Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6313 in DVD
• Released on: 2008-02-25
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 111 minutes

Synopsis
Nearly a decade after Cate Blanchett drew the attention of audiences and critics alike with ELIZABETH, the Oscar-winning actress returns to the role of the Virgin Queen. Though the protestant ruler has been on the throne for decades in 1585, Elizabeth I's reign is still under attack from both inside her country and from the continent. Her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots (Samantha Morton), carries the favour of the nation's Catholics as she schemes for the throne from prison, while Spain's King Philip II (Jordi Molla) plots an invasion with the power of his famous armada. But Elizabeth is also concerned with the arrival of Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen), a charming pirate and adventurer. Unable to reconcile her feelings with her crown, she encourages Bess (Abbie Cornish), her beloved lady-in-waiting, to pursue a relationship with Raleigh.
Nine years haven't dulled Blanchett's ability to play this--or any other--character with an impressive range of fire and tenderness. Her chemistry with the infinitely watchable Owen is one of the film's highlights. As in ELIZABETH, director Shekhar Kapur doesn't restrict himself from using artfully constructed shots that aren't normally used in period dramas. It's a modern retelling of history, and Kapur and his director of photograpy, Remi Adefarasin, aren't content to let the film have the standard look of many films in the genre. Costume designer Alexandra Byrne follows the same logic, creating stunning dresses for Elizabeth that draw inspiration both from modernity and the time period. If Blanchett weren't such a gifted actress, the gorgeous costumes might threaten to overtake her as the star of the film.

Customer Reviews

Good but not great
As a HD disc the picture is superb, the colours are bright, detail sharp and the sound excellent.

I agree with the other reviews that it was not historically correct and spent to much time trying to find a love interest

The navel battle takes about 4 minutes of the film which is such a waste as the detail of the ships and battle scene is amazing.

I think Cate Blanchett is a superb actress who plays her part extremely well, I don`t think Clive Owen was right for the part as Raleigh the part was too big.

It is a good film only because Cate Blanchett is a superb actress.

Thirty Years Later
Elizabeth is back and she is... well... 55... You wouldn't tell from the movie, would you? Bearing in mind that average life expectancy was below 30 in her times, she was positively ancient...
Well, you shouldn't be able to tell her age and generally too much knowledge of history will spoil the fun. When the movie started I decided to follow Coleridge's advice to "suspend my disbelief" and enjoyed it OK.
You don't get a lesson in history here (a very general but shouldn't you have known before about the Armada?) you get a picturesque vision of history and as such it works. Some twists made me smile. I found it quite amusing that all Roman Catholics look ugly and their behaviour is rather irrational. A comment to the ending - Elisabeth left England in debts (although not bankrupt as Philip did) and the quoted "age of prosperity" led directly to the Civil War half a century later.
Show it to your children - if it makes them interested in history, it's for the best. If they can remember only the date 1588 after the movie it's a sufficient reason to spend an evening together.

ropey
Well for a start Mary Queen of Scots didnt speak with a glasgow accent. This movie has a plot that could only have been decided by a team of Holywood producers as it bears no resemblance to historical fact whatsoever. I know not many historically set Hollywood movies do , but the first movie Elizabeth was great this one sadly isnt. Cate Blanchet does her best but its cheesy and silly. the romantic subplot does little other than fil screen time and illustrate how unconfident the studio was in getting a financial return on their investment if it didnt play out like a cheesy period TV drama. A huge disappointment.