By Christopher DisherNine years after the critically acclaimed biopic Elizabeth comes a continuation of the story, with an added touch of flair and intrigue, in Elizabeth: The Golden Age. One might assume that nearly a decade is long enough for a film's presence to become stagnant, or at least settle into movie history. Yet, this sequel follows with equal aspiration and succeeds and fails in many the same ways. Successes and failures aside, there are numerous other similarities. Again taking the helm is director Shekhar Kapur, who would be relatively unknown in the Western world if it were not for the success of Elizabeth. In between the two Elizabeth films he directed the letdown adventure pic The Four Feathers and produced the bizarre romantic comedy The Guru. Kapur said he would not return to direct a sequel without Cate Blanchett cast as Queen Elizabeth I, a demand that was thankfully fulfilled. She is again joined by Geoffrey Rush, playing Sir Francis Walsingham. Writer Michael Hirst is this time aided by William Nicholson. Nearly all of the producers have returned, as well as editor Jill Bilcock and cinematographer Remi Adefarasin. Lauded by Kapur and the producers, production designer Guy Dyas enlists and shows the team how to stretch a dollar and get a great product. The carryover talent mixes with the new to create a sequel that mirrors the first but adds unneeded extravagance in production. The sequel takes place nearly thirty years after the first one begins. Catholic Spain rules militarily, religion is the key motivator in war, and the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I rules her monarchy under what is now the modern Church of England. The Queen is still faced with the daunting task of answering the concerns of the Catholic sect under her authority. She is still faced with finding an appropriate suitor, none of whom will satisfy her after she meets the charming and romantic Sir Walter Raleigh (Clive Owen). Meanwhile, Catholics abroad and at home -- under the influence of Rome, Spain, and Mary Stuart (Samantha Morton) -- attempt assassination via obscure, anonymous, and inexperienced killers who ultimately fail. The conspiracy is unearthed, Queen Elizabeth sentences her sister to death, and England goes to war with Spain. After the Spanish Armada's crushing defeat -- told in a rushed and choppy montage where everyone seems to die but the white horse that jumps from a burning ship -- Elizabeth's reign should adopt a fairy tale ending. Instead, Elizabeth's independence and power is lazily asserted in voiceover. As mentioned before, The Golden Age works in many of the same ways as the prior film. The success comes foremost from Cate Blanchett, who thoroughly convinces us of her accomplished and unusual reign as the bastard queen of England. She achieves that most important goal for actors in a period piece, and even all of film acting for that matter: she makes us forget about Cate Blanchett. Her performance marries nicely with the equally believable production design. Though, considering my anecdotal knowledge of that period, this may not be the best of feats. This is, unfortunately, where the strengths struggle to stay upright under the weight of so many shortfalls. A film that should feel Shakespearean instead comes across as a high-budget soap opera. Sure, Shakespeare's plays were often times full of titillation and seemingly inane romances, but they nevertheless retained the quality of art at the behest of real character, commanded to the audience through real, identifiable problems of death, power, and scandal. The Golden Age is composed of all three of these elements but none is given the attention it deserves. What concerns Queen Elizabeth here is primarily an unreachable relationship with Sir Walter Raleigh. The love between them is quickly exhausted and what's left is a complete mess of conspiracy, war, and attempts at theological discourse.The beautiful production design warrants exploration. Instead, the camera work is often distractingly acrobatic. We swirl around stationary figures and fly high into the rafters of a cathedral for no reason, emotional or otherwise. We perch from the ceilings and look downward, far below, and went up, over, and around the sitting Queen on far too many occasions. It's as if the camera department got a new toy they had to try out on every other scene. To add to the visual chaos, any scene that takes place in an old stone building -- house, cathedral, or castle -- is shot with two-thirds of the frame obscured. To be particularly insulting, the frame is often obstructed, askew, and the subjects far in the distance. Ultimately, the film fails to communicate visually. If it weren't for the achievements in production design, Golden Age would feel like a low-budget segment from the History Channel. I can't say that the most ardent fans of Lifetime movies will even enjoy this film; they may find it too violent. Readers of literature will find it too shallow, scholars of history will find it skewed, feminists will think it too masculine, filmmakers will be distracted by the inept camera work, and generally anyone will respond as Goldilocks. It's simply a lukewarm film that likely won't satisfy anyone completely.
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HALLMARK CHANNEL GREENLIGHTS SECOND PRIMETIME SERIES"WHEN CALLS THE HEART",KICKING OFF WITH 2-HOUR ORIGINAL MOVIE WORLD PREMIERE EVENT ON OCTOBER 5The Film Features an All-Star Cast Including Maggie Grace, Stephen Amell, Three-Time Emmy Winner Jean Smart, Lori Loughlin,Daniel Sharman and Poppy Drayton;Based on the Canadian West Book Series by Bestselling Author, Janette OkeHallmark Channel announced today the premiere of "When Calls The Heart", a Hallmark Channel original movie, on October 5 @ 9p.m. ET/PT, 8C, which serves as a two-hour sneak peek of the newest primetime series greenlit by Hallmark Channel, premiering January 2014."It's a very exciting time at the network as we greenlight our second original primetime series based on the works of award-winning author, Janette Oke. With the success we have had from Oke's 'Love Comes Softly' movie adaptations, this anthology of When Calls The Heart books, also by Oke, are a perfect fit for Hallmark Channel," said Michelle Vicary, Executive Vice President, Programming.Based on Janette Oke's bestselling Canadian West book series, the film stars three-time Emmy(R) Award-winner Jean Smart ("Designing Women"), Lori Loughlin ("90210"), Maggie Grace ("Taken 2"), Stephen Amell ("Arrow"), Daniel Sharman ("Teen Wolf"), and newcomer Poppy Drayton."When Calls the Heart" is the story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Drayton), a young teacher accustomed to her high society life, who receives her first classroom post in a prairie town in the Western Frontier lead by headstrong coalminer widows Abigail (Loughlin) and Frances (Smart). She is determined to prove to her family that she is brave enough to live on her own, but struggles with her own fears and doubts. When she discovers her late Aunt Elizabeth's (Grace) secret diary, Elizabeth learns she was a pioneer woman herself, a teacher in the frontier who struggled with prairie life and fell in love with a Royal Canadian Mountie (Amell). Inspired by her aunt's hopeful words and unfaltering determination, Elizabeth decides to embark on her own adventure, using the diary as her guide and family friend Edward, another Mountie (Sharman), as her support."When Calls the Heart" is a Believe Pictures Jordan Films and Brad Krevoy Television production. Brad Krevoy, Brian Bird, Michael Landon, Jr., Roman Viaris, Francisco Gonzalez, and Jimmy Townsend are executive producers. Laurette Bourassa and David Kappes are producers. The film is based on the novel by Janette Oke, and written and directed by Michael Landon, Jr.Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming available in high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD) to a national audience of 87 million subscribers. Hallmark Channel is the nation's leading destination for quality family programming with an ambitious slate of original TV movies and specials, as well as some of television's most beloved sitcoms and series, including The Golden Girls, Frasier, and Happy Days. The channel is also home to a range of lifestyle programming, anchored by Home & Family, a daily two-hour live show shot in a fully functional house located on the Universal Studios lot, and Marie, a one-hour talk show hosted by iconic entertainer, Marie Osmond.Hallmark Channel's sibling network, Hallmark Movie Channel, also available in HD and SD, focuses on family-friendly movies with a mix of original films, classic theatrical releases, and presentations from the acclaimed Hallmark Hall of Fame library. 2ff7e9595c
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