Virgin Queen,The (1955) DVDRip.avi

The Virgin Queen (1955)

Sir Walter Raleigh gains audience with Queen Elizabeth I and soon wins her over to his way of thinking. He wants ships to sail and make a name for England. A young ward of the court, Beth Throgmorton, is strongly attracted to Raleigh and returns the attraction. But soon the Queen shows her desires and he bends in order to achieve his goal of ships. But still he loves Beth.

Bette Davis ... Queen Elizabeth I
Richard Todd ... Sir Walter Raleigh
Joan Collins ... Beth Throgmorton
Jay Robinson ... Chadwick
Herbert Marshall ... Lord Leicester (Robert Dudley)
Dan O'Herlihy ... Lord Derry
Robert Douglas ... Sir Christopher Hatton
Romney Brent ... French Ambassador
Leslie Parrish ... Anne (as Marjorie Hellen)
Lisa Daniels ... Mary

Director: Henry Koster

Runtime: 92 mins

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0048791/

Codecs:

Video : 620 MB, 984 Kbps, 25.0 fps, 480*368 (4:3), DX50 = DivXNetworks Divx v5,
Audio : 79 MB, 126 Kbps, 44100 Hz, 2 channels, 0x55 = MPEG Layer-3, VBR,

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Bette Davis gives an amazing performance of England's Queen Elizabeth the 1st. Still a virgin as an older woman (in this version), the determined & dedicated Queen falls in love with Walter Raleigh. But, in a secret ceremony on a night that the Queen's own hand maiden (a very young looking Joan Collins) seduces Raleigh, just when he doubts himself. Believing he failed to impress the Queen enough for her to grant him 3 ships, he marries Collins & impregnates her.

To the surprise of Walter Raleigh, Queen Elizabeth is most impressed by him & summons him to her bedroom where she knights him, Sir Walter Raleigh. Then, gives him one ship. Now he's in a fix between two women enamored with him.

There's much more to the story. Watching Davis & Collins together is quite the contrast in acting styles. Although the "Dynasty" Collins is much more like Davis as the Queen: temperamental, shrewd, demanding, and impeccable with the delivery of an excellent script, juxtaposed as the two actors are in this film, it's quite obvious how Davis & Collins take a great deal of care with their difference delivery styles of speech.

This film made me prefer Davis' Queen Elizabeth the 1st over other characterizations. I can't imagine a living actress who could become this particular staged Queen, as well as does Davis. (And I have watched Cate Blanchett). After all it's a tall order to go into role better than Bette Davis.

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This film is not great, but it is also undeservedly forgotten. Think of Elizabeth I and Bette Davis and everyone recalls THE PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX, the Warner Brothers film with Davis and Errol Flynn made in 1939. This film, made in the middle 1950s (when Davis's career was on a downturn)has Richard Todd, a better actor than Flynn but not with half of the latter's charm and charisma. Also the plot is listless. Basically it should be called WHEN SIR WALTER CAME TO COURT, because it is how Raleigh enters Elizabeth's court and rises to her attention. But aside from his rivalry with Sir Christopher Hatton (Robert Douglas, in a well performed semi-villain role), which leads to the death of Dan O'Herlihy (Raleigh's friend) there is no tension in the plot - even with Joan Collins as a youthful beauty at court who becomes Elizabeth's rival.

The real problem is the script writer did not know what to do with the project. ELIZABETH AND ESSEX was based (for better or worse) on a popular play of the time by Maxwell Anderson. It detailed the tragic relationship of the elderly Queen and her youthful lover, who was too hot-headed and too ambitious. It ends with Essex's rebellion of 1601, and his execution which (one can see) destroys the Queen as well. There was plenty of tension in that film, and one of the joys of it is watching how from the start every character knows how to play Essex's headstrong behavior against him. He literally destroys himself, taking his monarch with him.

Raleigh's character appeared in that film (Vincent Price played the role) as a rival of Essex. And they were rivals. But Essex, aside from some fitful abilities as a military leader, had nothing in him. Raleigh and Robert Cecil (Essex two successful adversaries) were gifted in various ways: Cecil was a brilliang politician and statesman, and Raleigh a gifted poet, writer, and explorer of the New World. While Essex has never been forgotten, most people are better acquainted with Raleigh (who eventually became a political martyr as well - being executed for treason in 1618 when King James I was "disappointed" that Raleigh's South American explorations did not bring in the gold of El Dorado to England). Cecil/Salisbury is better recalled to scholars of Elizabethan history, but he was quite a master-success. He was the first Earl of Salisbury, and his family remains a leading set in the British Aristocracy to this day (one of them, Robert Gascoigne Cecil, Marquis of Salisbury, was Queen Victoria's last Prime Minister from 1895 - 1902).

A good film about Raleigh would actually concentrate on his various careers as writer, explorer, and would-be colonist. It would show his major achievement as a writer: THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, and go into his attempts to finance exploration of North America (the "Lost Colony" of Roanoke was created by Raleigh's plans). It would end in the tragedy of 1618, and the ingratitude of a particularly obnoxious monarch. Raleigh did not find El Dorado, and his oldest son died in the attempt to settle a colony in South America. However, his expedition created the British territory of British Guiana (now the nation of Guyana)which is the only English speaking country in South America.

That, alas, is not the case with THE VIRGIN QUEEN. Set in the 1580s, Raleigh arrives in the court dominated by the Queen's oldest (and probably truest love), Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Herbert Marshall), and by Leicester's rival Hatton (Elizabeth's fairly able Chancellor of Exchequer). Leicester goes to lead a military team who are assisting the Dutch. He died in the Netherlands in 1587 (his death occurs off screen here). Hatton, happy to be rid of his rival finds Leicester's place filled by that upstart Raleigh, and this goes into a long, increasingly bitter rivalry that ends with the death of Dan O'Herlihy. Raleigh decides to leave the court, as he has fallen in love with Bess Throckmorton (which displeases the Queen) and he wishes to explore the New World, but Elizabeth convinces him to remain at court - even allowing him to marry Bess (which he did do).

It's not an exciting story at all. They try to pump excitement into it, but Douglas (while good as Hatton) seems to frivolous a character to take seriously. Actually this is quite true in a sense: Elizabeth actually was first attracted to Hatton by his graceful dancing. It just turned out he was a competent public servant as well. The tragedy of O'Herlihy's death is sad but not enough to really make the film tense and interesting (it also comes too late in the film to do much good). While well mounted it is not a good historical movie.

Ironically Davis was closer in age to the age of Elizabeth when she made this film, as opposed to ELIZABETH AND ESSEX, where she was playing an older version of Elizabeth when she (Davis) was younger. I think I prefer her performance when she was younger.

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Bette Davis is again "The Virgin Queen" in this 1955 film, and this time, her attention is on Sir Walter Raleigh. Earlier, in a more interesting film, "The Story of Elizabeth and Essex," she was the younger Elizabeth and the Earl of Essex was Errol Flynn. "The Virgin Queen" is sumptuous in its production, done in color, and the costumes deservedly won an Oscar. Here Elizabeth is older and becomes fascinated with Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd) when he comes to her court to request three ships to sail to the new world in search of treasure on behalf of England. She puts him in charge of the palace guard; he in turn falls for a lady-in-waiting, Lady Elizabeth Throckmorton (Joan Collins) and secretly marries her. The queen grants him one ship, but while he's preparing it, he finds out that Elizabeth Throckmorton is pregnant with his child. Unfortunately, Elizabeth finds out too and has him placed under arrest.

This is a mildly interesting film and historically not very accurate, though it is true that he married Beth Throckmorton secretly, she became pregnant, and he was arrested. The real story is simplified in the film. It makes for not very exciting viewing, though the acting is strong and the cast excellent - besides the stars mentioned, Herbert Marshall is Lord Leicester and Dan O'Herlihy is Lord Derry.

Bette Davis does a marvelous job as Elizabeth, a tough, feisty, demanding and sometimes angry woman. Nobody could look as bad as Davis when she felt it was necessary for the role - she allowed four inches to be shaved from her hairline (Elizabeth had lost her hair due to fever) and wear what can only be called a fright wig. Hollywood stars back then would dress down, muss their hair, maybe cut back on the makeup, but Bette set the bar quite high for acting generations to come when it came to distorting her appearance. She is very effective in the role - as someone pointed out, she's a Yankee playing a British queen, and you never doubt that she is one. Richard Todd handles the language beautifully, but while he may have more depth than someone like Flynn, he doesn't exhibit the necessary charisma and charm. Joan Collins is young, beautiful, and does a good job as Elizabeth Throckmorton.

Worth seeing for the elegance of production and for that fabulous force of nature, Bette Davis.

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* Average Shot Length = 18.3 seconds. Median Shot Length = 16.2 seconds.