The Elizabeth film

Went to see the film Elizabeth the Golden Years with Cate Blanchett on horseback with armour and various red wigs, snogging Clive Owen as Walter Raleigh and generally being heroic against miserable papist Spanish. It probably won't go down too well in Spain or amongst Catholic audiences (surprised they didn't tone that stuff down) but it was, like a lot of tour guiding, true to the spirit of the story while a little with the historical precision - Elizabeth was after all 55 at the time of the Armada in 1588. Raleigh did not defeat the Spanish fleet almost single-handed and would never have been as bold in manner or as casual in dress as he was shown in the film. However, I liked the Queen and Bess Throckmorton's name for him - 'the puddle man'.
Guides usually print the legend rather than the truth in the words of Randolph Hearst/Louis B Meyer? so we should not be too snooty about Hollywood taking liberties with accuracy for the sake of a good story. Sometimes the legend is worth preserving as it reflects our view of ourselves as a nation - and helps to bring more tourists over...
Making some progress on the Guide Book which will be strictly factual, especially in the section exposing the Da Vinci Code. Watch this space.