Travis Simpkins: Queen Elizabeth I

Saturday, January 23, 2016

Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007): Cate Blanchett Returns as the 16th Century Monarch

Directed by Shekhar Kapur, and written by William Nicholson and Michael Hirst, Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) is the sequel to the outstanding 1998 film, Elizabeth. The story picks up roughly where the last film left off, and presents a somewhat fictionalized account of the later years in the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603)… particularly with the threat that the Spanish crown exuded against England before the epic decimation of the Spanish Armada on the English Channel in the 16th Century. Of interesting note is the appearance of Dr. John Dee, a respected scientist of the period, whose studies in alchemy and hermeticism are rumored to have had a lasting effect in the lessons of Freemasonry. Cate Blanchett reprises her role as Queen Elizabeth I. Geoffrey Rush returns as the faithful and brutal advisor, Francis Walsingham. Clive Owen appears as New World Explorer, Sir Walter Raleigh, who had just returned from founding a colony in the "Virgin Queen" Elizabeth's name… Virginia. Samantha Morton is Mary, Queen of Scots. The supporting cast is great as well, including Eddie Redmayne, Abbie Cornish and David Threlfall.

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Court of Queen Elizabeth I: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Clive Owen: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Clive Owen: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Execution of Mary Queen of Scots: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Eddie Redmayne: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

British Fleet: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Dr. John Dee - Hermeticism / Freemasonry: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Spanish Armada: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett and Clive Owen: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Cate Blanchett: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

"Elizabeth: The Golden Age"

Saturday, December 12, 2015

Elizabeth (1998): Cate Blanchett as the Reigning 16th Century Queen of England

Directed by Shekhar Kapur, and written by Michael Hirst, Elizabeth (1998) was well-received by both audiences and critics. In 1558, Roman Catholic Queen Mary dies and leaves the throne of England to her Protestant half-sister, Elizabeth. Religious bickering, heresy and political turmoil threatens to topple the monarchy as Elizabeth sets forth to guide England through one of it's most uncertain epochs following the reign of King Henry VIII. The story focuses on the early part of Elizabeth I's 40-year reign, with a sequel following nine years later in 2007. Great attention is given to historical detail in both set and costume design. The burning at the stake and beheading scenes, and their aftermaths, are particularly gruesome. Cate Blanchett delivers a star-making performance as Queen Elizabeth I. Geoffrey Rush is superb as her trusted advisor, Francis Walsingham. The supporting cast is wonderful as well, including Joseph Fiennes as Robert Dudley, Vincent Cassel, Richard Attenborough, John Gielgud as Pope Pius V and Daniel Craig as the zealous priest John Ballard.