The Virgin Queen (1955)

59% of users liked it
(1,591 ratings)

Having previously portrayed England's Queen Elizabeth I in 1939's The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Bette Davis reprises the role in the Technicolor-and-Cinescope costumer The Virgin Queen. Harry Brown and Mindret Lord's screenplay proposes that Elizabeth's relationship with adventurer Sir… More Having previously portrayed England's Queen Elizabeth I in 1939's The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, Bette Davis reprises the role in the Technicolor-and-Cinescope costumer The Virgin Queen. Harry Brown and Mindret Lord's screenplay proposes that Elizabeth's relationship with adventurer Sir Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd) was somewhat more than cordial. Raleigh is depicted as a charming opportunist, who deliberate leads the Queen on in order to further his chances of heading an expedition to the New World. Complications ensue when Sir Walter falls in love with lady-in-waiting Beth Throgmorton (Joan Collins). Not to be believed for a single moment, The Virgin Queen works well on a swashbuckler level, with Davis outacting everyone in sight-even such veteran scene-stealers as Herbert Marshall, Dan O'Herlihy, and Jay "Caligula" Robinson. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 32 min.
Directed By: Henry Koster
Genres: Drama, Classics

In Theaters: Jul 23, 1955 Wide
On DVD: Apr 8, 2008
Studio: Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Critic Reviews

Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
Standard costume fare enlivened by Bette Davis's fuming and growling.
Dan Callahan, Slant Magazine
Henry Koster's direction is competent, for him, but Franz Waxman's music is no substitute for Erick Wolfgang Korngold's classic score for Elizabeth and Essex.

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Featured Audience Ratings

hawk l

Great swashbuckling with Bette Davis giving a forceful performance, and Harold Brown's screenplay providing several memorable segments. Richard Todd wisely gives Davis plenty of room, and she doesn't disappoint.