View source for Elizabeth: The Golden Age

{{short description|2007 film by Shekhar Kapur}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{more citations needed|date=November 2015}}
{{original research|date=November 2015}}
}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2022}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Elizabeth: The Golden Age
| image          = Elizabeth golden poster.jpg
| caption        = Theatrical release poster
| director       = [[Shekhar Kapur]]
| producer       = {{ubl|[[Tim Bevan]]|[[Eric Fellner]]|[[Jonathan Cavendish (producer)|Jonathan Cavendish]]}}
| writer         = {{ubl|[[William Nicholson (writer)|William Nicholson]]|[[Michael Hirst (writer)|Michael Hirst]]}}
| starring       = {{ubl|[[Cate Blanchett]]|[[Geoffrey Rush]]|[[Clive Owen]]|[[Rhys Ifans]]|[[Jordi Mollà]]|[[Abbie Cornish]]|[[Samantha Morton]]}}
| music          = {{ubl|[[Craig Armstrong (composer)|Craig Armstrong]]|[[A. R. Rahman]]|}}
| cinematography = [[Remi Adefarasin]]
| editing        = [[Jill Bilcock]]
| studio         = {{ubl|[[StudioCanal]]|[[Working Title Films]]}}
| distributor    = [[Universal Pictures]] (international)<br />StudioCanal (France)<ref name="BOM"/>
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|2007|10|12|United States|2007|11|2|United Kingdom}}
| runtime        = 115 minutes
| country        = {{ubl|United Kingdom|France|Germany|United States|India}}
| language       = {{ubl|English}}
| budget         = $55 million
| gross          = $75.8 million
}}
'''''Elizabeth: The Golden Age''''' is a 2007 [[Biographical film|biographical]] [[historical drama]] film directed by [[Shekhar Kapur]] and produced by [[Universal Pictures]] and [[Working Title Films]]. It stars [[Cate Blanchett]] in the title role and is a loose but fact-based portrayal of events during the latter part of the reign of [[Elizabeth I]], forming a sequel to Kapur's 1998 film ''[[Elizabeth (film)|Elizabeth]]''. The film co-stars [[Geoffrey Rush]] (reprising his role from the previous film), [[Clive Owen]], [[Jordi Mollà]], [[Abbie Cornish]], and [[Samantha Morton]]. The screenplay was written by [[William Nicholson (writer)|William Nicholson]] and [[Michael Hirst (writer)|Michael Hirst]], and the music score was composed by [[Craig Armstrong (composer)|Craig Armstrong]] and [[A. R. Rahman]]. [[Guy Hendrix Dyas]] was the film's production designer and co-visual effects supervisor, and the costumes were created by [[Alexandra Byrne]]. The film was shot at [[Shepperton Studios]] and various locations around the United Kingdom.
The film premiered on 9 September 2007 at the [[Toronto International Film Festival]]. It opened in wide release in the United States on 12 October 2007, premiered in London on 23 October 2007, and opened wide on 2 November 2007 throughout the rest of the UK and Republic of Ireland. At the [[80th Academy Awards]], the film won [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]] and Blanchett received a nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]].
==Plot==
In 1585, [[Catholic Church|Catholic]] [[Habsburg Spain|Spain]], ruled by [[Philip II of Spain|King Philip II]], is the most powerful country in [[Europe]]. Seeing that the Catholic plots against [[Elizabeth I|Queen Elizabeth]]'s life that occurred from the 1570s onwards had all failed, [[Pope Sixtus V]] approached King Philip, who had amassed the most significant naval force in all of Europe and convinced the king to use this naval force to invade and re-Catholicize [[Kingdom of England|England]]. By doing so, Philip, with the pope's blessing, would overthrow Elizabeth and take control of England. Philip agrees and plots to take over England and make his daughter, [[Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain|Isabella]], the [[Queen regnant|Queen]] of England in Elizabeth's place. Meanwhile,  Elizabeth is being pressured by her advisor, [[Francis Walsingham]], to marry; if Elizabeth dies childless, the throne will pass to her first cousin, [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], who is Catholic.
English explorer [[Walter Raleigh]] is presented at court, having returned from the [[New World]]. Queen Elizabeth is attracted to Raleigh, enthralled by his tales of exploration, and asks [[Elizabeth Raleigh|Elizabeth "Bess" Throckmorton]], her most favoured [[lady-in-waiting]], to observe him. Bess also finds Raleigh attractive and they begin a secret affair. With tensions strained between England and Spain, Elizabeth seeks guidance from her astrologer, Dr. [[John Dee (mathematician)|John Dee]].
[[Society of Jesus|Jesuits]] in London conspire with Philip to assassinate Elizabeth and replace her with Mary of Scots, in what King Philip calls "The English Enterprise," historically known as the [[Babington Plot]]. From her imprisonment, Mary sends secret correspondence to the Jesuits, who recruit [[Anthony Babington]] to assassinate Elizabeth. Walsingham continues to warn Queen Elizabeth of Spain's rising power and of the Catholic plots against her, but unlike her predecessor and half-sister, [[Mary I of England|Queen Mary]], Elizabeth refuses to force her people to share her religious beliefs.
Walsingham's Catholic brother, who knows of the plot against Elizabeth, is jailed, leading Walsingham to reveal Spain's plan to Queen Elizabeth, who angrily confronts the Spanish diplomats. The Spanish ambassador feigns ignorance, accuses her of receiving stolen Spanish gold from pirates, and insinuates that she has a sexual relationship with Raleigh. Enraged, Elizabeth throws the Spaniards out of England. Meanwhile, Philip is cutting down the forests of Spain to build the [[Spanish Armada]] to invade England. Mary writes letters condoning the plot.
Babington storms into a cathedral where Elizabeth is praying and fires a pistol at her, though Elizabeth is unharmed as there was no bullet in the gun. As Elizabeth learns of Mary's involvement in the plot, Walsingham insists Mary be executed to quell any possible revolt. Elizabeth reluctantly agrees. Mary is tried for high treason and beheaded; Walsingham realises this was part of the Jesuits' plan all along: Philip never intended for Mary to become queen, but with the Pope and other Catholic leaders regarding Mary as the true Queen of England, Philip uses Mary's death to obtain papal approval for war. The "murder" of the last legitimate Catholic claimant to the throne gives Philip the pretext he needs to invade England and remove Elizabeth, leaving the way to the English throne free for his own daughter.
Bess reveals to Raleigh that she is pregnant with his child, and pleads with him to leave. Instead, the couple marry in secret. When Elizabeth confronts Bess, she confesses her pregnancy and that Raleigh is her husband. An infuriated Elizabeth berates Bess, reminding her that she cannot marry without royal consent. She banishes Bess from court and has Raleigh imprisoned for the crime of seducing a [[Ward (law)|ward]] of the queen.
As the Spanish Armada begins its approach up the English Channel, Elizabeth forgives Bess and sets Raleigh free to join [[Francis Drake|Sir Francis Drake]] in battle. The ships of the Armada vastly outnumber England's, but a storm blows the Armada toward the beaches, endangering its formation and becoming vulnerable to English [[fire ship]]s. Elizabeth, at her coastal headquarters, walks out to the cliffs and watches the Spanish Armada sink in flames as the English fleet prevails.
She visits Raleigh and Bess and blesses their child. Elizabeth appears to triumph personally through her ordeal, again resigned to her role as the Virgin Queen and mother to the English people.
==Cast==
{{Div col}}
* [[Cate Blanchett]] as [[Elizabeth I of England|Queen Elizabeth I]]
* [[Geoffrey Rush]] as [[Sir Francis Walsingham]]
* [[Clive Owen]] as [[Walter Raleigh|Sir Walter Raleigh]]
* [[Abbie Cornish]] as [[Elizabeth Raleigh|Elizabeth "Bess" Throckmorton]]
* [[Samantha Morton]] as [[Mary, Queen of Scots]]
* [[Jordi Mollà]] as [[King Philip II of Spain]]
* [[Susan Lynch]] as [[Mary Fleming|Annette Fleming]]
* [[Rhys Ifans]] as Robert Reston
* [[Eddie Redmayne]] as [[Anthony Babington]]
* [[Tom Hollander]] as [[Amias Paulet]]
* [[Steven Robertson]] as Sir [[Francis Throckmorton]]
* [[Adam Godley]] as William Walsingham
* [[Laurence Fox]] as Sir [[Christopher Hatton]]
* [[Will Houston|William Houston]] as [[Guerau de Espés]]
* [[David Threlfall]] as [[John Dee]]
* [[Christian Brassington]] as [[Charles II, Archduke of Austria]]
* [[John Shrapnel]] as [[Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham]]
* [[Kelly Hunter]] as [[Ursula Walsingham]]
* Kirstin Smith as Mary Walsingham
* Benjamin May as Dance Tutor
* [[Kate Fleetwood]] as the Mother
* Aimee King as [[Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain|Infanta Isabel of Spain]]
* [[David Robb]] as [[William Wynter|Admiral Sir William Wynter]]
* [[Malcolm Storry]] as [[Francis Drake|Sir Francis Drake]] (uncredited)<ref>{{Citation
| title       = Curtis Brown Talent Agency: Malcolm Storry CV
| publisher   = Curtis Brown
| url         = https://www.curtisbrown.co.uk/client/malcolm-storry/cv
| access-date = 16 February 2024
}}</ref>
{{div col end}}
==Production==
Principal photography began 28 April 2006 and completed on 1 August 2006.
===Historical background===
{{More citations needed section|date=May 2017}}
In November 1558, King Philip II of Spain's second wife, Queen Mary I of England, died. They had married in July 1554, a year after Mary's accession to the English throne, but the English Parliament had refused to grant him much real power as co-monarch of England.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.elizabethan-era.org.uk/king-philip-ii-spain.htm |title=King Philip II of Spain |website= elizabethan-era.org.uk}}</ref> On Mary's death he tried unsuccessfully to persuade her sister and successor, [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth I]], to marry him.
For many years Philip maintained peace with England, and even defended Elizabeth from the Pope's threat of excommunication. This was a measure taken to preserve a European balance of power. Ultimately, Elizabeth allied England with the Protestant rebels in the Netherlands. Further, English ships began a policy of piracy against Spanish trade and threatened to plunder the great Spanish treasure ships coming from the New World. English ships went so far as to attack a Spanish port. The last straw for Philip was the [[Treaty of Nonsuch]] signed by Elizabeth in 1585 – promising troops and supplies to the rebels. Although it can be argued this English action was the result of Philip's [[Treaty of Joinville]] with the [[Catholic League (French)|Catholic League of France]], Philip considered it an act of war by England. With the Pope's blessing, he launched the Spanish Armada to attack England, Protestantism, and Elizabeth herself. Sir Walter Raleigh, whom the Queen favoured, married Bess Throckmorton, a ward of Elizabeth's court, after learning she was carrying his child. Elizabeth I had both of them arrested and imprisoned in the [[Tower of London]], but later released them.
===Dramatic licence===
{{More citations needed section|date=January 2013}}
This representation of a historical period is heavily fictionalised for the purposes of entertainment. The film's lead Cate Blanchett was reported as saying: "It's terrifying that we are growing up with this very illiterate bunch of children, who are somehow being taught that film is fact, when in fact it's invention".<ref>{{cite web |title=Cate Blanchett's film rant |work=M&C, People News |date=5 November 2007 |url=http://people.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1371160.php/Cate_Blanchetts_film_rant |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715003643/http://www.monstersandcritics.com/people/news/article_1371160.php/Cate_Blanchetts_film_rant |archive-date=15 July 2012 |access-date=16 August 2018 }}</ref> Some of the simpler fictions are:
* Sir Walter Raleigh is falsely portrayed as a major figure in the defeat of the Spanish Armada, and the film does not credit [[Francis Drake|Sir Francis Drake]] and other key leaders of the English fleet (a character called "Drake" does appear during the battle with the Spanish; the role is played, uncredited, by actor Malcolm Storry).
* Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, was lieutenant general at the Armada crisis, but in the film, he is not present at the Tilbury camp, his role having been given to Raleigh. The movie also does not make mention of Dudley's military campaign in the Netherlands.
* [[Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham|Charles Howard]] (then Lord Howard of Effingham, the actual commander of the English fleet), says at one point, "We're losing too many ships." In reality, not a single English ship was lost during the battle.
* The film depicts Elizabeth being advised by Dr John Dee. Historically, Dee was travelling on the European mainland throughout the period depicted and did not return until more than a year after the defeat of the Armada. Elizabeth's actual main advisor and chief minister, [[William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley]], is omitted from the film altogether.
* The portrayed Jesuit leader of the [[Babington Plot]], Robert Reston, is completely fictional, though based on the real-life Jesuit John Ballard, who encouraged Babington to initiate the assassination attempt on Elizabeth, which would subsequently begin the chain of events leading to the Spanish invasion. However, because Ballard was depicted being executed in [[Elizabeth (film)|the previous film]] for participating in the [[Ridolfi plot]], the role of Reston was created to replace him.
* In the film, Elizabeth is confronted at the altar of [[Old St Paul's Cathedral]] by Anthony Babington, who has a pistol charged with powder but no shot. The real Babington Plot was, like preceding plots against Elizabeth, discovered and thwarted by Francis Walsingham's investigative efforts while still in the planning stages, long before there was any actual attempt to kill Elizabeth.
* The film also depicts Babington (and, implicitly, the other conspirators) as having been hanged by [[Hanging#Long drop|long drop]], rather than the actual, and more gruesome method of [[hanging, drawing and quartering]].
* In 1585, Elizabeth was 52 (considered too old to bear children). The film shows various suitors being presented to the queen, with a view to marriage and children; the events presented actually took place much earlier in her reign. For instance, [[Erik XIV of Sweden]] abandoned his proposals to marry Elizabeth after his trip to England was interrupted by his father's death in 1560, when Elizabeth was 27. In fact, by 1568, Erik had been deposed from the Swedish throne and died in captivity in 1577. Likewise, marriage negotiations with [[Charles II, Archduke of Austria]] were abandoned in 1568 and in 1571, Charles married his niece [[Maria Anna of Bavaria (Archduchess of Austria)|Maria Anna of Bavaria]], with whom he had fifteen children.
* Philip II of Spain is depicted at the time of the Armada as an old, sick man. In fact he was just five years older than Elizabeth, and his death did not occur until eight years later, in 1596.
* In 1588, [[Isabella Clara Eugenia|Infanta Isabel of Spain]] is portrayed as a child. In reality, she was 21 by this time.
* William Walsingham is a completely fictitious character. The real William Walsingham was the father of Francis Walsingham.
* Mary Walsingham, Walsingham's daughter in the film, died in 1580. [[Frances Walsingham]] was the surviving daughter who married [[Phillip Sidney]].
* The lady-in-waiting Bess Throckmorton in fact became pregnant with Walter Raleigh's child in the summer of 1591, three years after the defeat of the Armada, not immediately before. After their secret marriage was inevitably discovered, Elizabeth had them locked up in the Tower of London. While she did eventually release them both, it was not out of any sense of forgiveness as the movie depicts. She released Raleigh because one of his expeditions returned to England with a captured Spanish ship, the ''Madre de Dios'', and his men threatened a mutiny if she did not return Raleigh to them. Bess was released because Elizabeth felt guilty after Bess's baby died of plague while she was incarcerated in the Tower.
* The affair between Raleigh and Bess is depicted as beginning when Raleigh consoles Bess after her cousin [[Francis Throckmorton|Francis]] is executed for [[Throckmorton Plot|his plot]] to assassinate Elizabeth, but that happened six years before the affair actually took place.
* Mary, Queen of Scots is depicted as having a Scottish accent, when in actuality, she had been raised at the French court from the age of five and did not return to Scotland until she was a young woman.
* The film shows Spanish envoys and other members of court wearing swords during their audiences with Elizabeth. Owing to threats of assassination, only members of the [[Royal Guard]] were permitted to carry weapons near Elizabeth while she was in court.
* The execution of Mary, Queen of Scots, is portrayed as having happened very swiftly after her arrest, while she was still a young woman. In fact, Mary was held in custody at various places for 19 years before her execution in 1587, at the age of 44.
* The film depicts the battle between the English navy and the Spanish Armada as consisting of [[Broadside (naval)|broadside]]s from the ships of both fleets. In fact, while the English ships were able to fire multiple times during the course of a day, the heavy Spanish guns were so difficult to reload that they were frequently only fired once. Broadsides would accompany later developments in ship design in the first half of the 17th century, the first major actions involving such technology and tactics for the English being the [[Anglo-Dutch Wars]].
* During the film, Elizabeth spoke German to Charles II, Archduke of Austria. Although Elizabeth [[Elizabeth I#Early life|spoke several languages]] there is no evidence that she was taught or spoke German; nor is it likely that they ever met.
* There was no Spanish ambassador in Elizabeth's court in 1585, as Elizabeth had him expelled from England following the discovery of the Throckmorton plot, after Francis Throckmorton claimed under torture that his plot had been sanctioned by the Spanish.
====Claims of anti-Catholicism====
The film depicts an important episode in the violent struggle between the [[Protestant Reformation]] and the [[Counter-Reformation]] that [[History of Europe#16th, 17th and 18th centuries|polarised European politics]]. Several critics (some cited below) claimed the film was "[[anti-Catholic]]" and followed a traditional English view of their own history. A British-based priest, Father Peter Malone, declared the film to be [[jingoism|jingoistic]] in his review.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
In the US the ''[[National Catholic Register]]'', film critic Steven D. Greydanus compared this film to ''[[The Da Vinci Code (film)|The Da Vinci Code]]'', and wrote: "The climax, a weakly staged destruction of the [[Spanish Armada]], is a crescendo of church-bashing imagery: rosaries floating amid burning flotsam, inverted [[crucifix]]es sinking to the bottom of the ocean, the rows of ominous berobed clerics slinking away in defeat. Pound for pound, minute for minute, ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age'' could possibly contain more sustained church-bashing than any other film I can think of." Greydanus asked: "How is it possible that this orgy of anti-Catholicism has been all but ignored by most critics?"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.decentfilms.com/sections/reviews/elizabeth2.html |title=Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) |access-date=15 October 2007 |author=Steven D. Greydanus |publisher=[[National Catholic Register]] via decentfilm.com}}</ref>
Stephen Whitty of the [[Newark, New Jersey|Newark]] ''[[The Star-Ledger|Star-Ledger]]'' said: "This movie equates Catholicism with some sort of horror-movie cult, with scary close-ups of chanting monks and glinting crucifixes."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.nj.com/entertainment/tv/index.ssf/2007/10/glittering_like_fools_gold.html |title=Glittering like fool's gold |access-date=15 October 2007 |author=Stephen Witty |date=15 October 2007 |newspaper=[[The Star-Ledger]]}}</ref> Colin Covert of the [[Minneapolis]] ''[[Star Tribune]]'' complained of what he saw as "ugly anti-Catholic imagery",<ref>Colin Covert, [http://www.startribune.com/1553/story/1478649.html 'Elizabeth' a golden delight] ''[[Star Tribune]]'', 12 October 2007</ref> and Bob Bloom of the [[Lafayette, Indiana|Lafayette]] ''[[Journal & Courier]]'' agreed that anti-Catholicism was one of the film's "sore points".<ref>Bloom, Bob [http://www.jconline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071012/COLUMNISTS03/710120304/1145/ENT 'Golden Age' adds nothing as a sequel]{{Dead link|date=March 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} ''[[Journal & Courier]]'', 12 October 2007</ref>
[[Monsignor]] [[Mark Langham]], Administrator of [[Westminster Cathedral]], was criticised by some Roman Catholics for allowing scenes to be shot there; although praising the film as a "must see", he suggested that "it does appear to perpetuate the myth of 'killer priests'".<ref>Malcolm Moore in Rome, [https://web.archive.org/web/20071103062346/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/11/02/wvatican102.xml 'Catholics condemn “twisted” Elizabeth film'], [[telegraph.co.uk|Telegraph]], 3 November 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.</ref><ref>Mark Langham, [http://westminstercathedral.blogspot.com/2007/08/golden-age-dawns.html/ 'The Golden Age Dawns'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070827062201/http://westminstercathedral.blogspot.com/2007/08/golden-age-dawns.html |date=27 August 2007 }}, ''Solomon, I Have Surpassed Thee'', 10 August 2007. Retrieved 9 November 2007.</ref>
Historian Franco Cardini, of the [[University of Florence]], alleged "the film formed part of a 'concerted attack on Catholicism, the [[Holy See]] and [[Papist|Papism]]' by an alliance of [[atheism|atheists]] and '[[Premillennialism|apocalyptic Christians]]'".<ref>Richard Owen, [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article2781294.ece 'Rome condemns Queen Elizabeth again – this time over film of her reign']{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}, ''[[The Times]]'', 1 November 2007. Retrieved on 1 November 2007.</ref><ref>[http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,21985,22690941-5006023,00.html 'Historian bags Blanchett's Elizabeth: The Golden Age'], ''[[Herald Sun]]'', 2 November 2007. Retrieved on 2 November 2007.</ref> "Why put out this perverse anti-Catholic propaganda today, just at the moment when we are trying desperately to revive our [[Western culture|Western]] identity in the face of the [[Islam]]ic threat, presumed or real?"<ref>Sajeda Momin, [http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1131158 'Elizabeth is anti-Christian']{{dead link|date=December 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''[[Daily News and Analysis|DNA]]'', 2 November 2007. Retrieved on 2 November 2007.</ref>
Director [[Shekhar Kapur]] rejected this criticism of his film, saying: "It is actually very, very deeply non-anti-Catholic. It is anti [[extremism|extreme forms]] of religion. At that time the [[Roman Catholic Church|church]] in Spain, or [[Philip II of Spain|Philip]] had said that they were going to turn the whole world into a very pure form of Catholicism. So it's not anti-Catholic. It's anti an interpretation of the word of God that is singular, as against what [[Elizabeth I of England|Elizabeth's]] was, which was to look upon her faith as concomitant."<ref>Sandy George, [http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22690929-16947,00.html 'Elizabeth film “not anti-Catholic”'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071107181635/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,22690929-16947,00.html |date=7 November 2007 }}, ''[[The Australian|Australian]]'', 2 November 2007. Retrieved on 2 November 2007.</ref><ref>[http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/11/02/2079782.htm?section=justin 'Blanchett defends new role at STC'], [[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]], 2 November 2007. Retrieved on 2 November 2007.</ref> "The fact is that the Pope ordered her execution; he said that anybody who executes or assassinates Elizabeth would find a beautiful place in the kingdom of heaven. Where else have you heard these words about [[Salman Khan]] or [[Salman Rushdie]]? That's why I made this film, so this idea of a rift between Catholicism and Protestants does not arise. My interpretation of Elizabeth is an interpretation of greater tolerance [than] Philip, which is absolutely true. It's completely true that she had this kind of feminine energy. It's a conflict between Philip, who had no ability to encompass diversity or contradiction, and Elizabeth who had the feminine ability to do that."<ref>Girish Rao, [http://specials.rediff.com/movies/2007/nov/20sli2.htm 'Elizabeth is not anti-Catholic'], [[Rediff News]], 21 November 2007. Retrieved on 22 November 2007.</ref>
Kapur extended this [[Religious pluralism|pluralist]] defence to his own approach: "I would describe all history as fiction and interpretation ... [A]sk any Catholic and they'll give you a totally different aspect of history ... History has always been an interpretation ... I do believe that civilisations that don't learn from history are civilisations that are doomed to make the same mistakes again and again, which is why this film starts with the idea of [[fundamentalism]] against [[toleration|tolerance]]. It's not Catholic against [[Protestant]]; it's a very fundamental form of Catholicism. It was the time of the [[Spanish Inquisition]] and against a woman whose half of her population was Protestant, half was Catholic. And there were enough bigots in her Protestant [[Parliament of England#King, Lords and Commons|Parliament]] to say, 'Just kill them all', and she was constantly saying no. She was constantly on the side of tolerance. So you interpret history to tell the story that is relevant to us now."<ref>Rebecca Murray, [http://movies.about.com/od/elizabeththegoldenage/a/elizabeth92607.htm 'Director Shekhar Kapur Discusses Elizabeth: The Golden Age'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001052132/http://movies.about.com/od/elizabeththegoldenage/a/elizabeth92607.htm |date=1 October 2009 }}, [[About.com]]: Hollywood Movies. Retrieved 9 November 2007.</ref>
===Filming locations===
{{unreferenced section|date=November 2015}}
* [[Baddesley Clinton]], Warwickshire, England, UK (Raleigh's house exteriors)
* [[Brean Down]], Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England (Queen Elizabeth addresses her troops)
* [[Burghley House]], Stamford, Lincolnshire, England (John Dee's house exteriors/London alley/Paris street scene)
* [[Burnham-on-Sea]], Somerset, England
* [[Dorney Court]], Dorney, Buckinghamshire, England (Raleigh's house/Walsingham's house/chapel interiors)
* [[Doune Castle]], Doune, Stirling, Scotland
* [[Eilean Donan Castle]], Kyle of Lochalsh, Highland, Scotland ([[Fotheringhay Castle]] exteriors)
* [[Ely Cathedral]], Ely, Cambridgeshire, England (Whitehall Palace interior)
* [[Hatfield House]], Hatfield, Hertfordshire, England ([[Chartley Castle|Chartley Hall]], also the interior of Walsingham's house)
* [[Leeds Castle]], Kent, England (Chartley Hall/[[Windsor Castle]] exteriors)
* [[Petworth House]], Petworth, West Sussex, England (Windsor Great Park)
* [[Shepperton Studios]], Shepperton, Surrey, England
* [[St Bartholomew-the-Great]], London, England (Fotheringhay Castle/Chartley Hall interiors)
* [[St John's College, Cambridge]], Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England (Whitehall Palace exteriors/Thames scenes)
* [[Wells Cathedral]], Wells, Somerset, England (Whitehall Palace interiors)
* [[Westminster Cathedral]], Westminster, London, England ([[Escorial Palace]]/[[Lisbon Cathedral]] interiors)
* [[Winchester Cathedral]], Winchester, Hampshire, England, ([[St. Paul's Cathedral]]/The [[Chapel Royal]] interiors/gallows scene) [http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/e/ElizabethGoldenAge.html] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110829043857/http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/e/ElizabethGoldenAge.html |date=29 August 2011 }}
==Soundtrack==
{{Infobox album
| name        = Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Music from the Motion Picture
| type        = soundtrack
| artist      = [[Craig Armstrong (composer)|Craig Armstrong]] and [[A. R. Rahman]]
| cover       = Elizabeth, The Golden Age soundtrack.jpg
| released    = October 2007
| recorded    =
| studio      = [[Air Lyndhurst|AIR]], London, UK
| genre       = [[Soundtrack]]
| length      = 48:10
| label       = [[Decca Records|Decca]]
| producer    = {{flatlist|
* A. R. Rahman
* Craig Armstrong
* [[Geoffrey Rush]]}}
| chronology     = [[A. R. Rahman]]
| prev_title     = [[Azhagiya Tamil Magan#Soundtrack|Azhagiya Tamil Magan]]{{Broken anchor|date=2024-06-13|bot=User:Cewbot/log/20201008/configuration|target_link=Azhagiya Tamil Magan#Soundtrack|reason=Anchor "Azhagiya Tamil Magan#Soundtrack" links to a specific web page: "Soundtrack". The anchor (Soundtrack) [[Special:Diff/1057147278|has been deleted]].}}
| prev_year      = 2007
| next_title     = [[Jodhaa Akbar#Soundtrack|Jodhaa Akbar]]
| next_year      = 2008
| misc           = {{extra chronology
| artist         = [[Craig Armstrong (composer)|Craig Armstrong]]
| type           = soundtrack
| prev_title     = [[World Trade Center (film)|World Trade Center]]
| prev_year      = 2006
| title          = Elizabeth: The Golden Age: Music from the Motion Picture
| year           = 2007
| next_title     = [[The Incredible Hulk (soundtrack)|The Incredible Hulk: Original Motion Picture Score]]
| next_year      = 2008
}}
}}
The original score was composed by [[A. R. Rahman]] and [[Craig Armstrong (composer)|Craig Armstrong]]. Kapur was thrilled to have both Rahman and Armstrong working together on the music, saying it was fascinating to watch "two people with totally different backgrounds and cultures" interact.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shekharkapur.com/goldenage/archives/2007/03/craig_armsrong_and_a_r_rahman.html |title=Golden Age Diary: Craig Armstrong and A R Rahman |publisher=Shekharkapur.com |access-date=2012-02-15}}</ref>
Blanchett had travelled to India in the early 2000s, coming away with several Indian sounds, and badgered Kapur to get Rahman to score [[Hollywood (film industry)|Hollywood]] movies. [[Antonio Pinto (composer)|Antonio Pinto]] was mentioned as being a collaborator during production, but later Armstrong joined the project. In January 2009, he expressed regret that other compositions from A. R. Rahman were not used in the film, feeling that "the score of ''Golden Age'' was not half as good as it could have been." He expressed hope to hear these pieces appear in another project.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2009/01/rahman_and_the.htm |title=Rahman and the Oscars|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130075224/http://shekharkapur.com/blog/archives/2009/01/rahman_and_the.htm |archive-date=30 January 2009 }}</ref>
"Opening" from the score was used in the BBC's coverage of the Single's Finals at the [[2008 Wimbledon Championships]]. "Storm" is heard in a trailer of the 2013 film ''[[Man of Steel (film)|Man of Steel]]''.<ref>{{cite news|title=What's That Song in the 'Man of Steel' Trailer?|url=http://screencrush.com/man-of-steel-trailer-song/|access-date=2016-03-09|work=ScreenCrush|date=2012-12-11}}</ref>
===Track listing===
{{Track listing
| extra_column = Composer(s)
| total_length = 48:10
| title1 = Opening
| extra1 = [[A. R. Rahman]]
| length1 = 1:31
| title2 = Philip
| extra2 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | [[Craig Armstrong (composer)|Craig Armstrong]]}}
| length2 = 1:51
| title3 = Now You Grow Dull
| extra3 = A. R. Rahman
| length3 = 0:57
| title4 = Horseriding
| extra4 = A. R. Rahman
| length4 = 1:38
| title5 = Immensities
| extra5 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length5 = 2:41
| title6 = Bess and Raleigh Dance
| extra6 = A. R. Rahman
| length6 = 2:34
| title7 = Mary's Beheading
| extra7 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length7 = 3:22
| title8 = End Puddle / Possible Suitors
| extra8 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length8 = 2:06
| title9 = War / Realisation
| extra9 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length9 = 2:57
| title10 = Destiny Theme
| extra10 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length10 = 2:31
| title11 = Smile Lines
| extra11 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length11 = 1:15
| title12 = Bess to See Throckmorton
| extra12 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length12 = 1:03
| title13 = Dr Dee Part 1
| extra13 = A. R. Rahman
| length13 = 3:18
| title14 = Horseback Address
| extra14 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length14 = 2:26
| title15 = Battle
| extra15 = A. R. Rahman
| length15 = 3:29
| title16 = Love Theme
| extra16 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length16 = 2:51
| title17 = Divinity Theme
| extra17 = A. R. Rahman
| length17 = 5:08
| title18 = Storm
| extra18 = A. R. Rahman
| length18 = 3:00
| title19 = Walsingham Death Bed
| extra19 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length19 = 1:51
| title20 = Closing
| extra20 = {{hlist|A. R. Rahman | Craig Armstrong}}
| length20 = 2:00
}}
==Home media==
The film was released on DVD and [[HD DVD]] on 5 February 2008, and on Blu-ray in 2009.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
==Reception==
===Critical reception===
Although Cate Blanchett's performance was highly praised, the film received generally mixed to negative reviews from US critics. On the review aggregator [[Rotten Tomatoes]], 35% of critics gave the film a positive rating, based on 167 reviews; the [[weighted arithmetic mean|average rating]] is 5.1/10. The critics consensus reads, "This sequel is full of lavish costumes and elaborate sets, but lacks the heart and creativity of the original ''Elizabeth''."<ref>{{cite web |title=Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Rotten Tomatoes |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/golden_age/ |access-date=22 December 2022 |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |publisher=[[Fandango Media]]}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has an average score of 45 out of 100, based on 35 reviews, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/elizabeththegoldenage |title=Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007): Reviews |access-date=13 October 2007 |publisher=[[Metacritic]] |archive-date=11 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011052017/http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/elizabeththegoldenage |url-status=dead }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "B" on an A+ to F scale, the same grade as its predecessor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://www.cinemascore.com/ |access-date=2022-12-30 |website=CinemaScore |language=en-US}}</ref>
[[Roger Ebert]] gave the film 2 1/2 stars out of 4, saying 'there are scenes where the costumes are so sumptuous, the sets so vast, the music so insistent, that we lose sight of the humans behind the dazzle of the production'. Ebert did, however, praise many of the actors' performances, particularly that of [[Cate Blanchett]] as Queen Elizabeth I. He said 'that Blanchett could appear in the same [[Toronto International Film Festival]] playing Elizabeth and [[Bob Dylan]], both splendidly, is a wonder of acting'.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071011/REVIEWS/710110302 |title=:: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: Elizabeth: The Golden Age |access-date=13 October 2007 |author=[[Roger Ebert]] |date=12 October 2007 |newspaper=[[Chicago Sun-Times]] |archive-date=30 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930224331/http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=%2F20071011%2FREVIEWS%2F710110302 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Blanchett portrayed Bob Dylan in the film ''[[I'm Not There]]'' and was nominated for an [[Academy Award]] for her roles in both movies.
Colin Covert of the ''[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]]'' gave the film 3 stars out of 4, writing '... as a pseudo-historical fable, a romantic triangle and a blood-and-thunder melodrama, the film can't be faulted' and 'This isn't historical fabrication, it's mutilation. But for all its lapses, this is probably the liveliest, most vibrant Elizabethan production since [[Baz Luhrmann]]'s ''[[Romeo + Juliet]]''.'<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.startribune.com/1553/story/1478649.html |title=Movie review: 'Elizabeth' a golden delight |access-date=14 October 2007 |author=Colin Covert |date=14 October 2007 |newspaper=[[Minneapolis Star Tribune]]}}</ref> while [[Wesley Morris]] of [[The Boston Globe]] said, "Historians might demand a little more history from ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age''. But soap opera loyalists could hardly ask for more soap."<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.boston.com/movies/display?display=movie&id=9317 |title= Elizabeth: The Golden Age Movie Review |access-date=25 October 2007 |author=Wesley Morris |date=12 October 2007 |newspaper=[[The Boston Globe]]}}</ref>
[[Michael Gove]], speaking on [[BBC Two]]'s ''[[Newsnight Review#Newsnight Review|Newsnight Review]]'', said: 'It tells the story of [[England]]'s past in a way which someone who's familiar with the [[Whiggish historiography|Whig tradition]] of history would find, as I did, completely sympathetic. It's amazing to see a film made now that is so patriotic ... One of the striking things about this film is that it's almost a historical anomaly. I can't think of a historical period film in which England and the English have been depicted heroically for the last forty or fifty years. You almost have to go back to [[Laurence Olivier]]'s [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] [[Henry V (1944 film)|''Henry V'']] in which you actually have an English king and English armies portrayed heroically'.<ref>''[[Newsnight Review#Newsnight Review|Newsnight Review]]'', [[BBC Two]], 26 October 2007.</ref>
===Box office===
''Elizabeth: The Golden Age'' grossed $6.1 million in 2,001 theatres during its opening weekend in the United States and Canada, ranking #6 at the box office.<ref name="BOM">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=goldenage.htm |title=Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) – Weekend Box Office |access-date=15 October 2007 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> In the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland the film entered at No. 4 and earned £1.3 million ($2.7 million) on its opening weekend.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allocine.co.uk/boxoffice/boxofficedetail_gen_pays=5004.html |title=Box-office UK |access-date=6 November 2007 |publisher=AlloCine}}</ref> {{as of|February 2009|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=goldenage.htm}} the worldwide total was $74.2 million, including $16.4 million in the US and Canada and $57.8 million elsewhere.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=goldenage.htm |title=Elizabeth: The Golden Age (2007) – Weekend Box Office |access-date=3 May 2009 |website=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref> In contrast, the film's predecessor, ''Elizabeth'', grossed $30&nbsp;million in the United States and Canada, and a total of $82.1&nbsp;million worldwide.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=elizabeth%A0.htm |title=Elizabeth (1998) |access-date=15 October 2007 |work=[[Box Office Mojo]]}}</ref>
===Awards and nominations===
The film received two [[Academy Awards|Academy Award]] nominations, winning the [[Academy Award for Costume Design]] for [[Alexandra Byrne]]. [[Cate Blanchett]] was also nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Actress]] for her performance in the film, becoming the first female actor to receive two Academy Award nominations for playing the same role.<ref name=nom80aa>{{cite web|url=http://www.oscars.org/80academyawards/nominees/index.html |title=Nominees – 80th Annual Academy Awards |access-date=22 January 2008 |publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080123152423/http://www.oscars.org/80academyawards/nominees/index.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 23 January 2008}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"
|-
! Award
! Category
! Recipient(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[80th Academy Awards|Academy Awards]]<ref>{{cite news|title=The 80th (2008) Academy Awards|url=http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2008|access-date=22 December 2015|publisher=Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS)|archive-date=2 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402004725/http://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2008|url-status=live}}</ref>
| [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| [[Cate Blanchett]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Academy Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| [[Alexandra Byrne]]
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Art Directors Guild Awards 2007|Art Directors Guild Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.adg.org/?art=2007_award |title=12th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards |access-date=18 January 2017 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120722145528/http://www.adg.org/?art=2007_award |archive-date=22 July 2012 }}</ref>
| [[Art Directors Guild Award for Excellence in Production Design for a Period Film|Excellence in Production Design for a Period Film]]
| [[Guy Hendrix Dyas]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[2008 Australian Film Institute Awards|Australian Film Institute Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aacta.org/aacta-awards/aacta-awards/range/2000-2010/year/2008/ |title=AACTA Awards: 2000-2010 – Year: 2008 |website=[[AACTA]] |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|AACTA|2008}}}}</ref>
| [[Australian Film Institute International Award for Best Actress|Best International Actress]]
| rowspan="2"| Cate Blanchett
| {{won}}
|-
| rowspan="4"| [[61st British Academy Film Awards|British Academy Film Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/award/2008/film |title=BAFTA Awards: Film in 2008 |website=[[BAFTA]] |year=2008 |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|BAFTA|2008}}}}</ref>
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role|Best Actress in a Leading Role]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Alexandra Byrne
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Makeup and Hair|Best Makeup and Hair]]
| Jenny Shircore
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[BAFTA Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]]
| Guy Hendrix Dyas and Richard Roberts
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[British Society of Cinematographers]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bscine.com/media/uploads/awards/bsc-cinematography-feature-film.pdf?v=2021-03-13 |title=Previous Winners & Nominees |website=[[British Society of Cinematographers|BSC]] |year=2008 |access-date=13 March 2021 |ref={{harvid|BSC|2008}}}}</ref>
| Best Cinematography in a Theatrical Feature Film
| [[Remi Adefarasin]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[13th Critics' Choice Awards|Critics' Choice Movie Awards]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Critics' Choice Awards nominations|url=https://variety.com/2007/film/awards/critics-choice-awards-nominations-1117977491/|access-date=4 October 2015|work=Variety|publisher=Penske Media Corporation|date=11 December 2007}}</ref>
| [[Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| Cate Blanchett
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[Costume Designers Guild Awards 2007|Costume Designers Guild Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://costumedesignersguild.com/awards/awards-archive/awards2008/ |title=Winners of the 10th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards |website=[[Costume Designers Guild]] |access-date=13 March 2021 |ref={{harvid|CDG|2007}}}}</ref>
| [[Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Period Film|Excellence in Period Film]]
| Alexandra Byrne
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[13th Empire Awards|Empire Awards]]<ref>{{cite news |last=Hilton |first=Beth |title=Sony Ericsson Empire Awards: The Winners |url=http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news/a91143/sony-ericsson-empire-awards-the-winners.html |work=[[Digital Spy]] |date=10 March 2008 |access-date=1 October 2014 }}</ref>
| [[Empire Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]]
| rowspan="3"| Cate Blanchett
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[65th Golden Globe Awards|Golden Globe Awards]]<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.goldenglobes.com/film/elizabeth-golden-age |title=Winners & Nominees: Elizabeth: The Golden Age |website=[[HFPA]] |access-date=16 September 2016 |ref={{harvid|HFPA|2008}}}}</ref>
| [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama]]
| {{nom}}
|-
| [[5th Irish Film & Television Awards|Irish Film & Television Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ifta.ie/winners/iftawinners2008.html |title=Irish Film & Television Awards Winners 2008 |access-date=11 January 2009 |publisher=Irish Film and Television Academy}}</ref>
| Best International Actress
| {{nom}}
|-
| rowspan="2"| [[12th Satellite Awards|Satellite Awards]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2007.shtml |title=International Press Academy website – 2007 12th Annual SATELLITE Awards|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080201175700/http://www.pressacademy.com/satawards/awards2007.shtml|archive-date=1 February 2008}}</ref>
| [[Satellite Award for Best Art Direction and Production Design|Best Art Direction and Production Design]]
| Guy Hendrix Dyas and David Allday
| {{won}}
|-
| [[Satellite Award for Best Costume Design|Best Costume Design]]
| Alexandra Byrne
| {{won}}
|-
| [[14th Screen Actors Guild Awards|Screen Actors Guild Awards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sagawards.org/PR_080127 |title=Final 14th Annual SAG Awards Recipient Press Release |access-date=2008-01-27 |date=2008-01-27 |publisher=[[Screen Actors Guild]]|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080509081608/http://www.sagawards.org/PR_080127 |archive-date = 9 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>
| [[Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role|Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role]]
| Cate Blanchett
| {{nom}}
|}
At the 11th [[Pyongyang International Film Festival]] held in September 2008, one of the awards for special screening were conferred upon the film.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}}
==See also==
* [[Black legend]]
* [[Cultural depictions of Elizabeth I]]
* [[Cultural depictions of Philip II of Spain]]
* [[Spanish Armada]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0414055}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|golden_age}}
* {{Metacritic film}}
* {{mojo title|goldenage}}
* {{AllMovie title|335198}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070429181430/http://www.workingtitlefilms.com/film.php?filmID=102 ''Elizabeth: The Golden Age''] at [[Working Title Films]]
{{Shekhar Kapur}}
{{William Nicholson}}
{{Authority control}}
[[Category:2007 films]]
[[Category:British biographical drama films]]
[[Category:British epic films]]
[[Category:British historical drama films]]
[[Category:2007 biographical drama films]]
[[Category:2000s historical drama films]]
[[Category:Films about Elizabeth I]]
[[Category:Films about Mary, Queen of Scots]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Walter Raleigh]]
[[Category:2000s feminist films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Shekhar Kapur]]
[[Category:Films set in 16th-century Tudor England]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by William Nicholson]]
[[Category:StudioCanal films]]
[[Category:Working Title Films films]]
[[Category:Films that won the Best Costume Design Academy Award]]
[[Category:Films scored by Craig Armstrong (composer)]]
[[Category:Films scored by A. R. Rahman]]
[[Category:Films produced by Eric Fellner]]
[[Category:Films produced by Tim Bevan]]
[[Category:Films critical of the Catholic Church]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1580s]]
[[Category:Films set in the 1590s]]
[[Category:2007 drama films]]
[[Category:Films shot in Cambridgeshire]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s British films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Philip II of Spain]]
[[Category:English-language biographical drama films]]
[[Category:English-language historical drama films]]