Elizabeth: The Golden Age (Blu-ray) Blu-ray, 2007

This sequel to Shekhar Kapur’s prodigiously entertaining drama about the early reign of Elizabeth I not only gilds the lily, it actually sets it on fire.

This time, the Virgin Queen must deal with threats from within and without - Catholic murder plots, court intrigue, and the massed masts of the Spanish Armada threatening England with invasion.

Kapur has assembled another dazzling cast: Geoffrey Rush returns as Walsingham; Samantha Morton glowers as a fanatical Mary Stuart, and Clive Owen swashes his buckle as Sir Walter Raleigh. And of course there is Cate Blanchett herself, an actress whose majesty could soon threaten to eclipse that of the real Elizabeth I.

Academics may choke on their pipes, but history has never seemed so fun. And, lest we forget, the text of Elizabeth’s rousing speech to the troops at Tilsbury owes more to history than Hollywood (though she may not have been wearing plate armour at the time).

Despite - or because of - the visual bombast, British film hasn’t seen this kind of patriotism since Olivier’s technicolor Henry V. Moreover, the contrast between Elizabeth’s tolerant faith versus the fundamentalism of the Spanish King is not without contemporary relevance.

Milo Wakelin on 4th February 2008
View all 94 of Milo Wakelin's reviews