Average Rating: 6.4/10
Reviews Counted: 7
Fresh: 5 | Rotten: 2
No consensus yet.
Release Date: Jan 1, 1939 Wide
liked it
Average Rating: 3.5/5
User Ratings: 2,715
It is no secret that Bette Davis and Errol Flynn were at each other's throats throughout the filming of The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex. Boiled down to essentials: Davis felt that Flynn was unprofessional, while Flynn thought that Davis took herself too damned seriously. Besides, Davis had wanted Laurence Olivier to play the Earl of Essex opposite her Queen Elizabeth I. She was forced to compromise on this point, but refused to allow Flynn proxy top billing via his suggestion that the
Unrated, 1 hr. 46 min.
Jan 1, 1939 Wide
Apr 19, 2005
All Critics (12) | Top Critics (3) | Fresh (6) | Rotten (3) | DVD (7)
The DVD provides many pleasureable moments...
It's a war of minds and wills, but where it stands is at a point where Michael Curtiz still could direct ably, but the material wouldn't give way toward something better.
This dismal bore is for Bette Davis completists only.
Davis seizes every possible opportunity to make herself into a mad spectacle.
This strange film--a romantic fable, wholly fictitious yet rooted in historically accurate minutiae--is a pleasure
A film that basically relies on exchanges of fine dialogue. The war scenes are now naturally dated and the final act is very weak, with the main characters saying one thing only to contradict themselves and keep the plot moving. Even so, it is Davis who raises this film from ordinary to enjoyable.
April 14, 2011Super Reviewer
Another average historical drama with an all star cast. Worth watching, but not always very interesting.
September 5, 2010Super Reviewer
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