The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Tags: intrigue

Plot synopsis:
The Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn) returns in triumph to London after having dealt the Spanish a crushing naval defeat at Cadiz. In London, an aging Queen Elizabeth (Bette Davis) awaits him with love, but also with fear, because of his popularity with the commoners and his consuming ambition. His envious rivals include Sir Robert Cecil (Henry Daniell), Lord Burghley (Henry Stephenson), and Sir Walter Raleigh (Vincent Price). His only friend at court is Francis Bacon (Donald Crisp).
Instead of the praise he is expecting, Essex is stunned when Elizabeth criticizes him for his failure to capture the Spanish treasure fleet as he had promised. When his co-commanders are rewarded, Essex protests, precipitating a break between the lovers. He leaves for his estates.
Elizabeth pines for him, but refuses to degrade herself by recalling him. But when Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone (Alan Hale, Sr.) revolts and routs the English forces in Ireland, the Queen has the excuse she needs to summon Essex. She intends to make him Master of the Ordnance, a safe position at court. However, his enemies goad him into taking command of the army to be sent to quash the rebellion.
Essex pursues Tyrone, though his letters to Elizabeth begging for much-needed men and supplies go unanswered. Unbeknownst to him, his letters to her, and hers to him, are being intercepted by Lady Penelope Grey (Olivia de Havilland), a lady-in-waiting who loves him herself. Finally, Elizabeth, believing herself to be scorned, sends him an order to disband his army and return to London. Furious, Essex ignores it, orders a night march and thinks he has finally cornered his foe. However, at a parley, Tyrone points out the smoke rising from the English camp, signifying the destruction of the food and ammunition the English army needs. With no alternative, Essex accepts Tyrone's terms; he and his men disarm and sail back to England.
Thinking he has been betrayed, he leads his army in a march on London, to seize the crown for himself. Elizabeth offers no resistance to his forces, but once alone with him, convinces him that she will accept joint rule of the kingdom. He then naively disbands his army and is quickly arrested and condemned to death.
The day of his execution, Elizabeth can wait no longer. She summons him, hoping he will abandon his ambition in return for his life (which she is eager to grant). However, Essex tells her that he will always be a danger to her, and walks to the chopping block.

Review: She walks the razor's edge of lonely command and tormented despair.DeHavilland's Penelope is a pivotal character whose envy of the queen and discounting by Essex drives her to attempt to destroy their relationship but finally realises where her loyalties lie.But the highlight of the film is the intimate exchanges between Essex and Elizabeth that bring out the very best and the very worst in each as they explore their true intentions and their boundaries.
And the dramatic finale is truly heart-wrenching when Essex becomes the true unselfish hero Elizabeth has been seeking upon finally realising what he would do to England if he shared her throne and that even Elizabeth herself is prepared to sacrifice everything she holds most dear for the man she desperately loves.They just don't write movies like this any more and it is an excellent example of a masterpiece that can never age..
Until her death, at 81, in 1989, screen legend Bette Davis would express a combination of bitterness and disappointment over the Maxwell Anderson play that came to the screen as THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX.
ELIZABETH THE QUEEN was a Broadway sensation, but the studio was reluctant to gamble on it; the few Hollywood attempts to do royal epics had failed (MARY OF Scotland, with Katharine Hepburn in the lead, and John Ford directing, had been a major flop, and helped the actress gain the title 'Box Office Poison'), and it appeared that only the British could make this kind of film work.Nevertheless, when your biggest (and most headstrong) female star wants something, you GET it for her, so the rights were purchased, and ELIZABETH THE QUEEN was announced as 'prestige' production to be filmed with Davis as the lead.
Then the problems began...For the pivotal role of Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, the ambitious lover who nearly costs Elizabeth her crown, Davis wanted Laurence Olivier, who, at 32, had already established himself as one of the finest actors on two continents.
That the film 'worked' at all was a testament to Davis' perseverance, the glorious Technicolor-filmed sets, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold's spectacular musical score.THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX garnered mixed reviews for Davis (although she would be praised for how convincingly she portrayed the much older woman), and terrible ones, for Flynn (which would be used against him, in future, whenever he asked for more substantial roles).Davis would again play Elizabeth, 16 years later, in the British production, THE VIRGIN QUEEN, but she never lost her resentment over the failure of the earlier film.In a year of 'classics', THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX would be an exception!.
It concerns her involvement with Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex, a last foolish gesture on the part of a great monarch.Davis hated working with Errol Flynn since doing The Sisters with him a year earlier.
Cecil's greatest contribution to English history was to come two years later when Elizabeth died, it's due to him that there was an orderly transition from the House of Tudor to the House of Stuart.My favorite performance in this film is that of Alan Hale as Hugh O'Neill, the Earl of Tyrone who led the Irish rebellion against the English at that time.
In the end Bacon gives up on Essex and just switches sides, lest he be brought down with him.So what we have here is Bette Davis giving a great performance with a leading man she detested and Flynn trying desperately to breathe life and heroism into a character who wasn't terribly heroic.
Watching the newly restored DVD version of THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX gives this viewer a new appreciation of the lavish attention to detail in sets, costumes--and even the performances surrounding BETTE DAVIS in her showcase role as the Queen who is unwilling to let the ambitious Earl of Essex share her throne.
And yet, despite all the rich atmosphere of court settings, the performances stand out as uniquely individual characterizations, thanks to Michael Curtiz's firm direction.ERROL FLYNN, despite a few weaker scenes in the film's final moments, does a sterling job as Essex, matching Davis' fiery temperament with a strong display of courage, cunning and nobility as Essex.OLIVIA de HAVILLAND, while demoted to a supporting role by Jack Warner (who never forgave her for outwitting him in her move to play a loan-out role as Melanie in GWTW), is breathtakingly gorgeous and shows that beneath that demure surface lurked an actress with sparks of her own to share with Davis.The glittering supporting cast includes such stalwarts as Vincent Price (handsomely attired as Sir Walter Raleigh), Henry Stephenson, Donald Crisp--and in an uncredited role as a member of the Queen's guard, John Sutton.
Notable in a small but effective scene is Nanette Fabray, at the very start of her career on screen.Not historically accurate as far as Maxwell Anderson's legend goes (there was no romance between Elizabeth and Essex), but this is a fascinating version of his stage play, "Elizabeth the Queen".Alan Hale does a superb job in a brief role as Tyrone (with Irish accent), cast as Errol's foe for a change.
But all in all, it captures the court intrigue and sympathetically reveals the demands that a Queen must face when her throne is challenged by men just as ambitious (and ruthless) as she is to rule.Director Michael Curtiz keeps things visually stirring throughout, as is his customary practice.A final note: It cannot be emphasized enough that the new DVD version brings out all of the detailed splendor of sets, costumes and photography and makes it all the more compelling to watch.
Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson, Nanette Fabray and Herny Daniell, among others, support the two stars well.Ultimately this was one of the best films Bette Davis graced with her appearance.
Her Elizabeth was so unlike what I've come to expect from Davis that it was like seeing her for the first time.Flynn, of course, is Flynn, and I refuse to say anything bad about a guy as handsome as him that wears thigh-high boots throughout the movie.I thought the script was intelligent, the dialogue realistic, and the pacing pretty good.
Errol Flynn isn't as bad in his playing of Essex as many are led to believe, certainly, he didn't equal Davis as a thespian, but he lends the film his energy, looks and finesse.
That and his stiff characterizations are major roadblocks to enjoying his work.But he was flying high in 1939, when Warner Brothers purchased the film rights for ELIZABETH THE QUEEN for Bette Davis at Davis' urging.
While Flynn's performance isn't bad it looks positively bland when compared to Bette Davis's superlative performance as the ageing Queen Elizabeth I.
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex has the setting and some of the style of an Errol Flynn swashbuckler, but really it has more in common with Curtiz's later classic Casablanca  a bittersweet romance concerning the conflict between love and duty.Curtiz and his screenwriters actually throw us a fair few red herrings at the start of the picture.
De Havilland was being given a warning by Warner Brothers (no pun intended) after being loaned out to the Selznick studio for Gone With The Wind, and her appearance here was only in a supporting role.The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex is a rather unique love story.
It's not as moving as Casablanca, and those looking for Errol Flynn swashbuckling excitement will be disappointed, but it's well worth watching for Bette Davis' acting talent and Michael Curtiz's lavish Technicolor wizardry..
Intense performances by the principle players highlight this historical movie focusing on the affair between an aging Elizabeth I and a young,arrogant and shallow nobleman, Essex.Shot in early Technicolor, the movie is lovely to look at and Korngold's lush score softens the impression that this is quite a talky piece.
It is fairly obvious from the start that Bette Davis did not want Errol Flynn as her partner/lover in this movie, and it is just as obvious that Jack Warner punished Olivia de Havilland for doing "Gone With the Wind" by giving her what is really a minor role here.
The supporting cast is chock FULL of other recognizable and delightful actors - with Olivia de Havilland adding some lustful looks.Suspend the questions about how the characters' motivations could possibly happen; and, how events like Flynn's army becoming powerless in an instant could possible occur - this is a film for appreciators of director Michael Curtiz' cast.
******** The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (9/27/39) Michael Curtiz ~ Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland.
I have little interest in old-time stars like Bette Davis and Errol Flynn.
Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, The (1939) *** 1/2 (out of 4) An elderly Queen Elizabeth (Bette Davis) and the younger Essex (Errol Flynn) battle their hatred through their wild passion for one another in this historical drama, while not accurate, still manages to hit all the right marks.
Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Vincent Price, Alan Hale and Henry Daniell all deliver wonderful performances but even they look poor next to Davis who is absolutely remarkable.
Featuring sumptuous color cinematography and production design, the film is headlined by a grand, deliciously brittle Bette Davis performance as hot-tempered Queen Elizabeth I, presiding over England in 1596 and battling with sometime-lover Lord Essex (Errol Flynn) during England's war with Spain.
Warner Brothers went all out on this opulent production of "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex," a 1939 film starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Nanette Fabray, Alan Hale, Vincent Price, and Henry Daniell.
The film is the story of the volatile love affair between Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex and how court politics and ambition thwarted it.Other reviewers have talked about the behind the scenes aspects.
It probably was a role she felt close to - she was not considered any great beauty by Hollywood standards, and like many celebrities, she walked the line between her personal and professional life and it often zig-zagged.One can certainly see how Elizabeth would have been in love with the Essex of Errol Flynn.
The rest of the cast is top-notch, with veterans like Crisp, Daniell, Price and Hale."The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" is a gorgeous film to look at.
It's a good movie - but I would like to see a film of Davis, Flynn, Jack Warner and director Curtiz when they thought the cameras weren't rolling..
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.
There was a lot of tension between Flynn and Davis on the set and this translates well in the film, bringing an electric air between the Queen and Essex.This role took a lot of guts to play.
A love story really, between two "heavyweights": Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) and the Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn).
Olivia de Havilland plays a lady in Elizabeth's court who adores Essex, even after she discovers that his love is for the Queen only, though she's unknowingly used by Daniell's character against him.
In a year that arguably saw Hollywood at its zenith came this opulent Technicolor re-staging of the antagonistic love affair between an aging Queen Elizabeth I and the dashing young Lord of Essex.
It may be more hokum than history, but underneath all the studio pageantry is a compelling drama of power and pride, with a tense, meticulous performance by Bette Davis as the bitter, lonely queen, whose first loyalty, even in love, was to her throne.
Under Michael Curtiz's direction (still before his world fame with CASABLANCA), a solid period drama evokes where necessities of filmmaking transcend those of historical accuracy.Treated solely as a screen achievement and no basis for any history analysis, the film's greatest strengths lie in ACTING, MUSIC SCORE and VISUALS.ACTING: BETTE DAVIS: The dramatic resonance of the story is not achieved so well thanks to its source (a stage play by Maxwell Anderson) but, above all, thanks to the acting of great caliber by Bette Davis and her difficult (not to say doomed) collaboration with her male co-star.
But this did not stop Bette Davis to portray a neurotic character in an excellent way.ERROL FLYNN: Because of the requirements of the drama and the inevitable focus on the queen, Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex becomes a 'playboy' of the story who does not fully restrain the temptation of 'counting too much on queen's loves' (with reference to Lord Bacon's advice).
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.
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.
The film was made in color (a rarity at that time), starred two of the studios biggest stars (Bette Davis and Errol Flynn), had an excellent supporting cast (including Henry Danielle, Vincent Price, Olivia DeHavilland and Donald Crisp) and was directed by the great Michael Curtiz.
Flynn's character is a lot like the one in THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX except he's given much more to do and doesn't seem so whiny.Given the overall quality of the production, the film still earns a 6--but with all these ingredients is should have been much, much better..
However, this is the only one with Errol Flynn, which depending on one's point of view makes it either worth seeing or worth staying away from.Mostly, Miss Davis' costar is a capable actor, and anyone who may have doubts about that should look no further than his death scene as the Earl of Essex.
Perhaps it is because the two lead actors do not exactly register the sort of romantic chemistry this story requires.Olivia De Havilland, usually cast as Mr. Flynn's love interest in the studio's other costume dramas, is given the supporting part of Lady Penelope Gray.
His co-star Bette Davis wanted Laurence Olivier in the role, but she was overruled by the studio, Warner Brothers, and possibly also by director Michael Curtiz, who had made several earlier films with Flynn.
In 1939 she was 31 (only one year older than Flynn); at the time of Essex's death in 1601 Queen Elizabeth was 68 and, try as she might, Davis was not yet ready to play a woman in her late sixties.
"The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" has some good points; it is visually attractive and there is an excellent orchestral score by Erich Korngold, if not quite as famous as the one he was later to write for another Flynn film, "The Sea Hawk".
"Queen" Bette Davis In A Great Film.
The Private Lives Of Elizabeth And Essex (1939): Starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia De Havilland, Donald Crisp, Vincent Price, Alan Hale, Leo G.
Stanford Jolley....Director Michael Curtiz, Screenplay Norman Reilly Raine and Aeneas MacKenzie, Based On The Play "Elizabeth The Queen" by Maxwell Anderson."There is another love, greater than the one I have for you- England".......From 1939, a big year for the movies, "The Private Lives of Elizabeth And Essex", directed by Michael Curtiz, was another successful film for Warner Bros.
Flynn and Davis were essentially the Queen Elizabeth and Earl of Essex of Hollywood and therefore they actually did butt heads and quarrel on the set of this film.
Bette Davis gives a herky-jerky performance as the 66 year old Queen Elizabeth, madly and passionately in love with the much younger Essex (Errol Flynn).
The film charts a tumultuous affair between Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) and the ravenous fortune hunter turned lover - who might be King - Robert Devereux (Errol Flynn), the Earl of Essex.
In the final analysis, "The Private Lives of Elizabeth & Essex" is much more of a Bette Davis flick than an Errol Flynn swashbuckler  though he's given ample purpose to don tights and do battle for the sake of queen and country.
Errol Flynn and Bette Davis put on great performances as Robert Devereaux (the Earl of Essex) and Queen Elizabeth I in this story of sixteenth century love and court intrigue.The essence of the historical era is well captured.
Bette Davis is Elizabeth I, desperately in love with the dashing younger Lord Essex, Errol Flynn, who loves her deeply in return but whose character is tainted with ambition to share the throne.
Bette is mesmerizing as she is playing Elizabeth when she was later in her reign, near the age of 60 (though Ms Davis was only 30 yrs old when she played this role) & was hopelessly in love with Lord Essex, played quite wonderfully by the gorgeous Errol Flynn.
Only in her 30's when she played the part, Davis became Queen Elizabeth, just as other actresses as worthy as her have done two or more times.
is how Errol Flynn indicts Bette "WHATEVER HAPPENED TO BABY JANE?" Davis when she refuses to abdicate as Queen of Tinsel Town toward the end of THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX.
Bette Davis plays Queen Elizabeth I.
They are so melancholy and over done.Bette Davis, looking ever so lovely as the Queen, never even starts to perform like she did in so many other films.
The movie stars Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth in one the best performances of her career and Errol Flynn in his best work in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" in the previous year.