It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

Copyright 11 November 1939 by Warner Brothers Pictures, Inc. New York opening at the Strand, 1 December 1939. U.S. release: 28 August 1939. Australian release: 4 January 1940. 9,574 feet. 12 reels. 106 minutes. (Available on an excellent Warner DVD). U.S. television title: Elizabeth the Queen.SYNOPSIS: Intrigue and romance at the court of Elizabeth I.NOTES: Nominated for five prestigious Hollywood awards: Color Cinematography (lost to Gone With The Wind); Art Direction (lost to Gone With The Wind); Sound Recording (lost to When Tomorrow Comes); Music Score (lost to Stagecoach); Special Effects (lost to The Rains Came).Maxwell Anderson's play opened on Broadway at the Guild Theater on 3 November 1930, running for 145 performances. A respectable run, certainly, but one that must have been more than a little disappointing to Anderson and his backers after the play's sensational opening night when it received the most thundering ovation in the entire history of the American theater.Unfortunately, accolades from critics and first-nighters are not always a guarantee of a play's appeal to a wider public. And the Great Depression did not help. Philip Moeller directed Alfred Lunt and Lynne Fontanne, who repeat their roles here in the opening scene of their only film together, The Guardsman (1931). COMMENT: A triumph. Forget the nagging critics and all the historical commentators who claim that Flynn was outclassed by Davis. He is in fact perfectly cast. True, there may have been the usual off-camera spats, and Davis certainly did hanker for Laurence Olivier as her co-star; but on screen the two players strike fire.Davis rivets the attention with her make-up and powerful delivery, but Flynn handles himself not only with his usual dash and panache, but he fills in so many character details of the ambivalent Essex as to bring the character to vibrant life. It is the support players who have less luck with their roles. Aside from Donald Crisp who makes the most of some splendid opportunities as Master Bacon, the other players have at most only two scenes each in which to make any sort of impression. Of course Alan Hale comes across strongly in just one scene, but Vincent Price never really gets going, and people like James Stephenson and Leo G. Carroll mill around constantly in the background and really get no innings at all. Of course it would be hard to put down the constantly purring Henry Daniell, while James Stephenson is courteously two-faced to a nice degree, but Olivia de Havilland, after making merry with a taunting song, muffs her second scene in which she tries to explain why she intercepted the queen's letters. Nanette Fabray, however, has an unforgettable moment when she pleads with Elizabeth to recall her knight from Ireland.Curtiz has a grand time, tracking his camera through the richly appointed sets and throwing characteristic silhouettes on the massive walls. The scenes of action and pageantry are further reinforced by Korngold's marvelously heraldic score. Technicolor captures the vivid hues of the period costumes as perfectly as the overpoweringly simple grandeur of the palace and tower architecture. An enthralling story, superlatively told.

"The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" is one of the best movies that Michael Curtiz ever directed along with "Casablanca" (1942), "The Adventures of Robin Hood" (1938),"Angels with Dirty Faces (1938),and "Yankee Doodle Dandy" (1942) as well as being one of the best historical epics that I have seen in a long time. The movie tells the tale of the at best rocky relationship of Queen Elizabeth I and Earl of Essex. The movie stars Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth in one the best performances of her career and Errol Flynn in his best work in "The Adventures of Robin Hood" in the previous year. The movie also has a brilliant supporting cast such as Vincent Price, Olivia de Havilland, and Donald Crisp. Curtiz really knew how to direct an effective period film as well as a good action picture even though this isn't the best movie he ever directed but it sure is one of them. Also the acting, set design, and the costumes are totally true to the period. One of the most effective scenes of the movie is when the Queen bans Essex from ever coming to her kingdom for his brash attitude, and within minutes ends up regretting her decision, and allows him to come back once Lady Penelope Gray (Olivia de Havilland) convinces her to let him come back to the kingdom. Curtiz has been known to clash with his actors for his movies to the point where he threatened to fire Errol Flynn because of his alcohol problems even though his directing skills were very good and he chose very good material to make into a motion picture. This is one of 1939's best films

Lush costumer from Warner Bros. gives Bette Davis a chance to shine in one of her best roles as Queen Elizabeth I. The movie primarily focuses on the love-hate relationship between Elizabeth and Robert Devereux, the Earl of Essex. Devereux is played by Errol Flynn. While Davis was praised by critics at the time, Flynn was criticized for his performance. I think he does a fine job here, as he almost always did. Despite reports the two stars did not get along on set, they have a nice chemistry on screen. The excellent supporting cast includes Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Vincent Price, Alan Hale, Henry Daniell, and many other memorable actors. Directed by Michael Curtiz with a wonderful Erich Wolfgang Korngold score. It's a period drama, considered a "woman's picture" by many. Whatever you call it, it's a prime example of Old Hollywood filmmaking that should please most classic film fans. Historical accuracy nitpickers might not like it so much.

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?