DVD Review: Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
Welcome back! As promised, I viewed and will now review " The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex " ( Bette Davis , Errol Flynn ). Just to let you know, my DVD reviews will be short and sweet - I won't bore you with long winded reviews unless the film (or DVD features) really really impresses me! Bette Davis stars as Queen Elizabeth (the virgin queen) and Errol Flynn is her love interest Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. When the film opens, the Earl is returning to England in triumph over the Spanish at Cadiz. There's only one problem - he never brought back the spoils of war (gold) that England so desperately needed. This sets off a battle royale between the two. Elizabeth sends Essex off to Ireland to defeat the rebellious natives there but comes home defeated himself. In the end, Essex is beheaded - and Elizabeth remains a virgin. This film was originally released in 1939 - and only shows its age in terms of sets (fairly bland for a period piece) - the acting is st...