I realize it hadn't been long since the last movie I saw to include heavy focus on a British royal -- indeed, Queen Elizabeth I in particular. But this one is 32 years older, so I figured it would feel rather different.
Robert Deveraux, 2nd Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn), has had a victory in the Anglo-Spanish War, but not enough to satisfy Her Majesty (Bette Davis). Insulted and sensing support only from Sir Francis Bacon (Donald Crisp), he leaves the court and doesn't return until ordered back for more military expertise in the Nine Years' War. In truth, that's largely an excuse for Elizabeth to be close to the man she craves. But Sir Robert Cecil (Henry Daniell), Sir Walter Raleigh (Vincent Price), and Lord Burghley (Henry Stephenson) see an opportunity to get him out of the way of her favor once again.
Oh yes, Essex is a "favourite," at least in theory. The thing is, he and Elizabeth run hot and cold in about equal measure. (Davis and Flynn mostly ran cold in RL.) It half-reminds me of The Lion in Winter, only with wilder mood swings. Sometimes they're optimistic for reconciliation, but you don't have to know much about "the Virgin Queen" to surmise that they won't live happily together for long.
The main obstacle: his ambition. Essex clearly wants to be king, whether by marriage or usurpation, and in the event of the former, he's liable to reduce Elizabeth to a figurehead, being sexist enough to deny that a "king in petticoats" can rule well. He enjoys more popularity with the common folk than she does, but what do they know of his political savvy? And how much can anyone believe his repeated claims of love for Elizabeth when he'd do her wrong in a heartbeat?
I can't say I relate to a guy like that, but I do have some sympathy for him based on the unfair treatment he receives. I also have some for Elizabeth, who, for all her periodic nastiness, is terribly insecure. She can hardly trust a soul anymore, and age has taken enough of a toll on her beauty that she's jealous of younger women, especially Lady Penelope Gray (Olivia de Havilland), who wants Essex as well.
Given the complete lack of affection evident in the titular duo's first scene, I'm left to wonder what their prior history was like. While Davis and Flynn are almost the same age, Essex is about 32 years younger than Elizabeth. That and the power differential should make starting an intimate relationship inevitably awkward, even if she puts up with a lot of insubordination from him. Oh, and they're cousins twice removed.
Well, it turns out that history provides no evidence that they ever fell in love, and their real behavior was easier to make sense of. Maxwell Anderson made up a lot for the play on which this picture is based, Elizabeth the Queen. Only later did I understand that the play and screenplay are in blank verse.
Davis, despite feeling miscast, acts well enough that many expected her to get an Oscar nod; instead, she got it for Dark Victory that year. I'm undecided on which role is more deserving. As for Flynn, if you want to see him in action, this isn't the right choice: The one battle scene doesn't really make use of him and is rather lacking in excitement. At least his emotion is never worse than adequate, and Davis reevaluated his ability on the positive side.
I'm not sure how to rank TPLoEaE with regard to similar films, including the one that inspired its title, The Private Life of Henry VIII. Let's just say it's generally good but unlikely to be, y'know, a favourite.
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