Weekly Hornet

Issue date: 10/17/07 Section: Entertainment

Without a doubt, the story of the English fleet defeating the Spanish Armada in the late 1500s is legend.

How Queen Elizabeth I of England, with a navy less than half the size of the Armada, saw her country defeat King Philip of Spain and lead England to what is now called "The Golden Age."

The English defeat of the Armada is an integral part of the plot in "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," the newest in a long line of Hollywood sequels.

Do not let that sway you, the story has so much more to it: assassination attempts, land claimed in the name of the virgin queen in the new world (Virginia), love denied and, of course, treason.

Director Shekhar Kapur and writers William Nicholson and Michael Hurst weave a web
around Cate Blanchett, reprising her role as the virgin queen.

There is intrigue, as the movie opens with her archrival Philip of Spain (Jordi Mollá),
detailing his plans to build an armada that will lead Spain into a Holy War to defeat the bastard Queen of England.

The film also introduces Queen Elizabeth's cousin Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha
Morton), the heir to the English throne, and a Catholic threat to Protestant England.

Throughout the film, Queen Elizabeth is preparing herself for the fact that war with Spain is inevitable. Adventurer Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), returns to England with gifts for the Queen and stories of
his adventures.

Raleigh's vivid stories enchant the Queen, who becomes enamored with him. However,
he becomes intimately involved with the Queen's Lady in Waiting, Bess Throckmorton
(Abbie Cornish).

Through her early reign, Queen Elizabeth was advised by Frances Walsingham (Geoffrey
Rush), leading her through the tumultuous years when she was struggling to gain power
in her own country.

Walsingham's role as advisor is severely tested when Mary, Queen of Scots (threat to the English throne), is proven to be involved in a plot to assassinate the Queen and take over as sovereign in England.

The scenes of Elizabeth's tumultuous conscience struggle after discovering that her cousin Mary is a conspirator in the assassination plot, is a fantastic demonstration of the depth of Blanchett's acting.

Elizabeth, trying to lead her country as a Protestant queen, refuses to follow the gory
example of her sister Queen Mary (a.k.a Bloody Mary), and persecute those who do not
practice her religion.

However, when the very real threat of assassination comes from her Catholic cousin, the Queen has no choice but to follow the law and put to death one of "God's anointed people."

The plot never lags and it keeps the audience eagerly anticipating, with subtle plot twists and struggles between the characters.

With dramatic set design and costumes that can only begin to be described as extravagant, "Elizabeth: The Golden Age," is an opulent display that is both eloquent and
well executed.

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