ELIZABETH - The Golden Age

History has always been an interesting subject to me. In my high school, everyone hated this one history teacher(I will no longer mention his name but i will tell you that everyone had a crush on his wife hehe) except me i guess. This may be in part of me coming to school prepared and not having to be afraid of pop quizzes and recitations in class. I am fascinated with how Hollywod transforms history into a medium everyone can enjoy and actually sit through it for 3 hours. Well i was able to sit through it. It was a well balanced and well modulated storytelling in the director's part.

I noticed the colors are more earthly or warm, it gave a good ambience to the setting. Although during the time, Elizabeth's 'housing' would be comprised of wood panels but the director opted for a more solid look. The character of Elizabeth has changed since the previous version of the movie, still full of life and more courageous than ever but conceals her longing for something missing. She is queen but still human.

A lot of critics claimed that the movie showed a lot of 'anti-catholicism' but on the first movie they also complained about that. I guess thats one thing the director is consistent about. In a statement, director Kapur claims that it is just a matter of difference in interpretation.

Aesthetically, the movie was well made. Wardrobe did a good job. Plus i love the scene where the armada was burning on the sea.

CAST:

Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I of England

Clive Owen as Walter Raleigh

Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham

Abbie Cornish as Elizabeth Throckmorton

Samantha Morton as Mary, Queen of Scots

Jordi Mollà as Philip II of Spain

Rhys Ifans as Robert Reston

Eddie Redmayne as Anthony Babington

Tom Hollander as Sir Amyas Paulet

David Threlfall as Dr. John Dee

Adam Godley as William Walsingham

Laurence Fox as Christopher Hatton

William Houston as Don Gerau De Spes

Christian Brassington as Archduke Charles of Austria

TRIVIA:

In 1588 Infanta Isabel of Spain was 21 years old. The film depicts her at this time as a little girl. The English battle fleet was not 'out-gunned' by the Armada, as Howard is made to claim at a crisis point in the film. None of the fire ships sent towards the Armada actually caused any material damage to the Spanish fleet. They simply caused the fleet to scatter out of formation. Many of the Spanish ships were forced to cut their anchors, however, and this proved to be a factor when the Spanish fleet subsequently encountered the storms in the Atlantic off the west coast of Ireland during their circuitous return to Spain. Many vessels were sunk through being unable to anchor off the rocky coast, so they were driven on-shore by the westerly winds. It is unlikely Raleigh commanded a ship at the battle of Gravelines. Raleigh Trevelyan writes: ‘According to one biographer, Stebbing, Raleigh was among the "many gallant captains", but there is no confirmation of this; if he had been there it would have been without authority. ‘Raleigh’s name, to his regret, hardly appeared in contemporary descriptions of the defeat of the Armada, as indeed was to be the case in subsequent histories. This was because of his being in charge of the land defences; if the Spaniards had been able to attempt a landing, his role would certainly have been a vital one. He was at least able to take pride in the performance of the Ark Royal. His own heavily armed merchantman, the Roebuck, also took part in the battle.Trevelyan adds: ‘According to Hakluyt, Raleigh took part in the battle of Portland Bill on 2 August, like the smart courtiers who rushed down from London, but there is no hint of this in Raleigh's own writings. But more credibly, and according to a Spanish source, he was sent by the Queen with a message to Howard as he neared the French coast. William Camden's (1615) claim that Raleigh had served at sea under Howard from 23 July 1588 is unverified, and it was from London that he was sent to the south coast to 'confer' with Howard. Elizabeth may not have addressed her troops astride a white steed while wearing a suit of shining armour. The real queen did make a personal visit to address her army, and several witnesses or contemporaries do allude to her martial appearance. Most historians are inclined to accept the traditional story that she rode sidesaddle on horseback, carried a marshal's baton, and wore a cuirass, with a page carrying a silver helmet before her. Although the content of her speech was much less subdued than shown in the film, her presence did have a positive effect on the morale of both the troops and their leaders.Bess Throckmorton's pregnancy, which led to her secret marriage to Sir Walter Raleigh and the birth of their son Damerei, actually occurred in the summer of 1591, some three years after the Spanish Armada, not immediately before. Shortly after its birth, the baby was relegated to a wet nurse and presumably died soon thereafter. England didn't stand alone against Spain, and was in fact aided by the Dutch Republic in defeating the Armada. The Dutch had already been fighting the Spanish for twenty years, when Philip of Spain decided to invade England. One of the reasons the Armada was sent, was Elizabeth's continued support for the Dutch cause. A Dutch fleet, led by Justinus of Nassau, prevented the Spanish invasion force from departing from their Flemish ports and join up with the rest of the Armada. A further 27 ships were sent to join the English fleet to fight the main force.

enjoy the videos!! and watch the movie, i recommend it!!