Relating "Elizabeth: The Golden Age" with "Suits"

How do we resolve problems at our days? How do we punish the "bad guys"? And how do our methods differ to the methods of punishing at "Elizabeth: The Golden Age"?

In "Suits", the firm of the main characters always chooses the fair path to resolve their cases, never trying to manipulating nobody to gain their causes. Elizabeth always choose the same path, for instance, when she refuses the gold because they came from Spanish ships, and the two Native-Americans because she thought that they should be treated well, or when she doesn't let her going for the court advises and remained with the idea that everyone should have freedom to choose their beliefs. At her time it was something incredibly rare and modern, some vanguard's ideas.

However, while we take our criminals to a trail to be or not arrested, they were a "little" more barbarian. They chose to cut off the heads, hang or burn their criminals. Although, this makes me think: Are those violent acts so outdated as we think at the first look?

The answer is NO. In Third World countries people are still hang and stoned, sometimes for small, senseless crimes. But these countries are not the only ones. The United States are the only develop country that still approves the death penalty. A few weeks ago Troy Davis, a man sentenced with death penalty twenty years ago, was executed and the protests to stop this macabre act intensified. Will we see the end of death penalty in U.S.? I hope so!

Bottom line, we've got to try to always think one step ahead of our time and realize what is wrong before it is too late.

"Elizabeth, The Golden Age" - Film Review

 

Elizabeth, The Golden age (2007) is a film directed by Shekhar kapur and produced by Tim Bevan with a very good cast, including the actors Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth I of England), Geoffrey Rush (Sir Francis Walsingham), Clive Owen (Sir Walter Raleigh), Rhys Ifans(Robert Reston), Jordi Mollá (Philip II of Spain), Abbie Cornish (Bess), David Threfall (Dr. Dee) and Samantha Morton(Mary, Queen of Scots). Guy Hendrix Dyas was the film's production designer and co-visual effects supervisor and the costumes were created by Alexandra Byrn. The soundtrack was composed by A.R. Rahman and Craig Armstrong. This film has a historical background: With the early death of Mary I of England, Elizabeth's sister, King Philip II of Spain tried to marry Elizabeth to reach England´s throne, which English Parliament had refused to grant him when married Mary. For revenge he sent, with pope's blessing, the Spanish Armada to attack England, Protestantism, and the Queen.
This is a drama/romance/history film is based on the hard times of Queen Elizabeth who has to fight for her position in a men´s world, for the position of England in the world, for her people's freedom of beliefs and, finally, for her personal life, since she is unmarried and does not have sons to ensure the continuation of the Tudor dynasty while the king Philip II of Spain, a Roman Catholic country and the most powerful country of Europe, afraid of Protestant England and frustrated with English piracy of Spanish ships, wants to start a war to see his daughter Isabella taking Elizabeth's throne and begins to make the Spanish Armada.
Sir Francis Walsingham advises Elizabeth to marry and presents her some candidates, if not, Mary, Queen of Scot gets her position after her dead. Sir Walter Raleigh is presented at the court to show de products that he brought from The New World, as potatoes and gold, two Native-Americans and gold from Spanish ships. Elizabeth commands that the Native Americans be treated well, and refuse to accept the gold. She is attracted by him and his stories.
Meanwhile, Jesuits in London are making a plan to kill her with the King's of Spain help. Some of this people are caught and killed, including Bess' cousin, Queen´s Elizabeth lady-in-waiting. At this point Bess looks for comfort from Raleigh and they start a secret relation, hiding it from the Queen that is also in love with him.
Walsingham finds out a plot against Elizabeth because he was intercepting letters and he finds out about Spanish ambassador. Elizabeth confronts him and they almost get on a sword fight. Then when she was on a cathedral praying, a man called Babington points a gun at her and shoots at her but with an empty gun. She learns about Mary's involvement and after a lot of deliberation she decides to kill her. Mary was beheaded.
After some time, Walsingham realizes that it all was a plan of Philip II to have pope´s acceptance to start a war and that he used Mary's death for it.
In the meantime Raleigh says to the Queen that he wants to come back to The New World and to avoid it, she knighting him and making him Captain of the Royal Guard. Bess is pregnant and when she tells him he decides to stay even though she wants him to leave. They secretly marry but Elizabeth discovers the truth about all and banishes Bess from the court and imprisons Raleigh because Bess couldn´t marry without Queen's permission.
The Armada is reaching England and the English army is substantially smaller. At this point Queen forgives Bess and Releigh and some others prisoners, claiming that "England is their country, too". The battle begins and Sir Francis Drake is commanding English army and, in a turning point of the events, a storm blows the Armada towards the beaches, breaking their formation and ships. They drop anchor, and the Armada becomes an easy target for English cannons. Elizabeth walks out to the cliffs and watches the Spanish Armada and Philip´s plan sink in flames.
Finally, Elizabeth visits Walsingham on his deathbed, telling her old friend to rest. Then she visits Raleigh and Bess and blesses their child. Elizabeth had a lot of personal triumphs, however she were all her life the Virgin Queen, being "just" the Mother of England.
This film was recorded in some parts of United Kingdom and it has duration of 144 minutes. The lighting such as the music changes according to the moment, getting darker in sad or frantic occasions (like in the battle) and vice-versa. Some shooting techniques are used to emphasize a few things as in the scene that Mary is to be beheaded with a red dress representing Catholic religion and the blood spread at that "Holy War" and looks at the throne, representing the power of England. At that same scene when Mary dies the sound is cut off when a woman is screaming, representing a silent dead, being Mary almost a puppet in Spanish´s plans.
In my opinion, "Elizabeth, The Golden Age" is a great film because it shows to the audience a great piece of the true History of England and of the world; also showing the importance of being fair and how a good conduct can solve big problems.