"The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" starring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn

(this blog was begun on the night of September 23, 2019)

Tonight's movie was called "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" (1939), starring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn in the title roles, as Queen Elizabeth 1 of England and Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. I had been meaning to watch this film for quite some time, having seen parts of it over the years on TCM here at Pearl's. We have that channel running almost 24/7, but the problem for me is that I can never catch a full movie because of my job duties, so I see a lot of "minutes" of films instead of the whole thing, but the good part is that I make a mental note of many of the titles to look up later on in the library database, for watching on dvd during my time off. I first noticed "Elizabeth and Essex" a few years ago - as it is a very eye catching movie - and I did a Libe search at that time, but unbelievably they didn't have it in their holdings, which normally rival and even outdo Netflix. Every time it was on TCM, I would be reminded to check the Libe again, but they never acquired the dvd.

Finally I just said "the hell with it" and bought the movie from Amazon. As a side note, when I say that I bought it, I always mean a dvd hard copy. I am not a fan of streaming anything, shows or movies or music. I don't wanna watch or listen to anything on a computer or have anything stored in a file, except when there is no alternative. In fact, I have so many dvds that in addition to "booking" myself out of my Tiny Apartment, I am also "cd-ing" and "dvd-ing" myself out, too. Soon, my books, movies and music will have pushed me out the door and will live in the unit by themselves along with my drawings and guitars.

But yeah, I did end up purchasing the "Elizabeth and Essex" dvd, because from what I had already seen it looked amazing, and just as importantly it starred Errol Flynn, one of my favorite actors, and Bette Davis, one of the greatest actresses of all time in a major role for her.

Also, I love Technicolor costume dramas from the Middle Ages such as "Robin Hood" (also starring Flynn) and "Knights of the Round Table" and "Ivanhoe", both of which star Robert Taylor, another favorite actor of mine. "Elizabeth and Essex", however, may be the "Costumey-est" Costume Drama of them all, with Bette Davis sporting a shaved forehead to resemble the Queen's receding hairline, also covered under a thick layer of pancake makeup, and finally dressed to the nines in regal gowns of deep greens reds and blues, complete with the Elizabethan Collar named after her. She looks like a character of her own making : majestic, resplendent and tragic all in one go. In addition to the costumes, this is also one of the greatest uses of Technicolor I have ever seen. That is why the movie caught my eye so many times on TCM. Even though I was going about my work and only glancing at the screen, you can't "not see" this movie, so striking are the sets, costumes and color.

The story, as it turns out, is taken from a play that was a big hit on Broadway. The year is 1596. The Earl of Essex, who is also a General, has just returned from crushing the Spanish army at Cadiz. Queen Elizabeth is fond of Essex, perhaps even in love with him (which we know through expository dialogue), so he is expecting a hero's welcome when he enters her court. Instead, she gives him a thorough dressing down in front of his junior officers, a total humiliation for Essex. He has won a huge military victory for the Queen, but her advisers have cautioned against praising him, as his popularity already rivals hers in England, and she has always felt herself on tenuous ground as a female Head Of State. Therefore, her denunciation of Essex - which is puzzling to him at first, then maddening - is strategic. She is being disingenuous, but is doing so to protect her throne, for she knows Essex is ambitious, and to swell his head further with praise might just get him thinking about challenging her sovereignty.

Here you have the setting for all of the conflicts that play out from this starting point. After demoting Essex and replacing him as General with his rival Sir Walter Raleigh (Vincent Price), the Queen feels remorse and calls Essex back to her castle, The Palace of Whitehall. From here, the movie becomes a push-and-pull love story. At times, Queen Elizabeth allows her vulnerability to show, so desirous is she for Essex to love her. By declaring her own love for the Earl, she is hoping he will return the sentiment, and he does - repeatedly - but because of her age (she is decades older than him) she is too insecure to believe his declarations. He seems sincere, but she just can't believe him, or she cannot hold on to that belief. She alternates between total abandon to his heart and more cruel political calculation, pulling herself back from the brink of commitment to persecute him once more.

She is abetted in her campaign against Essex by one of her courtiers, a snake in the grass named Sir Robert Cecil. He is an Iago, always telling her exactly what he thinks she wants to hear while at the same time planting seeds of distrust in her mind about Essex's intentions. At one point, he enlists Lady Penelope Gray (a young and very beautiful Olivia de Havilland) in a scheme to withhold the Earl's love letters to the Queen, who then assumes that Essex is in love with Lady Penelope and is thus ignoring her.

Finally, Essex winds up in the dreaded Tower Of London, and that will be all I can tell you about this fantastic movie, at least as far as the story is concerned.

I can say, though, that Bette Davis gives an incredible performance as the Queen. She is very "Bette Davis" as always - bitchy and demanding - but she uses her amazing technique to add deep vulnerability into the mix, and you can't stop watching her during her emotional eruptions, as every nuance of feeling crosses her heavily made-up face. Davis' use of her eyes and facial muscles is really impressive, but it doesn't come across as mechanical. She really is one of the greatest actresses of all time, and in some ways maybe the most talented ever.

Errol Flynn, while not in her league, was still good enough to hold his own with many top actresses of his era, and he does so here with Davis. Flynn was more Movie Star than great thespian, but he was very good at what he did, and in my opinion never turned in anything but an excellent performance. He was a total pro in all his roles.

As already mentioned, this is one great looking movie. The Technicolor is off the charts and the cinematography by the great Sol Polito is sumptuous.

"The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" was nominated for five Academy Awards (though unthinkably not for Bette Davis!), and it gets Two Huge Thumbs Up from me. Don't miss it, especially if you love costume dramas, films about the Middle Ages, or English historical movies. ////

Well, as you can see I am finishing up this review the next day, on Tuesday Afternoon. Cue the Moody Blues! I will keep doing my goshdarndest to finish the blogs on the night I start them, but at the very least they will always be completed by the following afternoon. Now I've gotta go to the store and then to the Libe to look for more movies. See you tonight!

Tons of love as always.  xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo  :):)