Dan's Papers - October 26, 2007 - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

God Save The Queen! Save and protect especially Queen Elizabeth, Henry VIIIs bastard monarch, from overly ambitious movie makers. Brace yourself! Out now! And at a theatre near you is Elizabeth: The Golden Age, a sequel to the 1998 Elizabeth that allowed the incredibly marvelous Cate Blanchett to enthrone herself up there in the pantheon of screen Goddesses. Back then, she portrayed the young Queen with blazing, flouncing force and returns to the role of the more mature ruler with an overly forced force, as compounded by the director pushing everything to its needle-bending peak of volume and, bodice-busting abundance of melodrama, wigs, jeweled gowns and very angry Spanish galleons beleaguering a conspiracy-riddled England. If his first Elizabeth was Eastern influenced, director Shekhar Kapur's second is downright Bollywood. But, the glory that is Blanchett overpowers - even if she has to out-shout everyone else.

Suppressing any thoughts of historical accuracy, as we must for the sake of pulse-elevating entertainment, we find Elizabeth in her 50s and decidedly uncloistered. Ms. Blanchett is in her 30s and plays it that way and besides, who wants to watch a heroic Queen with bad teeth. Deemed to be the Virgin Queen, her personal desires appear to be fulfilled by hand maidens, "My bitches wear my collars." When the handsome, vibrating Sir Walter Raleigh returns from the New World and proclaims having named a region for her - Virginia, by gosh, you can see Liz quivering from the vibrations. However, the only thing between her legs will be mighty steeds, as with the obligatory simulated sex scene of Sir Walt and Queenie galloping side by side passionately breathing heavily, and when, with the Spanish Armada nearing her shores, she clanks into full-metal armor and with lustful gusto straddles her white horse, exhorting her troops to victory over the terrorizing Catholic extremists.

At the opening of Blanchett's first Elizabeth, hated Protestants were toast, literally, being crisped on pyres by Liz's predecessor. NOW, we are reminded that Elizabeth was a Protestant ruler in a time of growing Catholic fundamentalism. She was beset by her own Catholic cousin Mary Stuart and the aggressive Spanish king proselytizing his faith. Returning too with Ms. Blanchett is Geoffrey Rush as her sly court advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham. With his bolstering guidance, she will be commanding "Let them come with their armies of Hell" and with great bravado, "They will not pass!" Nevertheless, to quell her feverish inner turmoil, she has created a surrogate for the quashed pairing with Sir Raleigh. He has since warmed up to the Queen's favored Lady-in-Waiting, Bess. Elizabeth, to act out her suppressed sexuality, manipulates Bess and Raleigh as she would play dolls, in erotic games. The sturdy Clive Owen plays out the hairy-chested, adventurous Sir Walter with fine unbuckled swash. Audience swooning is permitted. Bess is equally attractive as caressed by Abbie Cornish, a role she squeezes into as well as she does her gowns. Her great capacity for youth matches her intimacy with the Queen's imperial body, which is now older and ethereally masked. But, oh, that Blanchette face - beautiful in its androgynous clarity.

Cate's Elizabeth has a lot on her silver salvers and reflects it with the far-away descriptive gazes zapping from her whitened face. Besides the threatening schemes of Spanish King Phillip II, her one-time brother-in-law, rather comically played by very loud Jordi Molla, there are conspiratorial monks and their radical movement to dethrone the Protestant Queen. Then, too, there is Mary Stuart to keep the court executioner busy sharpening his axe. These problems are not particularly helped by their director's old- fashioned interpretation of history presented as hysterics. For those yearning for Bette Davis and Errol Flynn's Elizabeth and Essex there's some here. For those awed that Sir Walter brought back some leaves that when smoked are very "stimulating," their jaws will hit the Cineplex floor when they see what else he's brought back. There's some political alluding to the current "Holy War" brought about by today's Muslim radical fundamentalists. Don't take it too seriously, Mr. Shekhar doesn't. His eye is set on part three of the Elizabeth saga and doesn't want to wait another 10 years. Where he takes the Virgin Queen is anyone's guess. The Golden Age has Liz taking on a tough macho Russell Crowe strength, perhaps because Gladiator's scriptwriter, William Nicholson, was brought on to co-write with returning scripter Michael Hirst. Elizabeth part three?

For others like myself who kneel at the long, slender feet of Ms. Blanchett I say, rush to see The Golden Age. I also say, Kitsch as catch can.

Guy-Jean de Fraumeni is the producer/writer/director of award-winning European and American feature films. He has been a judge at Major Film and TV award competitions including the Oscars, the Emmy's and various film festivals. Sarah Halsey assists him.