Oscar Watch: Review – Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Movie: Elizabeth: The Golden Age	On DVD:	Feb. 5, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, some sexuality and nudity	Gecko Rating:

Oscar Nominations: Best Actress, Cate Blanchett; Costume Design, Alexandra Byrne

Review: I love Cate Blanchett as Queen Elizabeth, but it’s like they couldn’t decide whether to make her a sniveling mess or a strong leader. Maybe we’re supposed to believe she was both. Still, this movie is worth seeing, because of her performance and the impressive array of costumes.

It’s 1585 and King Philip II of Spain is taking Catholicism across Europe, but things aren’t going well with England, run by the protestant Queen Elizabeth I (Blanchett). He’s not happy that the Queen has imprisoned her Catholic cousin Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton) who’s next in line to succeed her and thought by many to be deserving of the throne.

The Queen’s advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush), is quick to point out a Catholic conspiracy to have her killed, and her only hope of keeping the throne in her bloodline is to produce an heir.

More after the jump, including a trailer…

Potential suitors are few and far between until Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) comes along. For various reasons, she can’t get together with him, so assigns her lady-in-waiting, Bess Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish) to keep tabs on him. The two end up falling in love and producing a child, much to the Queen’s chagrin.

Meanwhile, King Philip is building an impressive armada of warships, and with assassination plots running rampant, it’s all the Queen can do to keep things on an even keel.

DVD Extras: “The Reign Continues: Making Elizabeth: The Golden Age”; “Inside Elizabeth’s World; Commanding the Winds: Creating the Armada”; Towers, Courts and Cathedrals; Audio Commentary with Director Shekhar Kapur; Deleted Scenes.

Parents Should Know: Sexual content includes a sexual encounter that results in pregnancy and nonsexual nudity (a woman’s back-side is shown). Language includes some sexual dialogue, the “f” word (was it even around back then?), and a smattering of colorful phrases. Violence includes executions, murder, and torture, with varying degrees of bloody results.

Check out the Trailer: