all about elizabeth

I just finished watching Elizabeth the Golden Age, Cate Blanchett’s second take on the role she did back in 1998. This is also the second time director Shekhar Kapur, a brilliant Indian film maker tackled the story of what is obviously her favorite subject - Elizabeth I.

And despite the fact that this is the second time for both, I was still very much entertained. I had to hold my bladder until the end of the film, ayaw kong tumayo at umalis sa harap ng screen which is my gauge kung na-capture ako ng film o hindi.

And I think, come awards season, a few Oscar wins are possible, or at least nominations siguro.

Hindi na natin ku-kwestyunin yong story line coz everybody (well at least people like me who finds the story of Elizabeth fascinating) already knows this is one hell of a story of a strong woman who lead England to it’s golden era.

And since alam na nga natin ang story, yong presentation na lang ang nagkaka-iba. Talo-talo pagdating sa paraan ng pagku-kwento. Fortunately, this film managed to give it a different take. Kaya kahit predictable na yong story dahil alam mo na ang susunod na mangyayari based on history and other countless films done before, I still found it very engaging.

One big factor was the very grand production design. Talagang kita mo ang production cost sa mga damit pa lang na ginamit ni Cate.

Though kung napanood na ninyo yong version ni Helen Mirren of the same queen na pinalabas sa HBO, I have to warn you, don’t compare like I did. Dahil magka-iba yong HBO version at itong film ni Shekhar.

The HBO version attacked the story in a historical/biographical approach. Because the intention was to give you the story of Elizabeth’s life as a queen. Kaya kung magco-compare ka, mas comprehensive and I guess more factual yong HBO version.

Itong kay Shekhar Kapur, like his first in 1998 was more fictionalized. And, if the HBO version told the story of how the queen was charmed by the Lord of Essex, dito sa movie version ni Cate, nag-focus more on her attraction towards Walter Raleigh (who was convincingly played by the ruggedly handsome Clive Owen) and the ensuing love triangle kung saan ang kaagaw niya kay Raleigh was her favorite lady in waiting Dess. So it was more of a love story told against the backdrop of treason and a bloody war.

Kaya sabi ko nga, I had to warn you not to compare like I did. Coz I realized I had to appreciate this film in it’s own merits. HBO/Helen Mirren’s version was excellent. But I can’t take away the fact that this Shekhar/Cate Blanchett’s version is also a very well-crafted film. It was worth all the 110 minutes I spent watching this film.

Now, talking about Cate’s performance.

Hindi na rin natin ku-kwestyunin ang galing ni Cate Blanchett. In fact, kung member ako ng AMPAS, I would give her my vote for this year’s Oscar Best Actress. Yon nga lang, medyo awkward siguro para sa Hollywood na two years in a row nilang ibigay ang trophy to an actress portraying the Queen. Di ba last year Helen Mirren won for her role as the present-day Elizabeth II in the movie The Queen. Tapos she won Golden Globe and SAG trophies pa for her role as Elizabeth I on her HBO series, the same role here by Cate Blanchett. Kung ibibigay kay Cate ang Best Actress award this year for this role, does it mean you have to play the Queen para ka lang manalo? Yon ang sinasabi kong medyo awkward. But hey, who would ever say Oscars was predictable. So let’s just wait and see how the voting goes.

In the meantime, I would recommend that you grab a copy of this film and enjoy it like I did.