Elizabeth: The Golden Age

6/10 – Nice Video, Shame about the Truth ...

Well, what can I say that you haven’t already read somewhere? The movie isn’t historically accurate at all and that is sad because the real history is far more interesting. I know many people think it doesn’t matter, but then again, many people think most of Braveheart is true. That’s the problem; no one bothers to find out history in any other way. If the movie is out (and it’s new) that’s enough. People don’t go and look it up and films should at least give some idea of what really happened. Especially if you have the mighty acting powers of Cate Blanchett playing the title role.

Come on!

No Robert Dudley … instead, the film absurdly replacing his “love of her life” status with Walter Raleigh? That’s just ridiculous. Raleigh was not in the battle against the Spanish Armada, nor did the English burn many of the ships (the weather got them in the end) … I mean, they didn’t even get the Tilbury speech right, leaving out her most famous line of rhetoric (of possibly the first great speech in modern English)

"I know I have the body but of a weak and feeble woman; but I have the heart and stomach of a King, and of a King of England too! And I think it foul scorn that Spain or Parma or any prince of Europe should dare invade the borders of my realm".

For all that, it is well realized and filmed beautifully.

So, I’m one of those annoying people who think that history is actually more important than a good story. In this case, there truly is no excuse for it as the history of Elizabeth I has been such good source material for many, many adaptations. In the last two years we’ve seen two different (and far superior) television adaptations. The BBC’s “The Virgin Queen” is best one I’ve seen and seems pretty historically accurate, while the Helen Mirren version is merely OK. She may have gotten Elizabeth II right, but nowhere close on the original.

I’ve read Antonia Frasier’s biography and I will tell you, for those that are interested … it is very readable, interesting, and frankly relevant even now and to Americans, as well. America is an extension of English history, just as England is of ours. It’s important to know where we come from.