A Wonderful Film About An Important Chapter in History!

Rating: 10/10 (3 November 2007)

I enjoyed this film so much I actually watched it twice on the big screen! Something I have not done in a very long time. The acting, costumes, screenplay, cinematography and soundtrack are all fantastic! And, since this magnificent film is based on a true story it makes it all the more gripping!
To all those who feel this film is in some way anti-Catholic, portraying historical truth does not make the Elizabeth: The Golden Age prejudiced. The Inquisition, Spanish, and otherwise, lasted for SEVERAL CENTURIES! All those nice people we watched in this movie would have been at best imprisoned, and at worst, put to death because of the Roman Catholic Church & their allies in the Spanish government had the armada succeeded in its mission.
If the Spanish Armada had been successful the United States would probably not exist! England would of ended up a Spanish colony like the Netherlands eventually did! And all of history would have been radically changed for the worse. At least in England they had the Magna Charter! Spain's legal system, on-the-other-hand, was an absolute dictatorship. A legacy that did not end until 1975 with the death of the dictator Franco!! Quite simply, being Protestant made you a member of a minority religion in Queen Elizabeth's day! Thankfully, in most parts of the world we have now grown-up and accept minority religions as a fact of life. But during Elizabeth's reign you were literally putting your life on the line. Something this brilliant film makes crystal clear, regardless if Queen Elizabeth was no saint!