The Contenders: ‘Elizabeth: The Golden Age’
After watching 1998 Academy favorite Elizabeth on DVD last week, I realized there was no better film to start out an Oscar contenders series than its quasi-sequel Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Cate Blanchett, who became an international star thanks to her first performance as the Virgin Queen, will reprise her role, along with Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush, in the follow-up to be released on Oct. 12.
There are other contenders to be released between now and the time The Golden Age hits theaters, but none of them look as Oscar-worthy as this film. Elizabeth, which like The Golden Age was directed by Shekhar Kapur, often felt like a brief moment in the life a a grand monarch, meaning Kapur and Blanchett’s Elizabeth deserves to be revisited.
Will The Golden Age be The Godfather, Part Two or will it be, well, The French Connection II? The chances are slim that The Golden Age won’t have some impact on the Oscar race; a shut out is almost unthinkable, sight unseen. The people are hunger for royalty, if Mirren’s award-winning turns in Elizabeth I (yep, same queen) and The Queen or Showtime’s The Tudors prove anything. With Clive Owen joining the cast as Sir Walter Raleigh, who was recently nominated for Closer, The Golden Age is getting an Oscar prince to join with this royal romp.
Top 8 Chances
Look for The Golden Age to play best in the Best Picture and Best Actress categories, though Clive Owen could sneak in under Actor or Supporting Actor. You might even see Blanchett’s fellow Aussie Abbie Cornish break out just as Cate did nine years ago. Outside of the Top 8, The Golden Age will easily shine, too.
TheFilmChair.com 2007-2008 Oscar Charts
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