Kirpianuscus it is its basic virtue. the fascination to the performance of Bette Davis, giving the splendid portrait of the Queen. Errol Flyn who is the perfect choice for a role who seems reflecting himself in high measure. the atmosphere. and the refined simplicity of a story who becomes, scene by scene, not only familiar but touching. a film about duty and love , in which the mannerism of a great actress and the experience in the performances of romantic heroes of Flynn are the best pillars for support a film who, for long time after its end, remains one of the precious memories for the viewer.

Marcin Kukuczka Taking into account various period dramas of the 1930s and their 'interpretations' of history, PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX appears to be unique at various levels. In that 'uniqueness,' it still arouses enthusiasm in film freaks. Initially titled THE KNIGHT AND THE LADY, it features for the second time a very interesting couple: Bette Davis with Errol Flynn. The former one was already associated with some best movies of the period while the latter one was at the height of popularity thanks to the still astounding portrayal of Robin Hood. 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. As Ms Davis openly loathed Mr Flynn from the very start of the production, it seems easier to have evoked contradictory emotions in her and prompt her to deliver that jungle of mixed 'make-me-love-hate-you before the camera. She both loves him and curses him, she seems to be perfectly appealing in her policy of ruling while alone and, at the same time, appears to be totally unable to exist without him. At times concentrated on the country, on England whom she calls in a purely patriotic line at the finale 'the most enduring love' of hers but, at other moments, solely focused on herself and the 'bitter aging mask' that makes her break all the mirrors in fury of not standing the sight of herself. Here, Bette Davis delivers an excellent contrast between and within a woman and a queen, the torments that truly gain sovereign control over her. That certainly affects the storytelling and a viewer. But in all that, Ms Davis manages to dominate our attention. The portrayal of the queen goes with her policy of peace which relies heavily on some other Hollywood productions of the time, including Garbo's 'interpretation' of the Swedish queen. Some lines about the nonsense of wars simply echo those ones in the 1933 MGM production (a note: Sir Laurence Olivier was going to be cast in both films....but...his leading ladies differed in the attitudes: Garbo appeared too cold in his arms while Bette Davis appeared too much after him...producers barely obeyed leading ladies' wishes). 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). He is hard to be tarnished by his enemies but someone who may easily eclipse the queen's popularity. In one lucid moment, he comes back triumphant from Cadiz and appears to be struck by the jungle of lies and deceit that he finds on the court. Foremost, however, he beautifully delivers torments at the queen's reaction who, actually, does not know if she hates him for making her love him or herself for needing him so much. His gentle, rather extremely subtle performance, though, does not remain 'eclipsed' by Ms Davis's totally but has its moments particularly worth attention.SUPPORTING CAST: In the role of Penelope, at the release of the film, OLIVIA DE HAVILLAND is another member of the cast who was widely popular among the audiences thanks to the fresh memory of GONE WITH THE WIND. In this rather genuine role of a queen's lady in waiting, she puts some feelings and heart to the harsh rules of the court, to the maliciousness of men in conspiracy and toughness of leaders. Above all, however, let me echo once again the aforementioned movie about Queen Christina. Doesn't the queen kissing Penelope on the lips make you think of Christina kissing Ebba? A very thought provoking parallel... Anyway, one among the supporting performers and the newcomers at the time is VINCENT PRICE in a very interesting and (unfortunately) hardly developed role of Walter Raleigh. He portrays an interesting and sophisticated character in some absorbing moments. Highly worth mentioning.MUSIC SCORE: Much of the dramatic touch of the movie is achieved thanks to Erich Korngold's score. It memorably reveals its triumphant moments, its romantic tunes and, in the most magnetizing way, the haunting flair to all. This beautifully corresponds to the emotions of the characters, to the changeable moods, to some bitter conclusions at the finale.VISUAL SPLENDOUR: Seemingly something we take for granted especially in the movies of that genre, camera-work, costumes, lights and shadows work perfectly in this film. Just a brief mention of the atmosphere of doom that is memorably prompted and evoked when drama reaches its crescendo should exemplify the enormous contribution of that aspect within the general mood of the film.Not for any greater glory of history on screen, but, undeniably, one of the most entertaining period pieces you may ever see. Despite the fact you may forget most of it after some time, it is really hard to skip in memory certain moments delivered by Bette Davis. A gem!

evanston_dad A talky and rather dramatically inert period drama starring Bette Davis and Errol Flynn.The sparks are apparently supposed to fly between these two big-time stars, but they instead only intermittently flicker. Davis gives a one-note performance as the woman who struggles between her duties as a queen and her love for her man -- she was such a contemporary actress that it's a shame to see her stifled behind period garb and mannerisms. Flynn is appropriately dashing as the man who loses his head over his queen, but there's not much to his role. The film was based on a stage play and it shows; the usually reliable director Michael Curtiz couldn't seem to find a way to rid the story of its staginess.The Technicolor looks great though, and fans of production and costume design may want to check the film out for those aspects alone.Grade: B-

Michael_Elliott 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. Once again it's director Michael Curtiz pulling all the strings and getting every right. 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. I just love the way Davis is constantly fidgeting around during every scene. You can just look at her and see a tormented woman burned by her love for this younger man. The scene that starts off with her playing chess to having all the mirrors removed is among the greatest work I've seen from any actress in any film. The love story is beautifully told and is quite touching especially the ending, which is pulled together very nicely. Also, is it just me or at the start of the film when Davis slaps Flynn, did it strike anyone else that Flynn really wanted to knock the hell out of her?