Molland's Community

[Kelley B]

Typically, I would approach a sequel to a beautifully told and almost perfectly cast Oscar-winning film about the life of Queen Elizabeth I with a bit of trepidation and an "oh good grief, why the hell are they doing that?" mentality.  But now that I've seen the trailer for "Elizabeth:  The Golden Age" I have to say I'm suddenly excited for October 12th to hurry up and get here. 

Shakhar Kapur and Cate Blanchett have reunited to tell the other half of the story of Queen Elizabeth I.  This time we get more on her rivalry with Mary Queen of Scots and the war against the Spanish Armada.  And...as an added bonus...this movie has buff and hunky Clive Owen starring as Sir Walter Raleigh.  Oh excuse me, let me clean up that puddle of drool. 

Check it out!

http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm??g=9e6b1359-ed2c-4478-a1ba-30819176e35d&f=01/64&fg&

[John]

Huzzah! Vivat Regina!

The stunning Miss Blanchett, and the heroic Sir Walter in an Elizabethan epic. Where do I sign?

I must say I hope it is slightly more accurate than the prequel, though.

[John]

I saw it this week. Cate Blanchett is stunning, Clive Owen is heroic, but the script is a let-down. It reminded me of King Arthur in that the material was excellent, the staging sumptuous, the acting brilliant, but the script so irritatingly banal that it was wasted. Anyone else seen this, and what do you think?

[Deb R.]

"...the material was excellent, the staging sumptuous, the acting brilliant, but the script so irritatingly banal that it was wasted."
PICKY PICKY PICKY.  You want it ALL for your money???   

[John]

When it comes to Elizabeth I, Deb, how shall I put this:

HEELL Yeah! 

Is that Southern enough for you? 

[Amy Catherine]

I think I snorted audibly at Joan of Arc!Elizabeth in the climactic battle sequence.  Actually, I had really hoped for more naval warfare and I was disappointed.  Even the fireships didn't particularly have me worried as far as the human characters, but man was I rooting for that poor white horse.  There must have been some symbolism I didn't understand in that.  I also wanted better development of Mary Queen of Scots, despite the fact that I'm a history grad student and have a decent grasp of the backstory there.  Speaking of history...I was mildly bothered by some of the inaccuracies, but not as much as I feared I would be.

Overall, I enjoyed the film.  It was beautifully shot, and the actors did the best they could with the script and/or direction.

[John]

Yeah, it's the script that's the trouble. No Tilbury Speech for a start.