Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Director:

Shekhar Kapur

Writers:

William Nicholson (written by) and
Michael Hirst (written by)

Release Date:

12 October 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Tagline:

Woman. Warrior. Queen.

Plot:

An exploration of the relationship between Elizabeth I and the adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh.

Plot Keywords:

Pipe | Queen | Monarchy | 1500s | Cloak

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 3 wins & 12 nominations

Cast

Cate Blanchett	...	Queen Elizabeth I
Geoffrey Rush	...	Sir Francis Walsingham
Clive Owen	...	Sir Walter Raleigh
Samantha Morton	...	Mary Stuart
Rhys Ifans	...	Robert Reston
Jordi Mollà	...	King Philip ll of Spain
John Shrapnel	...	Lord Howard
Aimee King	...	Infanta
Susan Lynch	...	Annette
Elise McCave	...	Laundry Woman
Abbie Cornish	...	Elizabeth Throckmorton
Penelope McGhie	...	Margaret
Eddie Redmayne	...	Thomas Babington
Stuart McLoughlin	...	Savage
Adrian Scarborough	...	Calley

Also Known As:

Elizabeth - Das goldene Königreich (Germany)
Elizabeth - L'âge d'or (France)
The Golden Age (UK) (working title)

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

UK | France | Germany

Language:

English | Spanish | Swedish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Australia:M | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Malaysia:U | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | South Korea:12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Sweden:15 | Netherlands:12 | Singapore:PG | Canada:14A | Brazil:14 | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43467) | Ireland:12A | Finland:K-13 | Hong Kong:IIA | France:Unrated | UK:12A | Taiwan:R-12 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Germany:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | South Africa:13V

Filming Locations:

Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire, England, UK

Company:

Motion Picture ZETA Produktionsgesellschaft

Trivia:

Director Shekhar Kapur filmed Elizabeth's personal time (bathing, bedroom) in circular sets to reflect the infinite questioning of her mind, aspiring to a different kind of freedom and exploration. In contrast, he filmed Elizabeth's professional moments (throne room, etc.) in rectangular rooms that enclosed her where you could see straight walls and corners.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: In a scene in which Elizabeth is speaking with another character with a fireplace in the background, blue gas flames are visible at the bottom of the fire, notably in the bottom right corner of it.

Quotes:

Sir Walter Raleigh: [throws his coat in the road] A puddle in the way, Majesty.
Queen Elizabeth I: A puddle.
[keeps walking]
Queen Elizabeth I: Puddle.
[laughs]

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 80th Annual Academy Awards (2008) (TV)

Cate Blanchett is wonderful

This movie approaches the brink of becoming another corny, hokey Hollywood travesty but recovers to become an incredibly powerful and unique portrayal of Elizabeth I and her closest advisers and the political situation in Western Europe in the late 16th century. Cate Blanchett offers a masterful, powerful and provocative portrayal of the Virgin Queen which unlike most Hollywood portrayals of historical personages does not devolve into a laughable caricature. Elizabeth has feelings too and cares about ALL of her people, not just those who are of her religious persuasion. Also, the movie offers a credible portrayal of Elizabeth's relationship with her cousin Mary as well as a credible and comprehensible explanation of King Philip's decision to go to war against England. Whether Spain in 1585 was the most powerful country in the world as the movie purports is a matter for debate but the fact that there was a time in history when Spain actually wanted to invade England is amazing and is a story in itself. This movie is worth watching.