inspectors71 The movie is 60 years old, made in the Land of Vanilla, the 1950s. And yet, there's a baby percolating in Joan Collins, I think I heard the word "slut" used, and damned if Bette Davis, as Elizabeth Tudor (with a hard-top) literally walks around as if she has a pair of big brass ones. I thought The Virgin Queen was going to be a cheesy costume drama. I was only partially right.Having enjoyed 1998's Elizabeth, I was looking for something that would add levels to the first Queen E. I got it. She was teetering on nuts (not the brass ones) in this flick. The smart part of her kept grabbing the wheel of state away from the crazy/isolated/monarch-with-a-vengeance part. I have never understood the cult of Bette Davis (I mean . . . yech), but I accepted Davis as this monarch. I think what made Davis work as Elizabeth was that she seemed to be having a whole lot of fun straddling that fence between crazy woman and uber-leader.The rest of the flick is so much Hollywood clanking of swords and clawing of eyes. I liked listening to Richard Todd (cool voice) as he pitches a golden dream to Liz. He was such a nothing--I kept thinking of all the other actors who could have been Sir Walter Raleigh--but I stuck with him. Things actually got interesting when he would mouth off at Davis, chewing her out, banishing her from his prison cell. If Davis wasn't your typical 1950s monarch, Todd wasn't going to fit the chivalrous mold either, and that helped this flick a lot.Which leaves us to Joan Collins. I liked her best when she was popping off to Todd, making him want her more. As one of Bette's ladies in waiting, she got to stand around looking pretty, call Todd a lap dog, and get into a lip lock with him in his apartment that led to a nice, long fade out and in. And you knew, you just had to know that Sir Walter, well, ahem.Wouldn't you? Joan, in her 20s, was smokin'! But how do you get by the Production Code with that long fade and the cuddly gazing out the window afterward?I can just see the young un's chortling in he theatre, and the grumps thinking, "Oh, my goodness! They seemed to have had relations. Herbert, we must go. This is smut!"I'm rambling. I liked The Virgin Queen, even if so much of it was pedestrian. I gained a little tolerance of Bette Davis. I still don't know why Richard Todd was a star (other than the salesman voice). Joan Collins was lovely, and I think her beauty peeked when she played Edith Keeler in an episode of Star Trek. After that, I think she started on her long string of bitchy cartoon characters.I never once felt much suspense. The costumes were cool, but the sets looked TVish. What made the movie work was the pushback against the man, censorship-wise.I still liked Kate Blanchett better.

edwagreen As always, Bette Davis gives it her all with her outbursts and moments of compassion. Unfortunately, the writing of the film leaves a lot to be desired. It basically deals with Sir Walter Raleigh getting on the good side of Davis's Elizabeth so as to get ships and money to go out to the new world. The film is basically confined to the queen's palace and there is also so much history out there which is conveniently ignored. Spain and France are mentioned as a matter of fact.Sometimes Davis sounded even comical with a voice comparable to Apple Annie (Pocketful of Miracles-1961) and Baby Jane, the great Davis thriller of 1962. These combined with a British accent are entertaining to say the least. Davis, as always, has that commanding presence. Unfortunately, the film did not. There is a good performance by Joan Collins, a lady-in-waiting who weds Raleigh, earnestly played by Richard Todd. Note Herbert Marshall in an obscure role as an Earl who introduces Raleigh to the queen. How grand Marshall and Davis were in 1941's "The Little Foxes."

Nazi_Fighter_David On his return to England in 1581, after fighting honorably and victoriously in the Irish War, Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd) makes his way to Lord Leicester (Herbert Marshall), a confidant of Queen Elizabeth (Bette Davis). Lord Leicester is so impressed with his good looking and self-confidence, that he arranges for him an introduction at Court… Raleigh, hoping to gain the queen's attention so he can interest her in sponsoring his ambition to sail to the New World and return with great loots, orders a costly blue cape he cannot afford…By laying it over a mud puddle in her path as she crosses the palace courtyard, Raleigh got what he deeply desires… Formerly presented to her and openly inspired with a foolish and excessive passion, Queen Elizabeth appoints him as Captain of the Guard against the advice of Chadwick (Jay Robinson), a counselor whose dislike of Raleigh is unrestricted… Once in the Palace, and close to the queen, Raleigh falls in love with one of her beautiful attendants, Beth Throgmorton (Joan Collins), who feels she is competing with the queen for Raleigh's kindness… In a position to have entire faith in the queen, Raleigh tells her of his hope of being sent to the New World to seek fortunes… Indulgent at first, Elizabeth finally considers his offer and promises him one ship for his expedition… On the eve of his departure, Elizabeth knights Raleigh in her bed-chamber ignoring that, while awaiting her decision, he has married Beth in a secret ceremony… It all makes for a pretty interesting historical motion picture not to be missed

niblungen Bette Davis is probably one of the greatest actresses of all time, and it is really outstanding that a Massachusetts lady can break all cultural barriers and incarnate an English Queen to such a degree of perfection. I really enjoyed her performance.The rest of the cast is just acceptable. Richard Todd is handsome and the young Joan Collins is beatiful to watch. The costumes and settings are carefully reproduced, and Koster's direction is profesional. The dialogues are wonderfully written, though the story is not quite historically accurate.By the way, the European VHS edition is simply disgusting: the film is cut to fit the normal TV screen 4:3, leaving out vital parts of it. For example, in a scene between Sir Walter Raleigh (Todd) and Bess Throckmorton (Collins), they are standing the one in front of the other at both sides of a huge paned window: the only thing you can see on screen is the window, while you hear both talking! A new DVD edition would be most welcome.