Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth The Golden Age is a 2007 sequel to the 1998 film Elizabeth, directed by Shekhar Kapur and produced by Universal Pictures and Working Title Films. It stars Cate Blanchett in the title role and is a fairly fictionalised portrayal of events during the latter part of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England. The screenplay was written by William Nicholson and Michael Hirst. The music score was composed by A. R. Rahman and Craig Armstrong. Guy Hendrix Dyas was the films production designer and covisual effects supervisor and the costumes were created by Alexandra Byrne. The film was shot at Shepperton Studios and various locations around the United Kingdom.

In 1585, Catholic Spain ruled by King Philip II of Spain Jordi Molla is the most powerful country in the world. Seeing Protestant England as a threat, and in retaliation for English piracy of Spanish ships, Philip declares war. He plans to take over England, and make his daughter Isabella the Queen of England in Elizabeths place. Meanwhile, Elizabeth I of England Cate Blanchett is being pressured to marry by her advisor, Francis Walsingham Geoffrey Rush. She is ageing and, with no child, the throne will pass to her cousin, Mary, Queen of Scots Samantha Morton. The Queen is presented with portraits of appropriate suitors, but Elizabeth refuses to marry, particularly to the Charles II, Archduke of Austria Christian Brassington, who has become infatuated with the Queen. English explorer Walter Raleigh Clive Owen is presented at Elizabeths court, having returned from the New World, and offers her potatoes, tobacco, two Native Americans, and gold from a Spanish ship that he claims was unable to continue its journey. Elizabeth commands that the Native Americans be treated well, and refuses to accept the gold.Elizabeth is attracted to Raleigh, enthralled by his tales of exploration, and asks Bess Throckmorton Abbie Cornish, her most favored ladyinwaiting, to observe him. Bess also finds Raleigh attractive and secretly begins an affair with him. Elizabeth seeks guidance from her astrologer, Dr. John Dee David Threlfall who predicts that two empires will go to war. However, he cannot predict which will triumph over the other, leaving Elizabeth to ponder her and Englands fate. Jesuits in London conspire with Philip to assassinate Elizabeth and replace her with Mary, in what Philip calls The English Enterprise, and which is known to history as the Babington Plot. From her imprisonment, Mary sends secret correspondence to the Jesuits, who recruit Anthony Babington Eddie Redmayne to assassinate Elizabeth. Walsingham continues to warn Elizabeth of Spains rising power and of the

Source: Wikipedia