I’ve been looking out for this since I saw the trailer, which looked very good, a little OTT in places, but very good. Pretty much the same stands for the movie. As with any historical film it seems that accuracy is always less important than the story, so there are plenty of things wrong here in that respect. It’s also a very stylish film, with the lavish set and costume design and it’s beautifully shot. Rather than being a gung-ho how-good-are-the-English epic though, it focuses on the people involved, specifically Elizabeth, how she felt, what she thought and the trials and tribulations she endured.
The movie condenses many of the things Elizabeth experienced during her reign. The fight against Spain and Catholicism chief among them. I have to agree with some of the other people who have reviewed the film and say that there is certainly a strong anti-Catholic feeling, although that may just be anti-Inquisition, or anti-Catholic during that time period. Other strings to the story include Sir Walter Raleigh, the debonair sailor/adventurer who captures Elizabeth’s heart, and feels her wrath when he dares to love another. This merged with the request she find a husband and produce and heir, something she refuses to do as it would mean handing over power to someone else.
Also covered is an assassination plot, which is part of a larger scheme to put a Catholic Queen (Mary, Queen of Scots) on the throne. The plot in the film is a mix of the four plots that were foiled during Elizabeth’s reign. Lastly, there is the Spanish Armada.
When the legendary armada does arrive, the scenes are handled fairly quickly, rather than a drawn-out sea battle (the actual event took several days). Neither does it try and claim a massive victory for the English (in reality the weather did most of the work).
If you can overlook the inaccuracies (which you won’t know and won’t care about) and the stunning visuals (which will delight) you’ll find tender and interesting performances of some key historical figures, get a good idea of just how precarious England’s position was at the time and see some of the concerns and issues faced by our leaders in Elizabethan England. Cate Blanchett portrays Elizabeth not as the unshakeable force of rule history often conjures up, but as a real, flawed, insecure monarch who only wants to serve her people. Thoroughly enjoyable.
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