Elizabeth - The Golden Age (Widescreen Edition) (2007)
Nominated for the Golden Globe® and Screen Actors' Guild Awards (2008)

Academy Award® winners Cate Blanchett and Geoffrey Rush join Academy Award® nominee Clive Owen in a gripping historical thriller full of suspense, intrigue and adventure!

When Queen Elizabeth's reign is threatened by ruthless familial betrayal and Spain's invading army, she and her shrewd advisor must act to safeguard to the lives of her people. But when a dashing seafarer, Walter Raleigh, captures her heart, she is forced to make her most tragic sacrifice for the good of her country.

"Elizabeth: The Golden Age" tells the thrilling tale of one woman's crusade to control her love, destroy her enemies and secure her position as a beloved icon of the western world.

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Elizabeth: The Golden Age [Music from the Motion Picture] [SOUNDTRACK]
This score is certainly one of the most interesting ones of the year. For those of you familiar with the soundtrack to David Hirschfelder's "Elizabeth", you should know that this score by Craig Armstron and A.R. Rahman is quite different. Certainly not in a bad way - but the style and tone of each are quite different.

While the score to the first film is written in a traditional classical style, this score features a unique blend of several different musical styles. Certainly, one could say that the score is largely classical, but there are several Eastern influences incorporated into the mix.

The Golden Age is more strongly thematic than the previous score, featuring three major themes: The Destiny, Love and Divinity themes - all tracing the development of Cate Blanchett's character, Elizabeth I. The strong presence of the choral music from the first score has carried over to this film and is used to great effect. A few highlights of the score include: "Opening", "Mary's Beheading", "Destiny Theme", "Divinity Theme" and "Storm". - Amazon.com

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Elizabeth [HD DVD] (1998)
Nominated for 7 Acadamy Awards®

Academy Award-winners Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush and Richard Attenborough lead a distinguished cast in Elizabeth - the critically acclaimed epic of the Queen's turbulent and treacherous rise to power!

Before the Golden Age, Elizabeth was a passionate and naïve girl who came to reign over a land divided by bloody turmoil. Amidst palace intrigues and attempted assassinations, the young Queen is forced to become a cunning strategist while weighing the counsel of her mysterious advisors, thwarting her devious rivals, and denying her own desires for the good of her country. Relive the majesty and drama of one of history's greatest monarchs in this stunning production that was honored with 7 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture!

Elizabeth [Standard DVD] (1998)

Being an owner of the original dvd release of Elizabeth, I wondered what the difference was compared to the oldy. Suprisingly there is a new digital transfer of the film itself that looks almost as good as high def (almost). The transfer has livened the colors of the original dvd and is far more impressive to watch.

A beautiful film by a great director as I'm sure "Golden Age" will also be. All bonus features are the same as the old version except there is a new extra long trailer going almost 6 minutes of footage from the new movie. If you want my advice, for all of you that want to see Elizabeth in a new pristine cleaned up version, this is the definitive of the latter. - Amazon.com

This title is also available on VHS.

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Elizabeth: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack [SOUNDTRACK]
Australian pop musician and producer turned film composer David Hirschfelder garnered an Academy Award nomination for the impressive pop and classical musical alchemy he conjured up for Shine.

For Elizabeth (director Shekhar Kapur's nouveau-feminist take on the political and religious barrier-breaking rise of Queen Elizabeth I), Hirschfelder has again imbued familiar period-music clichés with just enough pop rhythmic and melodic flourishes to create a score that's fresh yet deceptively familiar. To his credit, Hirschfelder wears his influences proudly, interpolating Mozart, Elgar, Byrd, and Susato into his own, modern, sensibilities with seamless aplomb (only Holst's "Mars, the Bringer of War" seems trotted out just once too often).

The composer (who also orchestrated) walks a fine musical line on Elizabeth, ultimately creating a musical fusion of the best kind. - Jerry McCulley

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Elizabeth I (2006)
Winner of 3 Golden Globe® Awards

Helen Mirren and Jeremy Irons star in Elizabeth I, a two-part HBO Films miniseries event that explores the intersection of the private and public life of Elizabeth I (Mirren) in the latter half of her reign, offering a personal look at her allies, her enemies and her suitors as she struggles to survive in a male-dominated world. Part 1 explores Elizabeth's tempestuous relationship with the Earl of Leicester (Irons) as it survives a French suitor, war, treason, and illness. Part 2 follows Elizabeth through her later years, during which she had an equally passionate affair with the young, ambitious Earl of Essex (Hugh Dancy), who had been raised, ironically, by his stepfather Leicester. In the end, Elizabeth I sheds light on one of the most popular members of the monarchy who held absolute power over everything... except her heart.

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Elizabeth I (Paperback)
This book is not light-weight reading. It's quite thick at 575 pages of fine text. It does, however, cover extremely well Elizabeth's reign and puts many of her decisions in their social context.

The author has relied heavily on primary sources for this work and they give a "flavour" to the time Elizabeth lived in. You end up with a good feel for Elizabeth's mercurial personality. Her chronic indecisiveness and hatred of being forced into a decision. The mine-field of international politics, when phones and TV didn't exist. Second-guessing the opposition, or trying to prevent an opposition from forming.

For an in-depth view of Elizabeth's life, reign and era this book is up there at the top of the list, if you can take the time to read it. - Amazon.com

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The Tudors - The Complete First Season (2007)
Showtime's Emmy award-winning series

A king torn between two women could lead to a kingdom torn.

Troubled by religious unrest in his kingdom and changing alliances with other countries, weighing most on King Henry VIII of England's mind is his impending divorce to Queen Katherine of Aragon. The matter is of extreme urgency, as the king desires an heir and has just met the woman who holds his destiny - Lady Anne Boleyn, eighteen and in the flower of youthful beauty. But was their meeting by chance, or part of a plan devised by her father for the furthering of his family?

As the new romance blooms, it causes heartache for the queen and headaches for the king's personal chaplain, Cardinal Wolsey, who once worked on behalf of the kingdom to organize diplomatic talks, but now toils to obtain the Church's approval for the king's divorce. As loyalties are questioned and the Church's influence is threatened by the emboldened king, the fate of the kingdom lies in the balance.

An irresistible story of love, lust, ambition, and political intrigue, this novelization of season one of The Tudors introduces us to a young, virile king of one of the most powerful nations in the world, and the women who will cause him to forever alter the course of history.

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The Tudors: Music From The Showtime Original Series [SOUNDTRACK]
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is Henry VIII as never seen before. THE TUDORS is the epic new Showtime Original Series that reveals the scandalous life of the stunning young monarch who ruled his kingdom with ruthless abandon.

The colorful score by composer Trevor Morris, evocative of both the period and location, received an Emmy Award in 2007 for its striking theme.

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The Tudors: The King, the Queen, and the Mistress (Tudors) (Paperback)
THE TUDORS focuses on the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII's nearly 40-year omnipotent reign (1509-1547). This novelization hits the show's scandalous entanglements, teases out its conspiracies, and does justice to its violent beauty. Highly readable and very entertaining.

In addition to dalliances with famous female consorts Catherine of Aragon and the infamous Anne Boleyn, the series delves into Henry's most notable political relationships, including those with philosopher Sir Thomas More, Cardinal Wolsey, head of the Catholic Church of England during its break with Rome, and Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and Henry VIII's closest friend. The new BBC drama series THE TUDORS, stars Golden Globe®-winner Jonathan Rhys-Meyers ("Mission: Impossible III," "Match Point," "Elvis") as a young Henry VIII. Emmy(R) and Golden Globe®-nominated actor Sam Neill ("Jurassic Park," "Little Fish"), Jeremy Northam (CBS' "Martin & Lewis," "The Net," "Gosford Park") and Henry Cavill ("Tristan & Isolde") also make up the cast.

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Shakespeare in Love (Miramax Collector's Series) (1999)
Winner of 7 Academy Awards®

Triumphant winner of 7 Academy Awards® - including Best Picture - this witty, sexy smash features Oscar®-winning Best Actress Gwyneth Paltrow (SLIDING DOORS, THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS) and an amazing cast that includes Academy Award-winners Judi Dench (Best Supporting Actress), Geoffrey Rush (Best Actor - SHINE), and Ben Affleck (GOOD WILL HUNTING, PEARL HARBOR). When Will Shakespeare (Joseph Fiennes - ELIZABETH) needs passionate inspiration to break a bad case of writer's block, a secret romance with the beautiful Lady Viola (Paltrow) starts the words flowing like never before!

There are just two things he'll have to learn about his new love: not only is she promised to marry someone else, but she's successfully impersonating a man in order to play the lead in Will's latest production! A truly can't-miss motion picture event with outstanding critical acclaim to match its impressive collection of major awards - everyone will love this funny behind-the-scenes look at the writing of the greatest love story ever told!

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Shakespeare in Love [SOUNDTRACK]
An excellent accompaniment to the movie: joyous, lyrical, sweeping, with a nice balance of theme music and incidental music. Stephen Warbeck's score for "Shakespeare in Love" swept me along with the same vibrant energy as the movie: throbbing cellos, dancing piccolos, violins by turns weeping and soaring. Bravo! - Amazon.com

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Masterpiece Theatre: Elizabeth I - The Virgin Queen (2005)

As The Virgin Queen begins, a young Elizabeth is imprisoned in the Tower of London by Queen Mary, charged with conspiracy and treason. Both women are daughters of the ruthless and oft-married Henry VIII, who plunged England into turmoil by breaking with the Roman Catholic Church. Mary wants to reunite with Rome, while Elizabeth is determined to stand by her Protestant faith--a potentially fatal choice. But Elizabeth’s life takes an unexpected turn when Mary dies, leaving no heir to the throne. As the new queen, Elizabeth discovers the harsh realities of ruling a religiously divided nation and must learn to outwit her enemies and charm those who conspire to their own ends.

Soon under pressure to secure a politically advantageous marriage, the coquettish Elizabeth rejects a string of eligible royal bachelors from abroad, openly preferring the burning affections of her childhood playmate, the athletic, handsome - and married - Robert Dudley. But is she toying with him as she is with her other suitors?

Starring Anne-Marie Duff (The Aristocrats, The Magdalene Sisters) as the shrewd and captivating queen who defended her throne amidst an atmosphere of plotting and intrigue, torture and murder, The Virgin Queen is a riveting drama that explores the fascinating 44-year reign of Elizabeth I.

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Elizabeth 1: The Virgin Queen [Soundtrack](from Amazon.co.uk)
From the first note of this soundtrack to the last I found myself pulled by the ankles into the captivating harmonies of the Mediaeval Baebes and totally unable to turn back. A mix of Irish/Celtic mediaeval sounds - sometimes lifting, sometimes dark, sometimes intense.

This is a superb combination of modern instruments and medieval styles that takes you on a sublime journey through the life of the famous monarch. Beautiful harmonies, poignant and wonderfully interwoven instrumentals, this soundtrack delivers.

The only fault I can find if any is that it doesn't go on for ever.