CPE Project n.7 | Review •

Write your answer in 280 – 320 words in an appropriate style.

A cultural magazine is running a series on the educational value of historical films. It has invited readers to send in reviews of films which taught them about a period of history. You decide to send in a review. Your review should briefly describe the film and explain in what ways it interested you in the historical period concerned. 

Write your review.
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Elizabeth: the golden age. 

This film is set in in the protestant England of the XVI century and the plot is based on the war between England and Spain. The story rotates around the main character, Queen Elizabeth I, who takes position against King Philip II of Spain and his Saint War but, simultaneously, she will have to resolve all her personal problems linked to her decision to not get married.

After having seen many candidates to get married, the Queen starts to fell in love with on of them but unfortunately she will discover that one of her closest maidservants had an affair with this man, and she’s expecting his baby.

At the same time, the Queen’s cousin, Mary Stuart, tried to kill Elizabeth with the help of the catholic English minority and the King Philip II but, unfortunately the conspiracy was discovered before anything could happen. From this moment everything will change, the Queen will decide to kill her cousin Mary and this choice will contribute to the outbreak of the war between England and Spain. Elizabeth will conduct her soldier at the forefront, organizing with all her strength this war and will win it.  

I have always been fascinated about the figure of Elizabeth I, the Virgin Queen, especially for her decision to reign alone, without a king and an heir. In everything I’ve read, Elizabeth has always been described as a powerful woman, invincible and brave enough to enforce her principles; as a woman who never bent to the society or the royal law, which wanted her married and pregnant. This was the main reason why I saw this film at the cinema.

Moreover, the “Elizabethan era” has something that attracts me, maybe because of the flowering of poetry, music, literature and theatre that characterised it, and as an art lover, it was almost impossible to not adore this period and discover everything possible about it.