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Fresh from the Oscars lead Cate Blanchett returns to the role of England's 16th century Virgin Queen: Elizabeth.

Academy Award winner Cate Blanchett returns to her star-making role from Working Title Films’ 1998’s seven-time Oscar-nominated Elizabeth.

Pictured (right): Cate Blanchett, in the title role of Elizabeth, in Shekhar Kapur's Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Photo Credit: Laurie Sparham. Copyright: © 2006 Universal Studios. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

The year is 1585 and - having reigned over England for nearly three decades - Queen Elizabeth I (Blanchett) continues to face bloodlust for her throne and the lingering threat of familial betrayal. Across the English channel a destructive wind of fundamentalist Catholicism is blowing across 16th century Europe, with Spain’s Philip II - played by Jordi Molla - as its figurehead.

Backed by the Church in Rome and armed with the Inquisition, Philip—with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada—presents an imminent threat to Queen and Country...the dark and pious king is determined to wrest the Protestant 'heretic' from the throne and restore England to the glory that is the Roman Catholic Church.

Heretic

Preparing to go to war to defend her empire, Elizabeth also struggles to balance ancient royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her love for Sir Walter Raleigh - played by Clive Owen (Shoot 'em Up, Sin City, Children of Men) — despite his status as a commoner—who remains forbidden for a Queen sworn body and soul to her country. Unable and unwilling to pursue her passion, Elizabeth encourages her favoured lady-in-waiting, Bess - played by Abbie Cornish - to befriend Raleigh and keep him near.

But such a strategy places the English monarch at the centre of their courtship, where she has no choice but to observe their growing intimacy. In the dashing and adventurous Raleigh, she sees not only an intellectual and spirited equal, but also a clarion of lands beyond, the unexplored globe, infinite...freedom. By electing Bess to take her place, she is ultimately forced to make the anguishing choice between being a woman and being a Queen. As she charts her course abroad, Elizabeth’s trusted advisor, Sir Francis Walsingham, continues his masterful puppetry of her court at home—and her campaign to solidify absolute power.

Through an intricate spy network, Walsingham uncovers an assassination plot that could topple the throne. But as he unmasks traitors that may include Elizabeth’s own cousin Mary Stuart - played by double Oscar nominee Samantha Morton (Control, Minority Report, In America), he unknowingly sets England on a course of destruction.

Pictured (left): the dramtic burning of a Spanish galleon is re-created at Pinewood Studios for the film. Image by Phoebe Rudomino.

Elizabeth: The Golden Age tells the thrilling tale of an era...the story of one woman’s crusade to control love, crush enemies and secure her position as a beloved icon of the Western world.

Pinewood Armada?

The feature was based and filmed at Shepperton Studios - part of the Pinewood Studios group - which included tricky sequences of Spanish galleons at war (and on fire!) were filmed at Pinewood’s unique Underwater filming facilities. A full size reconstruction of Sir Walter Raleigh's 'Tyger' ship was built complete with special entry and exit platforms rigged into the tank allowing easy access for stunt horses. "Filming the sequence of Spanish galleons at war was definitely a unique experience with extremely risky circumstances involving the use of horses, getting them to swim and the fire effects.” says 30 years plus Stunt Co-ordinator Greg Powell (who's worked on the Bond films, Superman III and the Harry Potter franchise).

“However, the tank at U-Stage provided a safe working environment and the crystal clear water allowed excellent underwater vision which helped us to operate remarkably well. I consider the safety and dive teams used one of the best to work with. With them on board and plenty of advanaced preparation, the shooting went smoothly and the facilities were a great asset to the filming."

Here's what some of the critics made of Elizabeth: The Golden Age on it's release:

"Where Kapur's first Elizabeth was cool, cerebral, fascinatingly concerned with complex plotting, the new movie is pitched at the level of a Jean Plaidy romantic novel." - The Guardian newspaper.

"It dances through history, making us feel as though such spectacles as the defeat of the Spanish Armada took place in the course of an afternoon, and that what really mattered was what everyone was wearing at the time." - Contra Costa Times newspaper.

"From its extravagant costumes to its pompous score, The Golden Age is packed with distractions. But the biggest of all is the story itself, which works so mightily to tarnish the queen at its core." - Elizabeth Weitzman (New York Daily News).

"The filmmakers must've noticed what a hit that first film was among teenage girls, and thus for the sequel instructed Blanchett to play the 52-year-old monarch as if auditioning for High School Musical 3." - Philadelphia Weekly newspaper.

"It's a full-scale star performance in every sense...and I wouldn't be surprised if, like Helen Mirren last year, Blanchett walks away with an Elizabethan Oscar." - Film Journal International magazine.

For more information on the film visit the official website: www.elizabeththegoldenage.net

Elizabeth: The Golden Age is out on DVD now, rated 12A, from Universal.

More information available in DVD / Home Video