Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007)

Voti degli utenti:

6.8/10   

Regista:

Shekhar Kapur

Scrittori:

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

Data di uscita:

12 ottobre 2007 (USA)

Genere:

Biografia | Drammatico | Storico | Romantico

Slogan:

Woman. Warrior. Queen.

Plot:

A mature Queen Elizabeth endures multiple crises late in her reign including court intrigues, an assassination plot, the Spanish Armada, and romantic disappointments.

Plot Keywords:

Queen | Court | Intrigue | Spain | America

Premi:

Won Oscar. Another 4 wins & 13 nominations

Recensioni degli utenti:

A Huge Opportunity for Greatness …is Missed

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 15

4:05 AM

MAX

Cast

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

Alias:

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

Durata:

114 min

Nazionalità:

UK | France | Germania

Lingua:

Inglese | Spagnolo | Svedese

Colore:

Colore

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sonoro:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Divieti:

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

Luoghi riprese:

Baddesley Clinton, Warwickshire, England, UK

Compagnia:

Motion Picture ZETA Produktionsgesellschaft

Curiosità:

Angharad Rees, best known for her performance as Demelza in the 1970s BBC television series "Poldark" (1975), designed some of the jewelry worn by Queen Elizabeth and her ladies in waiting. Pieces from Rees' Qing Dynasty Collection are seen throughout the film.

Errori:

Errori rivelatori: 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.

Citazioni:

Queen Elizabeth I: I cannot accept the fruits of piracy, Mr. Raleigh.
Sir Walter Raleigh: Philip of Spain is no friend of England, Majesty. The more gold I take from him, the safer you will be.
Queen Elizabeth I: Well, well - a political pirate.

Collegamenti:

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

Colonna sonora:

Love Theme - Arrest

A Huge Opportunity for Greatness …is Missed

With a dream cast, a fascinating subject, and a budget larger than a pirate's booty, this film could have been great. But the chance is missed.

(Pros:) The cast is definitely the film's biggest asset. Cate Blanchett is incredibly brilliant even at times that the script fails to provide her with a worthy line. Her powerful performance is utterly captivating. Clive Owen's Walter Raleigh is as dashing as a man can be. As the man who charmed the Queen out of her heart and wits and dared to tell her not to act like a fool, Owen's Raleigh is daring at times, vulnerable at others, but always compelling and spectacular. Geoffrey Rush makes the best out of the very little that he's given to work with and Abbie Cornish and Samantha Morton are each great in their parts.

It's also worth a mention that the costumes and the locations are spectacular, paired with a few moments of good story-telling (only if those moments would last all through the film) they make a few absolutely extraordinary scenes. Another great characteristic of this film is it's subtlety, the emotions that are there yet not talked about, the wishes, feelings, disappointments, desires, and fears that are only hinted are the best parts of an otherwise disappointing story-telling.

(Cons:) Sloppy editing, campy scenes, and poor writing are what mostly hurts the film. Unfortunately the film's precious time is spent on side-stories that could have easily been discarded, and consequentially, not enough time is spent on the development of the main story. Everything that happens after Sir Walter meets Elizabeth seems forced. Vague at times, the film seems to be in rush to hit certain notes at certain times. Elizabeth meets Walter and a few lines later she's mad about him, so is Bess and so on. The audience is not given the chance to feel or take in what's really happening, not even enough time to get to know the characters let alone feel what they are going through. At times, it seemed as though many of the scenes were cut short in the editing room and had lost their essence in the process. (If that's the case, lets hope the DVD includes the director's cut.)

The film could have benefited from more climax and action (the battle is barely touched), (other than a few great scenes) most of the story is told through conversations in closed areas. More than anything, the writers leaned on poetic lines to deliver their story. Also, for all it's subtlety, the film takes sides so obviously that it hurts any chances it had at reaching some level of realism or fairness. For instance, not only Phillip of Spain is utterly evil, he's one ridiculous, petty, dim character.

Overall, the cast certainly makes the experience worthwhile, and as long as one does not expect absolute greatness or historical accuracy, this film can be great entertainment for most.