life aside to fight with her army and act as "the mother to her country."
While the film is well-acted and historically accurate, its ostentatious and over-the-top costuming takes away from what the film is really about. The layers of makeup, overpowering architecture and tacky, unrealistic wigs are distracting, jeopardizing the film's authenticity.
Despite the hype surrounding the long-awaited sequel, the film is a step down from the first. Besides fair portrayals of the historic characters and a few artistic gems when it comes to the scenery, one can only wait for the third and final installment to find the right balance of acting, directing and historical fact that made the first film so appealing.
Universal Pictures
Rating: 2 1/2 stars (out of 4)
The story is not a new one. Anyone who has ever opened a history book knows how it ends - your college tuition is going to waste if you need to see the movie to know about the Spanish Armada.
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age," the second film in the "Elizabeth" trilogy, can almost be separated into two different movies. One is an in-depth character study of a dynamic personality, the other, a grand lesson in 16th century history and a look into the darker side of politics and war.
Cate Blanchette returns to play Elizabeth after an Oscar nomination for the first film. Director Shekhar Kapur is back behind the camera for the sequel as well.
The film explores the struggle between the desire for a personal and romantic life and the necessary evils of the celebrity that goes along with being Queen. Though the film does its best to balance the two worlds, it plays like one long, 114-minute history lesson meets soap opera, with no real feeling or genuine personality.
Elizabeth is a Protestant ruler during a rising Catholic era, and she faces aggression from all sides. From her romance with Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) to her cousin Mary Stuart, who eventually loses her head after committing treason by attempting to assassinate the Virgin Queen, Elizabeth eventually puts her personal life aside to fight with her army and act as "the mother to her country."
While the film is well-acted and historically accurate, its ostentatious and over-the-top costuming takes away from what the film is really about. The layers of makeup, overpowering architecture and tacky, unrealistic wigs are distracting, jeopardizing the film's authenticity.
Despite the hype surrounding the long-awaited sequel, the film is a step down from the first. Besides fair portrayals of the historic characters and a few artistic gems when it comes to the scenery, one can only wait for the third and final installment to find the right balance of acting, directing and historical fact that made the first film so appealing.
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