Elizabeth the Queen came to bold and lusty Technicolored life in Michael Curtizâs classic
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. With Bette Davis at the zenith of her career, Errol Flynn in solid form as her leading man, and a wondrous collection of Hollywood character actors in support,
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex emerges as one of the crown jewels of that magical moviemaking year: 1939.
Returning to England after the sacking of Cadiz, Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn) expects a triumphant welcome from Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis), but heâs horrified to find that the queen is not in a welcoming mood since his burning of the Spanish fleet and leveling of the town has not resulted in the millions of Spanish ducats she had been promised if she financed his expedition. Itâs but the first in a series of slights Essex endures as Elizabeth makes crafty maneuvers so that Essexâs fame and notoriety wonât eclipse her own devotion in the hearts of her subjects. Elizabethâs court fears Essexâs growing power and bottomless ambition, and Master Secretary Robert Cecil (Henry Daniell) and Sir Walter Raleigh (Vincent Price) maneuver him into pridefully accepting an impossible task: invading Ireland and subduing the uncontrollable leader, the Earl of Tyrone (Alan Hale). With some traitorous help from the jealous and vengeful Lady Penelope Gray (Olivia de Havilland) who has always loved Essex in vain, theyâre gambling that Essex will fall victim to Tyroneâs cunning maneuvers and either be killed there or have to return to England in disgrace.