Elizabeth: The Golden Age Review

by Homer Yen (homer_yen AT yahoo DOT com)
October 23rd, 2007
"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" - Marginal
Accomplishment
by Homer Yen
(c) 2007

Expectations unmanaged. Walking into
"Elizabeth," one likely expects a film that
examines her accomplishments, but we get a fictionalized account of romance where the only
thing that rings true is her name Elizabeth.
Other than that being the queen's name, not much
of the film presents anything that is compelling.

Perhaps all the compelling stuff occurred in the
first "Elizabeth" film, released in 1998, which I
did not see. From my recollection of European history, when Elizabeth took the throne of
Catholic England, she soon declared it
Protestant, which touched off religious tension
that reverberated throughout Europe. Among those
that took serious offense were the Spaniards who
would eventually declare Holy War against Queen
and country.

The Spaniards figure prominently in this film as
they threaten to invade. There is a scheme perpetrated by conspirators to overthrow
Elizabeth. When all of the correct elements came together, the Spanish Armada would attack.
Perhaps this storyline is to provide some action sequences, but the epic battle that eventually
pits an English flotilla versus the Spanish navy seemed like a footnote in the film. Actually,
they could've done away with it. The focus is on
the Queen and should have rested squarely on her
Highness.

Her main issue is her apparent growing weakness
in her leadership. Part of it stems from her loneliness. One potential suitor is Walter
Raleigh (Clive Owen) who is a dashing explorer
and able shipman. However, she aptly notes that
no man loves the Queen of England only for
herself. Another involves her inability to see through the conspiratorial web that has been set
upon her by another jealous power-monger, Mary
Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton).

While always on the doorsteps of a full-blown
epic, "Elizabeth" never really catches its
footing. Is it about love? Is it about fear?
Is it about vanity? Yes, I suppose, but missing
are the hard-edged conversations as she
deliberates over her country's response to the
growing threat as well as her own deep-down
desires. There are some opportunities for her to exhibit her sauciness. And when she does, she is
a commanding presence. Unfortunately, most of
the time, as Walter Raleigh puts it, "this is not
the Queen that I love and serve."

The film is just too weighted down in its own opulence. The lavish sets and the mannequin-like
look of the Queen were somewhat distracting. The dialogue, with its poetic timbre and calculated delivery, overreaches more often than not. With
her country and her life now at stake, I was
actually more interested in knowing who the seamstresses/tailors of that period were.

In the end, I would have preferred less
posturing. And I would have liked more
vulnerability, for at her heart she is a loving
woman. And, maybe someone could add in a little purpose as well. Here's a film that aches with beauty. But beyond that, the film accomplishes
little.

Grade: C+

S: 1 out of 3
L: 0 out of 3
V: 1 out of 3

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

More on 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age'...

---

Originally posted in the rec.arts.movies.reviews newsgroup. Copyright belongs to original author unless otherwise stated. We take no responsibilities nor do we endorse the contents of this review.