ELIZABETH - THE GOLDEN AGE: Blu-Ray (USA/Working Title 2007) Universal Home Video
Given the immense popularity and Oscar-praise heaped
upon its predecessor, Elizabeth (1998) it was inevitable director,
Shekhar Kapur would return for a second trip into his faux antiquity with Elizabeth:
The Golden Age (2007) – yet again, to favor an interpretation and
rewrite of history to suit his own artistic temperament. That it took 9 years
for the revival was a bit of a curiosity. Alas, and despite the fact, much of
the principle cast and crew returned herein to begin
anew in brutalizing this latest chapter from the historical record, the
resulting spectacle proved something ‘less than’ what was hoped for by the studio
at the outset of its blind ambitions to hit ‘another one’ out of the proverbial
park. Perhaps, too much time had passed; Elizabeth, made at the absolute
height of Hollywood’s renaissance in period costume drama/epics, this
follow-up, meant to resurrect audiences’ interest, already well on the wane by
the time The Golden Age hit movie screens. Not letting a little thing
like truth stand in the way of a good solid cinema yarn, Kapur’s follow-up
chose to ignore some glaring facts. For the record then: Spain’s Philip II
(Jordi Mollà), husband of Queen Mary I was never
granted any real authority to rule the throne of England. Hence, after her
death, he tried in vain to convince Mary’s successor, Elizabeth I (Cate
Blanchett) to be his wife. She declined. Despite this snub, Philip remained
loyal to Elizabeth, even rising to her defense against the Pope’s warning of
excommunication. Regrettably, Elizabeth allied herself with the Protestant
rebels and embarked upon a policy of piracy and plunder against Spanish trade
and treasure ships entering from the new world. Elizabeth’s Treaty of Nonsuch stood
in direct competition to Philip’s Treaty of Joinville with the Catholic League
of France, marking it as an act of war against Spain. With the
Pope's blessing, Philip prepared the Spanish Armada, vowing to decimate
Protestantism and Elizabeth. Favored by the Queen, both sexually and otherwise,
Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen) secretly wed Bess Throckmorton (Abbie Cornish), a ward of the court. When Elizabeth discovered this, her
pride was deeply wounded. She had them both arrested and imprisoned in the
Tower of London. Mercifully, she released the lovers sometime later.
Again, Elizabeth: The Golden Age is not
particularly interested in ‘facts’ and thus, the dramatic hysterics concocted
by William Nicholson and Michael Hirst for this go-around, exact their pound
of flesh, eschewing history for a good story. Thus, Raleigh is presented herein
as a flawed, but otherwise robust and heroic figure – the man, seemingly,
solely responsible for the defeat of the Spanish Armada. Lest we remember, Sir
Francis Drake – the true architect of England's counter-invasion, flanked by several
other prominent figures, have been wholly discarded in this movie. As Robert Dudley was mis-represented in the
first movie as a traitor to the Crown, it stands to reason he could not
reappear as a loyalist here, although, in truth, he emerged as a Lieutenant
General during the Armada crisis – his heroics instead, transferred to
Raleigh. The movie also attempts to infer the battle is, at first, going badly
for England, with an incredible loss and causalities inflicted upon their navy,
when, in reality not a single ship was lost; this artistic license, presumably to heighten the dramatic intensity of Elizabeth’s victorious dénouement. Rather interestingly, The Golden Age also
suggests the Queen’s governance was being counseled by Dr. John Dee (David Threlfall) who, in reality, was abroad throughout this period and therefore unavailable for consultation. The
real advisor was William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley who, owing to his retirement in
the first movie, is omitted. Due to yet another oversight in the first
movie, the depiction of John Ballard’s death in Elizabeth, an entirely
fictionalized Jesuit leader of the Babington Plot, Robert Reston (Rhys Ifans) is created for The Golden Age thinly based on Ballard,
who encouraged the assassination of the Queen. The real would-be assassin,
Anthony Babington (Eddie Redmayne) never came close in
his murderous endeavor, as is depicted in his failed approach of the Queen while she prays at
the altar of Old St Paul's Cathedral. Indeed, the plot against Elizabeth was foiled long before that and its traitors brought to justice. Finally, the real Mary, Queen of Scots
(Samantha Morton) did not possess a Scottish
accent, having been reared in the French court. Her subsequent execution, at least in this movie, is represented as swift retribution for her crimes against the Crown,
when in reality, Mary was held in custody for nearly 19 years, before being put
to death in 1587 – age, 44.
The Golden Age has also been cited for its anti-Catholicism,
the movie’s climactic defeat of the Spanish Armada, a bizarre blend of charred
and sinking wreckage amidst which can be clearly seen the remnants of ruined
rosaries, crucifixes and mangled clerics floating face down in the murky and
blood-stained waters. Yet, even before this sobering finale, The Golden Age
presents the Catholic religion as a cacophony of dour and stone-faced monks,
looking rather soulless and demonic, clutching their shining crucifixes as
though on a quest straight out of a Hammer horror-fest to ward off
Dracula. Sometime after permission had been granted to allow Kapur to shoot
scenes at Westminster Cathedral, Monsignor Mark Langham was lambasted, equally
for his praise of the movie itself, as deemed a ‘must see’ by him. Indeed, University of Florence historian, Franco Cardini
sincerely questioned Kapur’s motives to assault and
dismantle Christianity, precisely at a juncture when its Western ideology was
being fatefully challenged by Islam. In
reply, Kapur suggested his movie was not anti-Catholic, rather, anti any and
all forms of extreme religiosity as weaponized for political gain.
An exceptional pseudo-historical epic, Elizabeth:
The Golden Age remains a monumental fiction – visually resplendent and
sensual, imbued with guts and beauty. Honors for the film’s scope and grandeur
go to Richard Roberts’ meticulous set decoration and Alexandra Byrne’s
Oscar-winning costumes; also, Remi Adefarasin’s sublime cinematography.
Together, these production values resurrect the 14th century with regal
vitality. The movie reunites Kapur with Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush; also,
producer, Tim Bevan. According its
revisionist take, the year is 1588 and the military might of the Roman Catholic,
King Phillip II of Spain dominates central Europe. A religious zealot who
believes God has ordained the inquisitions, Phillip views England’s Protestant
monarch and her nation’s independence as a direct threat to his sovereignty. He
is also acutely aware of political tensions between Elizabeth and her sister,
Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. Seizing on this jealousy, Phillip plots to have an
assassin do away with Elizabeth while she is at prayers. The scheme fails,
although it provides Phillip with the ideal set of circumstances for his next endeavor
- creating a series of treasonous correspondence between the Spanish court and
Mary. These letters are then deliberately leaked to Elizabeth’s most trusted
advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham (Geoffrey Rush).
The ploy works beautifully. Walsingham confides Mary’s
presumed acts of treason to Elizabeth who, believing her sister has conspired
to murder her, is now forced by English law to condemn Mary to death. Mary
suffers a public beheading before Walsingham discovers the lies he has been fed.
Now, he reveals the truth to Elizabeth – that Phillip, not Mary willed the
crimes against her to insight holy war between Spain and England. Meanwhile,
one of Elizabeth’s ‘favorites’ at court – Sir Walter Raleigh, seduces her lady
in waiting, ‘Bess’ Throcknorton. The dashing Raleigh had been perceived by
Elizabeth as her last chance to supply England with an heir. Instead Elizabeth
learns second-hand Bess is with Raleigh’s child. Bitter, spurned and conflicted,
and, with war against Spain looming on the horizon, Elizabeth condemns Raleigh
and exiles Bess from her court. Later, these emotional wounds are, if not
healed, then at least tolerated. But for the moment, there is little to ease
Elizabeth’s conscience or concern. Phillip attacks England with his formidable
armada. But Raleigh skillfully thwarts the attack by launching ‘fire ships’ at
the enemy. Spain’s navy endures the single most cataclysmic defeat in its
history, leaving Elizabeth to reign supreme for the remainder of her ‘golden
age.’
As the Nicholson/Hirst screenplay has taken severe
artistic liberties with the historical record, so too did historians converge
on this sequel to heavily criticize, if hardly dismantle its popular appeal. To
be fair to the script, the melodrama herein is less morally aloof and lacks the
cerebral contemplative qualities of its predecessor, substituting a sort of rank
sentiment, along with some syrupy romantic entanglements, though hardly to
render the narrative obtuse or trashy. Director Kapur’s fluidity could have so
easily have degenerated into a turgid and wordy exercise. And yet, despite its
revisions to history itself, the movie remains a skillfully sewn together series
of events that successfully obfuscate the truth – in fact, replacing it with a facsimile
that thoroughly entertains with its falsehoods. Blanchett’s performance herein
is subtler this second time around. Appropriately, gone is the naïve and
insecure girl of the first movie. This
second outing is all about analyzing Elizabeth’s absolute power - how not to
let it get the better of her humanity, though remain, through-and-through, a
Queen to the bitter end. Apart from its considerable misfires, Elizabeth:
The Golden Age emerges as an absorbing ‘period costume’ epic.
Universal Home Video’s Blu-ray is near reference
quality. The 1080p image is utterly gorgeous; rich, vibrant, bold and
eye-popping. Reds are blood red. Whites are pristine. Flesh tones are
accurately rendered. Contrast levels are bang on with very robust, deep and
solid blacks. Fine details are evident even during the darkest scenes. Truly,
there is nothing to complain about. The audio is DTS 5.1, delivering pronounced
bass during action sequences. Dialogue is frontal placed. Extras are all direct
imports from the standard DVD release in 2008, including four comprehensive
featurettes on the making of the film – each covering a specific aspect of the
production. There are also several previews and a thoroughly engrossing audio
commentary to enjoy. Highly recommended!
FILM RATING (out of 5 - 5 being the best)
4
VIDEO/AUDIO
4.5
EXTRAS
3
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