Book Club Girl Reviews Elizabeth: The Golden Age

The number of theatrical depictions of Queen Elizabeth of England are topped these days only by the number of Jane Austen related books and films, but each, from Helen Mirren's compelling portrait in HBO's Elizabeth I to Cate Blanchett's return performance in Elizabeth: The Golden Age, shines so brightly that there is room for each of these jewels in the crownhead, as it were. I got to see an advance screening of Elizabeth: the Golden Age last night and it was amazing.

Blanchett projects strength and fragility in equal measure as she portrays the Queen in the late 16th century. Her reign is threatened both at home and abroad as a holy war brews and she struggles against the confines of her role as state head and the self-imposed terms of her reign that we see her enter at the end of the first film. As the self-annointed "virgin queen" Elizabeth lives through her lady-in-waiting Bess in matters of the heart as she practically arranges an affair between Bess and the object of her affection, Sir Walter Raleigh.

She is wracked with indecision as a leader, arrogantly threatening the Spanish and nearly unable to execute her own cousin Mary Queen of Scots for plotting her assassination.

When war at last breaks out, brought about handily by the Spanish who have played Elizabeth and her advisor Frances Walsingham perfectly, Elizabeth finds new purpose as she seemingly, if temporarily, casts off her virginal image, and indeed that of being a woman as she cloaks herself in armor, lets down her hair, and rallies the meager troops of England in person, sitting, as a man, astride her horse.

There is talk of yet another film in this "series" and given the complexities of her person and reign, one can well see it. Blanchett delivers an Oscar-worthy performance and is beautifully supported by Geoffrey Rush as Sir Frances Walsingham, Clive Owen as Raleigh, Samantha Morton as Mary Stuart, and Abbie Cornish as Elizabeth Throckmorton (Bess).

For those who want to know more, historical novelist Tasha Alexander has penned the companion novel to the film and there is also the newly released, The Pirate Queen, by Susan Ronald as well as David Starkey's acclaimed bio Elizabeth, newly released with PS material in the back of the book.

View the Elizabeth trailer here. The film opens nationwide this Friday, October 12th, look for showtimes near you.