The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) is a romantic drama film based on the relationship between Queen Elizabeth I, portrayed by Bette Davis, and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, played by Errol Flynn. The film was directed by Michael Curtiz, and was based on the Maxwell Anderson play, Elizabeth the Queen, which had been successful on Broadway with Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt in the lead roles. The supporting cast included Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Henry Daniell, Henry Stephenson, and Vincent Price. The score was composed by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, who later used a theme from the film in his Symphony in F sharp major. The Technicolor cinematography was by Sol Polito, and the elaborate costumes was designed by Orry-Kelly.

The film was produced by Warner Brothers, which ensured the best of production values, and allowed the additional expense of filming in Technicolor. The film became the hit the studio had anticipated and returned a handsome profit.

Among the film's five Academy Award nominations was a nomination for Best Color Cinematography. Bette Davis was tipped to receive an Academy Award nomination for her role; however, she was nominated in that year for Dark Victory (also from Warners) instead.

Cast

 * Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth
 * Errol Flynn as Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
 * Olivia de Havilland as Lady Penelope Gray
 * Donald Crisp as Francis Bacon
 * Alan Hale, Sr. as Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
 * Henry Daniell as Sir Robert Cecil
 * Vincent Price as Sir Walter Raleigh
 * Henry Stephenson as Lord Burghley
 * James Stephenson as Sir Thomas Egerton
 * Nanette Fabray as Mistress Margaret Radcliffe (as Nanette Fabares)
 * Ralph Forbes as Lord Knollys
 * Robert Warwick as Lord Mountjoy
 * Leo G. Carroll as Sir Edward Coke