Product Details

• Actors: Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Mel Blanc, Rudy Behlmer, Nanette Fabray
• Directors: Chuck Jones, Michael Curtiz
• Writers: Dave Monahan, Maxwell Anderson, Norman Reilly Raine, Richard Hogan, Robert Givens
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Language: French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono)
• Subtitles: English, Spanish, French
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Warner Home Video
• DVD Release Date: April 19, 2005
• Run Time: 106 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0007OY2O4
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,377 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #13 in	Movies & TV > Action & Adventure > Action Stars > Errol Flynn
  #30 in	Movies & TV > Classics > Classic Stars > Davis, Bette

• For more information about "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Bette Davis and Errol Flynn made The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex fascinatingly public striking sparks in this lavish Technicolor tale of the ill-fated love between the aging Elizabeth I and the dashing Earl of Essex. Thoroughly unglamorous here - eyes and hairline shaved face painted chalky white - double Academy AwardO winner* Davis exudes such intelligence energy and ardor that her romance with the decades-younger Essex (Flynn at the peak of his remarkable good looks and athletic verve) is completely believable. Based on Maxwell Anderson's play Elizabeth the Queen and directed by Michael Curtiz this nominee for five OscarsO** takes liberties with historical accuracy but none with dramatic impact. Long may these tempestuous titled lovers reign!Running Time: 106 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: TELEVISION/CLASSIC UPC: 012569522824

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elizabeth and Essex A Beautiful Love Story, December 17, 2005

By	Chris "Chris" (Leeds, Utah United States) - See all my reviews

This is a glorious film produced by Warner Brothers in 1938, filled with fantastic scenes, wardrobe, and a beautiful love story highly suggested as all. Bette Davis and Errol Flynn shine together in this film.

"A brilliant historical drama of the war between passion and power."

Bette Davis and Errol Flynn made The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex fascinatingly public, striking sparks in this lavish Techincolor tale of the ill-fated love between the aging Elizabeth I and the dashing Earl of Essex. Thoroughly unglamorous here - eyes and hairline shaved, pace fainted chalky white - double Academy Award winner* Davis exudes such intelligence, energy and ardor that her romance with the decades-younger Essex (Flynn at the peak of his remarkable good looks and athletic verve) is completely believable. Based on Maxwell Anderson's play Elizabeth the Queen and directed by Micharl Curtiz, this nominee for five Oscars takes liberties with historical accuracy, but none with dramatic impact. Long may these tempestuous, titled lovers reign!

This dvd also has some brilliant special features including:

:Leonard Maltin Hosts Warner Night at the movies 1939:
:Newsreel:
:Musical Short The Royal Rodeo:
:Cartoon Old Glory:
:Theatrical Trailers:
:New Featurette Elizabeth and Essex Royal Battle:

This is a great movie for all.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great historical drama and off-the-beaten track special features, July 16, 2007

By	Joseph P. Menta, Jr. (Philadelphia, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This historical epic is definitely Hollywood-ized, but Hollywood-ized in the best sense: there are lavish sets, rich technicolor costumes, big dramatic situations, and biting dialogue. And it's definitely intelligent Hollywood-ization, too, as I'm betting there's enough truth here about the real-life situation between Elizabeth I and Lord Essex to give one at least a rudimentary grounding in that situation. And a painless grounding it is: just sit back and enjoy the verbal jousting and inflamed passions between Bette Davis and Errol Flynn. History was never so entertaining.

An overall wonderful print (only occasionally marred by a blurry, misaligned technicolor shot) is accompanied by some interesting special features. The oddest one is a short subject about a little kid who runs a kingdom about to be overthrown, until a Wild West show comes to town to save the day. There's also a rare serious-in-tone Warner Brothers cartoon from 1938 or so, depicting Porky Pig learning to appreciate our nation's history and what the words behind the "Pledge of Allegiance" mean. Interestingly, the words "under God" don't appear in Porky's (or Warner Brothers') version of the circa-1938 pledge. So, the belief in a separation between church and state DIDN'T start with modern-day "lefties"? Funny what you can learn from an old cartoon... talk about "out of the mouths of babes".

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, September 3, 2007

By	Louis D. Spadaro "Jack Twist" (Alabama, U S A) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As before, There is no one like Bette Davis, and this movie proves it. No other women in Hollywood at the time of the making of this picture would have gone out on the limb that Miss Davis did - That is why this picture is so good. Errol Flynn, always a feast to look at, is extremely up to the task of going toe to toe with Bette Davis as Queen Elizabeth I, Mr. Flynn, possibly was better than even he thought he could be - and this movie proves it -