The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX is a colourful Hollywood re-telling of the turbulent affair between Queen Elizabeth I and her prime courtier, the Earl of Essex. This is a lavish production, shot in glorious Technicolor, boasting some of Hollywood's biggest names and impressing on the sheer scale of things, if not the authenticity.Indeed, once you see the swamp sets that stand in for a backward Ireland, you'll be laughing like I did. But overall this is a film that it's hard to dislike. You get Bette Davis, a natural fit for the part, at her waspish best, and Errol Flynn at his rakish prime. There's the requisite romance, action, and tragedy to keep the running time flying past. The film also has an unusually high propensity of future stars in its supporting cast: Vincent Price is here, as well as Leo G. Carroll, Alan Hale, the lovely Olivia de Havilland, and the eternally scheming Henry Daniell. This is the sort of film where you leave your brain at the door and allow yourself to get caught up in the lavish spectacle of it all.

This 1939 movie is loosely based on the story of Elizabeth and her "favourite", Robert Devereaux, the 3rd Earl of Essex. To sum up the plot in a few words (without giving away the ending): they love each other intensely, but their relationship is fraught with the complexities of their personalities and positions. Elizabeth is very much a queen, Essex a headstrong military man eyeing the throne.The actual historical events have been simplified and changed, so if you feel cheated by historical movies that stray from the facts, you might as well skip this one.I am not a fan of old movies. I have little interest in old-time stars like Bette Davis and Errol Flynn. But this was an eye-opener for me. Davis's acting and Flynn's magnetism leapt out at me, even though I was watching their performances 75 years after the fact.Bette Davis was superb. In this film she WAS Elizabeth, in almost every sense of the word. Her performance was so magnificent on so many levels, I can't even begin to go into it.And Errol Flynn. Well, the main thing about Errol Flynn in this movie is that he was really physically attractive. This movie helped me to understand the star appeal of Errol Flynn two generations ago. However, Flynn's acting here was not as strong as Davis's. He didn't really convey the overweening pride that the script called for.The sets and costumes are impressive. There is a lot of Elizabethan pageantry in the movie.This is a queen who always has on her magnificent formal clothing, jewelry and make-up. All the time, even when she's relaxing with her ladies-in-waiting in the evening or pitching woo to Essex. In this movie Elizabeth never lets her hair down. Literally. Was this a child-like movie portrayal of a queen? Or was it historically accurate? It's hard to say, but it felt unrealistic to me. I suppose you could see it as a metaphor for a woman who identified completely with her role as queen.It was a little surreal to see this ageing iconic queen (almost kabuki-like in appearance) in a passionate embrace with a young vibrant male god. In 2012 we recognise them immediately as cougar and boy toy. How shocking it must have been in 1939 to see Essex slapping the Shakespearean Elizabeth on the ass and talking to her with the rude familiarity of an Australian lover. This was 1939, however. There was only so much you could show. In this movie Elizabeth and Essex have a lot to say to each other. In those days movie fans had to be satisfied with repeated professions of love rather than actual depictions of it. Just as they had to be satisfied with the symbolic imagery of the Nine Years' War rather than anything realistic.What Elizabeth sees in Essex is plain to see. But what could Essex possibly see in Elizabeth behind all that make-up and imperial hauteur? Of course her age and make-up didn't matter to him: he was in love with her. But did he love her for her herself or for her throne? This was Elizabeth's dilemma. Essex truly loved her, but he was also ambitious. He loved her as his queen, his ageing kabuki queen. And he was a man, so he could do better on the throne than she.All Elizabeth had to do to land this stud was to give up her pride and offer him her kingdom. All Essex had to do to wed his queen was to give up his pride and be content with being her consort. Could they make it work? Who would have expected such an intriguing psychological angle in a movie from 1939. This hooked me into caring what happened. In particular, their anguish and their struggle with this predicament were realistic and palpable (in a 1939 sort of way).

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex is a play brought to the big screen and essentially left untouched. There are only a few minor sequences depicting Essex trying to overthrow rebels in Ireland, while the rest takes place in the palace between Essex and his queen, Elizabeth I.Playing these two lovers are two of the finest actors of Hollywood's Golden Age: Bette Davis and Errol Flynn. Davis, almost unrecognizable here, is near-perfect in her mannerisms and moods as the tortured queen torn between the man she loves and the throne she craves more. Flynn, not known for being able to perform at this high a level, is also quite good as a man whose greatest weakness is his love for power, which perhaps escalates his love for Elizabeth. Indeed, their scenes are quite entertaining not only for the acting but the way these two fascinating characters who seemingly care as much for each other as they do for their own personal ambition to rise in fame and fortune.Here, we see an early example of how to adapt a play to the movies, with great bravado and strong acting. Despite the costumes and settings being marvelous and epic in scale and beauty, the true center of each scene and the film belongs to Davis and Flynn, who despite not caring for one another are able to conquer it and convince us that these two did love each other. There really are no surprises or anything unconventional here. Olivia de Havilland is underused as a lady-in-waiting to the queen and Alan Hale nearly steals the show in his one scene as the rebellious Earl of Tyrone. Other than that, this is the show starring David and Flynn, and how great they both are!

Greatly enjoyed this great film classic with Betty Davis, ( Queen Elizabeth 1) and Robert Devereux of Essex, (Errol Flynn) who both loved each other in many ways and at times they both hated each other and their relationship was constant fighting. Queen Elizabeth was much older and not a very pretty Queen and she hated mirrors in her palace and broke every one of them mainly because her love Robert was so handsome and she in some ways hated him for his youth and desired him for her husband and lover forever. Robert wanted to go off to war and fight for England and he had enemies like, Sir Walter Raleigh, (Vincent Price) and Sir Robert Cecil, (Henry Daniell) who both wanted Robert dead so they could gain control of the Queen's attention. However, there was another woman who really loved Robert Devereux and she was Lady Penelope Gray, (Oliva DeHavilland) and she had a great influence in his life's decisions. Great acting by Flynn & Davis in this outstanding Classic 1939 film.