Film of the Week: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, 1939

Big things were happening in 1939. A couple of little films called The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind were putting Technicolor to good use. Meanwhile, Warner Brothers was putting Bette Davis to good use as well. She made four films in 1939: Dark Victory, Juarez, The Old Maid, and The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. The last film, shot in brilliant Technicolor, was meant to be an epic, historical production that would rival Gone with the Wind. It didn’t exactly rival the Civil War masterpiece, but it stands up as a fine film in its own right.

Michael Curtiz directed the film which was based on the successful Broadway Lunt and Fontanne production by Maxwell Anderson. With glorious costumes by Orry-Kelly, a majestic score by Erich Korngold and a supporting cast which included Olivia de Havilland (as Lady Penelope Gray), Donald Crisp (as Francis Bacon. I’m always tickled that Crisp = Bacon), Vincent Price (as Sir Walter Raleigh), Leo G. Carroll, Alan Hale, Sr., Henry Stephenson, James Stephenson and Nanette Fabray. Davis was looking forward to the role. She enjoyed parts wherein she didn’t have to be glamorous, and relished the opportunity to slather her face with white make-up and really, truly play a character. To prepare for the part, she even shaved her hairline to approximate the documented look of Queen Elizabeth I.

With all that going for it, you’d think Davis would have been thrilled with the experience of shooting this exciting film. There was, however, one little problem with The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. First of all, there was “Essex.” Davis wanted Laurence Olivier to play the dashing Essex. But, Warners thought that he wasn’t big enough box office and since Errol Flynn was at the top of his career, he was cast alongside Bette. Then there was a little scuffle with who would get top billing and a debate about the title of the film. However, despite all of the backstage drama, the result is a gorgeous retelling of the history of the early reign of Elizabeth I of England.

It’s not my favorite Bette Davis film. I personally don’t care much for Flynn and find him to be a little wooden and daffy compared to the other actors in the film. But, it’s an important part of Davis’ filmography and a great example of the quality cinema that came from 1939.