The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
1939 American historical romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, for a time also entitled Elizabeth the Queen, is a 1939 American historical romantic drama film directed by Michael Curtiz and starring Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, and Olivia de Havilland.[3][4] Based on the play Elizabeth the Queen by Maxwell Anderson—which had a successful run on Broadway with Lynn Fontanne and Alfred Lunt in the lead roles—the film fictionalizes the historical relationship between Queen Elizabeth I and Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. The screenplay was written by Norman Reilly Raine and Aeneas MacKenzie.
The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex | |
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Directed by | Michael Curtiz |
Screenplay by | |
Based on | Elizabeth the Queen 1930 play by Maxwell Anderson |
Produced by | Hal B. Wallis |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Sol Polito |
Edited by | Owen Marks |
Music by | Erich Wolfgang Korngold |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $1.07 million[1][2] |
Box office | $1.61 million[1] |
It was the fifth of nine films that Flynn and de Havilland starred in, while it was the second of his three with Davis.[5]
The supporting cast included Donald Crisp, Henry Daniell, Henry Stephenson, and Vincent Price. The score was composed by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, who later used a theme from the film in his Symphony in F sharp major. The Technicolor cinematography was by Sol Polito, and the elaborate costumes were designed by Orry-Kelly.
The film was a Warner Bros. Pictures production, and became the hit the studio had anticipated and returned a handsome profit. Among the film's five Academy Award nominations[6] was a nomination for Best Color Cinematography. Bette Davis was tipped to receive an Academy Award nomination for her role; however, she was nominated for Dark Victory (also from Warner) instead.