"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" takes on the daunting task of portraying one of the world's greatest monarchs during the most influential stage of her reign. The film, directed by Shekhar Kapur, covers the turbulent period of Queen Elizabeth's life when her own cousin plots to usurp the throne and when Spain is desperate to conquer Protestant England. To depict such legendary events that occurred over four centuries ago, it would be tempting for a film to sacrifice historical accuracy for entertainment value. "Elizabeth" has unfortunately taken that bait. The film, on the whole, is a beautiful and sensuous work with a plot that is all too simple.
"Elizabeth" begins with King Philip II of Spain, played by Jordi Molla, praying devoutly with a mad glint in his eyes for England's conversion to Catholicism. This one-sided portrayal is reinforced by the presence of his Catholic subjects, who seem just as mad and wicked as he is. Queen Elizabeth, once again brilliantly played by Cate Blanchett, is at first cautious about the threat of Spain to her country, but she is soon forced to go to war at sea with the powerful Spanish Armada. As if things weren't difficult enough, Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton), covets Elizabeth's throne and dispatches letters to her Spanish conspirators who also want the Virgin Queen dead.
The Queen's personal life is little better. Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) has just founded a colony in the New World and returned to England, trying to capture the Queen's heart and woo her lady-in-waiting at the same time. In the midst of all this frustration, Elizabeth remains shrewd and majestic, albeit with a few bouts of feminine jealousy. These situations have much potential for developing an intricate and fascinating plot. However, Kapur does not seem to have gleaned much meaning from the historical events in contrast to his far more impressive 1998 original, "Elizabeth," which depicted the Queen in the early years of her reign. Much of the screen time in the sequel is spent on lavish shots of the Queen standing perfectly still with a firm look on her face. The dialogue is at times dramatic, at times witty, but never truly intelligent, failing to capture the atmosphere of a period when political strategy was on the minds of everyone in the English court.
"Elizabeth" is not a bad movie because aesthetically it has done its job and more. The costumes and sets are exquisite: One will hardly forget the image of Blanchett in glittering armor with her hair flying in the wind. The cast is equally commendable in its performance. Owen sports his sexual allure as a dashing pirate with superb skill, and Morton brings complexity to the shameless yet strong Mary Stuart. Blanchett's performance is flawless-her gaunt face and expressive eyes bring a new sternness to the Virgin Queen.
The film prioritizes aesthetic appeal over historical accuracy, and that's not always a bad thing. Queen Elizabeth was actually over 50 years old when she defeated the Spanish Armada, and Raleigh, whose romance with the Queen is fictional, was only 32. But having a beautiful and youthful queen is no disadvantage to the film's rendition of 16th-century Europe's most intriguing female monarch. The love triangle between Walter Raleigh, Elizabeth Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish) and the Queen adds some entertaining sexual tension to the plot.
The flaws in this movie, a result of its simplistic account of history, are its thematic imbalances. Too much time is devoted to the film's romantic plot line. The Queen behaves like a pouting child when she falls in love, only to realize that her lady-in-waiting has beaten her to the chase. Furthermore, characters that play significant roles in the plot hardly get any attention; the audience doesn't even get to know many of their names.
"Elizabeth" is a beautiful film with the potential to move its audiences. It seems, however, to have glossed over a very important period in European history. The dazzling visuals and the brilliant performances are definitely its strongest points. If Kapur had been brave enough to replace some of the sensual intrigues with more politics, then the movie probably would have turned out not only visually stunning, but quite intelligent as well.