Feature1939·106m·6.3

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

Elizabeth I's love for the Earl of Essex threatens to destroy her kingdom.

DramaHistoryRomance

This period drama frames the tumultuous affair between Queen Elizabeth I and the man who would be King of England.

Play now

Cast

Bette Davis

Queen Elizabeth

Errol Flynn

The Earl of Essex

Olivia de Havilland

Lady Penelope Gray

Donald Crisp

Francis Bacon

Alan Hale

The Prince 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

Ralph Forbes

Lord Knollys

Robert Warwick

Lord Mountjoy

Leo G. Carroll

Sir Edward Coke

Guy Bellis

Lord Charles Howard (uncredited)

Jacob Dance

Essex's Soldier (uncredited)

Forrester Harvey

Bit Part (uncredited)

Holmes Herbert

Majordomo (uncredited)

I. Stanford Jolley

Spectator Outside Whitehall Palace (uncredited)

Doris Lloyd

Handmaiden (uncredited)

John Sutton

Capt. Armand of the Queen's Guard (uncredited)

Details

Status
Released
Original language
English
Languages
English, Italian
Budget
Revenue
Age rating
Quality
4K UHD · HDR10 · Dolby Vision
Production
Warner Bros. Pictures

Crew

Director

Michael Curtiz

Writers

Norman Reilly Raine, Æneas MacKenzie, Maxwell Anderson

Owen Marks

Editor

Orry-Kelly

Costume Design

Sol Polito

Director of Photography

Erich Wolfgang Korngold

Original Music Composer

Gallery

Reviews

CinemaSerf

6/22/2022

8.0

Bette Davis; Errol Flynn some swash, buckle and a rousing Korngold score - what more could you want? This is a sumptuous costume drama based on the real life story of an elderly Queen Elizabeth's infatuation with the much younger and more reckless Earl of Essex. There is an engaging chemistry between them - though the script does rather drag at times; and the usual suspects in support - including Olivia de Havilland; Henry Stephenson, Henry Daniell & Donald Crisp keep the whole thing moving along nicely. This is also the first film in which I actually recall Vincent Price having a more substantial part in, too. Lots of theatrical licence taken with the actual turn of events, but hey - it is all good fun...