IMDb > The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
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The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) More at IMDbPro »

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The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) -- Trailer for this turbulent story of England and Queen Elizabeth

Oscar Nominations    Photos    more »

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   2,015 votes
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Up 1% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers:
Norman Reilly Raine (screenplay) and
Æneas MacKenzie (screenplay) ...
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Contact:
View company contact information for The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
11 November 1939 (USA) more
Tagline:
Elizabeth I's love for the Earl of Essex threatens to destroy her kingdom.
Plot:
This period drama frames the tumultuous affair between Queen Elizabeth I and the man who would be King of England... more | add synopsis
Plot Keywords:
Awards:
Nominated for 5 Oscars. more
NewsDesk:
(2 articles)
retro trailer: ‘The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex’
 (From FlickFilosopher. 27 September 2009, 12:53 AM, PDT)

Walter Hill: The Hollywood Interview
 (From The Hollywood Interview. 9 September 2009, 12:07 AM, PDT)

User Reviews:
The Elizabeth of legend more (46 total)

Cast

  (Complete credited cast)

Bette Davis ... Queen Elizabeth

Errol Flynn ... Earl of Essex

Olivia de Havilland ... Lady Penelope Gray
Donald Crisp ... Francis Bacon
Alan Hale ... Earl of Tyrone

Vincent Price ... Sir Walter Raleigh
Henry Stephenson ... Lord Burghley
Henry Daniell ... Sir Robert Cecil
James Stephenson ... Sir Thomas Egerton
Nanette Fabray ... Mistress Margaret Radcliffe (as Nanette Fabares)
Ralph Forbes ... Lord Knollys
Robert Warwick ... Lord Mountjoy
Leo G. Carroll ... Sir Edward Coke
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
Elizabeth and Essex
Elizabeth the Queen (USA) (TV title)
The Knight and the Lady (USA) (working title)
more
Runtime:
106 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Vitaphone)

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
As well as shaving two inches off her hairline at the forehead, Bette Davis also had her eyebrows removed. She later complained that they never grew back properly and that ever after she had to draw them in with an eyebrow pencil. more
Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When the horseman rides up to the "Red Lion" inn, a gorgeous sunset is behind him; the shadow he casts is inconsistent with the placement of the sun, revealing this sunset to not have been in the original shot. more
Quotes:
Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex: And now, may I go? This dying sticks in my mind and makes me poor company. more
Movie Connections:
Referenced in "This Is Your Life: Bette Davis" (1971) more
Soundtrack:
The Passionate Shepherd to His Love (Come Live With Me and Be My Love) more

FAQ

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11 out of 11 people found the following review useful.
The Elizabeth of legend, 7 December 2005
10/10
Author: arturus from New York, NY

This picture, based on Maxwell Anderson's play (written entirely in blank verse!) portrays the Elizabeth of legend, not the historical Elizabeth, in this case based on Lytton Strachey's book, "Elizabeth and Essex". In other words, this is more a theatrical than a strictly accurate presentation of the great queen and her times.

And what a presentation! Lynn Fontanne portrayed Elizabeth in the play's original Broadway run; Judith Anderson played her in the 1968 television presentation (opposite Charlton Heston!). Davis takes the part (re-written for the picture, discarding the blank verse) over the top. Her overactive, explosive performance might seem too much to some, but it definitely matches the style of the play itself, the sumptuous settings, gorgeously photographed, the historically accurate costuming, and Korngold's splashy, brilliant score, one of his best creations.

The supporting cast matches her at every turn. Even Flynn's performance, dismissed at the time as being lightweight, comes across as the ideal foil to the tempestuous, aging queen he's playing against.

Quite a treat, even after almost seventy years. Definitely of its time, but, understanding this, it can be thoroughly enjoyed.

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