The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) | |
| Director(s) | Michael Curtiz |
| Producer(s) | Robert Lord (associate), Hal B. Wallis (executive) |
| Top Genres | Biographical, Drama, Historical, Romance |
| Top Topics | Based on Play, England, Romance (Drama), Royalty |
Featured Cast:
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Overview:
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) was a Biographical - Drama Film directed by Michael Curtiz and produced by Hal B. Wallis and Robert Lord.
Academy Awards 1939 --- Ceremony Number 12 (source: AMPAS)
| Award | Recipient | Result |
| Best Art Direction | Anton Grot | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Sol Polito, W. Howard Greene | Nominated |
| Best Music - Scoring | Erich Wolfgang Korngold | Nominated |
BlogHub Articles:
Watching 1939: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
on Apr 19, 2018 From Comet Over HollywoodIn 2011, I announced I was trying to see every film released in 1939. This new series chronicles films released in 1939 as I watch them.?As we start out this blog feature, this section may become more concrete as I search for a common thread that runs throughout each film of the year. Right now, tha... Read full article
The Essential Films of 1939: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
By Amanda Garrett on Mar 23, 2015 From Old Hollywood FilmsGood Queen Bess (Bette Davis) fall for ne'er do well Errol Flynn in The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. The Director: Michael Curtiz. The Stars: Bette Davis, Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland. Source Material: The play, Elizabeth the Queen, by Maxwell Anderson. Olivia de Havi... Read full article
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
By Beatrice on Feb 21, 2014 From Flickers in TimeThe Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex Directed by Michael Curtiz Written by Norman Reilly Raine and Aeneas MacKenzie based on the play by Maxwell Anderson 1939/USA Warner Bros. First viewing/Netflix rental The quote, picture, and clip probably say more about the quality of this fictionalized cost... Read full article
Classic Films in Focus: THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX (1939)
By Jennifer Garlen on Nov 5, 2012 From Virtual ViragoDirected by Michael Curtiz, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) offers as much Technicolor pomp and spectacle as one could hope for in a lavish Warner Brothers costume drama, as well as the stars to match. Bette Davis rules the screen as Elizabeth I, but her court boasts luminaries as di... Read full article
Classic Films in Focus: THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX (1939)
By Jennifer Garlen on Nov 5, 2012 From Virtual ViragoDirected by Michael Curtiz, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939) offers as much Technicolor pomp and spectacle as one could hope for in a lavish Warner Brothers costume drama, as well as the stars to match. Bette Davis rules the screen as Elizabeth I, but her court boasts luminaries as di... Read full article
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Quotes from
Queen Elizabeth I: And when he takes you in his arms again, thank heaven you are not a queen.
Mistress Margaret Radcliffe: But I thought to be a queen...
Queen Elizabeth I: To be a Queen is to be less than human, to put pride before desire, to search Men's hearts for tenderness, and find only ambition. To cry out in the dark for one unselfish voice, to hear only the dry rustle of papers of state. To turn to one's beloved with stars for eyes and have him see behind me only the shadow of the executioner's block. A queen has no hour for love, time presses, and events crowd upon her, and her shell, an empty glittering husk, she must give up all the a woman holds most dear.
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Facts about
Bette Davis had originally wanted Laurence Olivier for the role of Lord Essex, claiming that Errol Flynn could not speak blank verse well. She remained extremely upset about this through the entire filming, and Flynn and Davis never worked again together in a film, but according to Olivia de Havilland, she and Davis screened the film again a short while before Davis's stroke. At film's end, Davis turned to de Havilland and declared that she had been wrong about Flynn, and that he gave a fine performance as Essex.
Bette Davis (31 at the time the movie was made) was less than half the actual age of Queen Elizabeth was at the time of the events of the film. Queen Elizabeth was 63 in 1596.
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