Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Latest
    • Thank You
    • 4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)
    • 3999. The Pianist (2002)
    • 3998. Philadelphia (1993)
    • 3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)
    • 3996. The Green Mile (1999)
    • 3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)
    • 3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Home
    • Blog
      • All Posts
      • Best Of The Year
        • Best Of 2015
        • Best Of 2016
        • Best Of 2017
        • Best Of 2018
        • Best Of 2019
        • Best Of 2020
        • Best Of 2021
        • Best Of 2022
      • The Decade In Review
      • Box Office Analysis
      • James Bond
      • Oscars
      • RANKED
      • Star Wars
      • The Big Questions
      • Top 10
      • World Cinema
    • Ratings
      • Top 250
      • Top 100 Foreign Films
      • Bottom 50
      • 0 – 1.9
      • 2 – 3.9
      • 4 – 5.9
      • 6 – 7.9
      • 8 – 10
    • Genres
      • Action
      • Anthology
      • Animation
      • Christmas
      • Comedy
      • Crime
      • Documentary
      • Drama
      • Fantasy
      • Film-Noir
      • History
      • Horror
      • Kids’
      • Musical
      • Psychological
      • Romance
      • Sci-Fi
      • Short
      • Silent
      • Sport
      • Superhero
      • Survival
      • Thriller
      • Western
    • Release Year
      • 2020s
      • 2010s
      • 2000s
      • 1990s
      • 1980s
      • 1970s
      • 1960s
      • 1950s
      • 1940s
      • 1930s
      • 1920s
    • Country
      • Afghanistan
      • Argentina
      • Australia
      • Austria
      • Belgium
      • Brazil
      • Cambodia
      • Canada
      • Chile
      • China
      • Colombia
      • Costa Rica
      • Czechoslovakia
      • Czech Republic
      • Denmark
      • East Timor
      • Faroe Islands
      • Finland
      • France
      • Germany
      • Georgia
      • Greece
      • Hong Kong
      • Hungary
      • Iceland
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Ireland
      • Israel
      • Italy
      • Japan
      • Latvia
      • Lebanon
      • Laos
      • Malaysia
      • Mexico
      • New Zealand
      • Nigeria
      • North Korea
      • Norway
      • Paraguay
      • Peru
      • Philippines
      • Poland
      • Romania
      • Russia
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • South Korea
      • South Africa
      • Soviet Union
      • Spain
      • Sweden
      • Switzerland
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Thailand
      • Turkey
      • Uganda
      • United Kingdom
      • United States
      • Uruguay
      • Vietnam
      • Zambia
    • About
    The Mad Movie Man
    You are at:Home»Review»2628. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

    2628. Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

    0
    By The Mad Movie Man on July 27, 2019 110-119 mins, 2007, 6 - 7.9, Drama, History, Jul 19, Movies Of 2019, Review, Romance, United Kingdom
    7.1 Good, but lacks a real historical punch
    • Acting 7.4
    • Directing 7.0
    • Story 7.0
    • User Ratings (0 Votes) 0

    Starring: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush

    Director: Shekhar Kapur

    Running Time: 114 mins


    Elizabeth: The Golden Age is a British film about the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, her struggles to find a husband to bear an heir to the throne, and the international conflicts she led England in against threats from Scotland and Spain.

    Telling the story of perhaps the greatest monarch in English history, Elizabeth: The Golden Age has no shortage of source material to base its story on. As a result, although it does depict some of the key features of Elizabeth I’s reign, the film takes a frustratingly narrow view of a far, far greater history, struggling to really hammer home the significance of a number of events in the face of more focus on the romantic side of things.

    First things first, however, I want to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with having a look at the more personal elements of a historical figure in a film. While other films do that better, Elizabeth: The Golden Age still has some good fun with its portrayal of the difficulties the monarch faced in marrying and giving birth to an heir, with the romantic intrigue and controversies in court playing a central role through the film.

    The problem with that, though, is that it really takes away from a number of other main themes that really don’t deserve to be so overlooked. There is an immense historical significance to Elizabeth’s ‘romantic struggles’, but there is equally a huge importance to the challenges to her power from both Scotland and Spain, something the film really struggles to make abundantly clear.

    The build-up to the Spanish Armada towards the end of the film is perhaps the only part that really focuses on just how major a turning point in history this is, but prior to that, the film discards Mary, Queen of Scots as a nothing threat, only occasionally appearing on screen for what seems like little other reason that to remind you she’s still there.

    The Spanish, too, are an underwhelming adversary to Elizabeth, and while Cate Blanchett does a great job to make the virgin queen as strong and steely a leader as possible on screen, the lack of a real, challenging threat from beyond her kingdom means that she too comes across as a far weaker personality than is really the case.

    Again, I was glad to see a presentation of her personal struggles, with an element of weakness going a long way to making her a more dynamic and interesting character, but as a film that tells the story of her reign, Elizabeth: The Golden Age really struggles to hit the mark, proving even weaker in its portrayal of the dramatic religious revolution that continued on from her father, Henry VIII’s reign.

    The film’s biggest saving grace, however, comes in the form of some strong performances. While not all are stunning to watch – Geoffrey Rush in particular feels a little off-form here – the key leads are excellent, with Cate Blanchett playing a character that was built for her in such confident and striking fashion, and Clive Owen also impressing with his turn as Sir Walter Reighley, bringing more charisma and thereby more deserved attention onto a figure who is often overlooked on fictional depictions of the period.

    Overall, then, there were elements of Elizabeth: The Golden Age that I liked, with its strong acting and often dynamic characterisation. However, it struggles too with a good balance between the romantic history it has an eye for and the most significant moments in the monarch’s reign, often proving an underwhelming depiction of an immensely important period in modern world history, and that’s why I’m giving it a 7.1.

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    The Mad Movie Man
    • Website
    • Facebook
    • Twitter

    The Mad Movie Man, AKA Anthony Cullen, writes articles and reviews about movies and the world of cinema. From January 1st, 2013 to December 31st, 2022, he watched and reviewed a movie every day. This is the blog dedicated to the project: www.madmovieman.com

    Related Posts

    8.2

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    Follow Me Online!
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Tumblr
    New Releases
    8.2
    December 25, 2022

    3994. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (2022)

    5.6
    December 10, 2022

    3969. Falling For Christmas (2022)

    6.9
    December 4, 2022

    3956. The People We Hate At The Wedding (2022)

    5.4
    December 3, 2022

    3954. Disenchanted (2022)

    7.4
    December 3, 2022

    3953. Meet Cute (2022)

    7.6
    November 23, 2022

    3934. Do Revenge (2022)

    7.0
    November 18, 2022

    3929. The Wonder (2022)

    6.7
    November 13, 2022

    3924. See How They Run (2022)

    Recommended Movies
    8.4
    Review
    June 30, 20160

    1398. King Kong (2005)

    8.7
    Review
    April 20, 20170

    1729. Goodnight Mommy (2014)

    8.3
    Review
    July 8, 20130

    213. Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (2010)

    8.4
    Review
    September 12, 20160

    1484. Mary And Max (2009)

    8.1
    Review
    November 26, 20220

    3937. Notes On A Scandal (2006)

    Popular Posts
    December 31, 2022

    Thank You

    8.2
    December 31, 2022

    4000. Scenes From A Marriage (1973)

    7.8
    December 30, 2022

    3999. The Pianist (2002)

    8.2
    December 29, 2022

    3998. Philadelphia (1993)

    7.5
    December 28, 2022

    3997. Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (1975)

    9.1
    December 27, 2022

    3996. The Green Mile (1999)

    7.6
    December 26, 2022

    3995. Doctor Zhivago (1965)

    © 2023 ThemeSphere. Designed by ThemeSphere.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.