Le seigneur de l'aventure

Basically a soap opera of it's day with Queen Liz and Elexis Carrington fighting over the handsome, young cad, Sir Walter Raleigh who among other things introduced cigarettes to the world. The movie won an academy award for its costumes which unlike the events depicted in the film are spot on in their historical detail.

Bettie Davies is brilliant as The Queen (the template for Miranda Richardson's version in Blackadder II) and Richard Todd looks the part as the dashing Sir Walter Raleigh. The DVD cut of this film, issued as part of the Studio Classics series, is pristine with the digital format bringing out the sheer spectacle of colour in the scenes in the royal court.

A great old fashioned drama.

Bette Davis is probably one of the greatest actresses of all time, and it is really outstanding that a Massachusetts lady can break all cultural barriers and incarnate an English Queen to such a degree of perfection. I really enjoyed her performance.

The rest of the cast is just acceptable. Richard Todd is handsome and the young Joan Collins is beatiful to watch. The costumes and settings are carefully reproduced, and Koster's direction is profesional. The dialogues are wonderfully written, though the story is not quite historically accurate.

By the way, the European VHS edition is simply disgusting: the film is cut to fit the normal TV screen 4:3, leaving out vital parts of it. For example, in a scene between Sir Walter Raleigh (Todd) and Bess Throckmorton (Collins), they are standing the one in front of the other at both sides of a huge paned window: the only thing you can see on screen is the window, while you hear both talking! A new DVD edition would be most welcome.

Elizabeth I is nearly always portrayed as stern and unemotional which is probably attributable to the early performances by Dame Flora Robson who set the Elizabeth blueprint. This performance by Bette Davis retains the blueprint but introduces a dark wit to the character. An example is when a scheming ambassador compliments her on her beautiful palace. She replies it was her fathers and that "I will tell him when I see him".

An ambitious adventurer named Walter Raleigh arrives at her court. He only wants three ships to sail and discover gold and the other treasures of the Americas. She takes an instant liking to the handsome Raleigh and the film revolves around her plotting to keep him at her side. She famously refused to marry because she believed in putting country first and here she manipulates Raleigh towards a private relationship that would not diminish her power as Queen in a man's world.

The colorful costumes look a bit party rental but there is plenty of historical accuracy apart from the myth of the "coat over the puddle". The performance from Richard Todd is good but there is little chemistry between him and his wife played by Joan Collins. She delivers her lines so hastily in a modern London accent as if she is about to get on a bus.

The Bette Davis interpretation of Elizabeth and the political machinations at her court are the focus points of the film. There are no dodgy Spanish Armadas or swashbuckling Errol Flynn types detracting from the storytelling or the excellent portrayal of Elizabeth.

This one should have been a lot better, considering the pedigree of its cast and the professionals behind the camera, including the always reliable Franz Waxman, contributing a score that must have sounded wonderful when those theaters equipped with stereophonic sound systems played this costumer during its first release.

But director Henry Koster's touch is particularly pedestrian in this one. (Note how he stages the legendary scene when Sir Walter Raleigh spreads his cape across a muddy patch for Queen Elizabeth to glide over it without soiling her royal hem. Tossed off as if it weren't worth showing!) And the script seems to be regurgitating all those well-worn cliches about a love and sex-starved Queen Elizabeth I surrounded by male courtiers who have only their various personal ambitions to keep them apparently interested in her feminine needs.

Bette does her best (and even supposedly consented to shaving herself bald for the role!) and Richard Todd and a young and lovely Joan Collins convince as a couple willing to risk the frustrated Queen's wrath to consummate their love. And it's always a pleasure to see actors like Dan O'Herlihy and Herbert Marshall in support, despite how woefully little is made of their talents.

Beware the VHS version, a "formatted" desecration of the original 2.55:1 CinemaScope ratio. For no other reason this handsomely mounted production deserves to be given the widescreen DVD treatment.

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 Sir Walter 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 wears 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.