The Vincent Price Movie Review

Released in 1939
Directed by Michael Curtiz
Based on the play by Maxwell Anderson

Filmed way back in 1939, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex was Vincent Price’s second movie. I was taken by surprise after popping it into my DVD player. Instead of seeing an ancient, grainy, black and white screen, the film opened in marvelously restored technicolor. It looks fantastic.

The movie is based on the play Elizabeth the Queen, which is a fictional dramatization of the social affairs of Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) and the Earl of Essex (Errol Flynn). Their relationship is a complex one. Both of them are headstrong and vain, and their affection for each other is in competition with their stronger loves of power and England. Even though Essex goes to war in Ireland, the film stays focused on the relationship between Elizabeth and Essex. Their relationship, already strained, is further complicated by the machinations of people in the court who would like to see it fail.

One of these scheming persons is Sir Walter Raleigh, played by Vincent Price, who doesn’t have much to do in this film. If I remember correctly, Price had previously played Essex in the theatrical version. It was reported that Vincent Price had to repeatedly feed Errol Flynn his lines. Flynn, being a notorious cad, often came in late and unprepared for shooting. This may have fueled the enmity between he and Bette Davis. (pay close attention to the slap scene, Flynn looks pissed after Davis smacks him upside the head!) Flynn does a decent job as Essex, however, and performs with casual ease. He seems to fit well with the vain and fiery nature of the character.

Davis’s portrayal of Elizabeth is interesting. The first thing you will notice is how fidgety and nervous she is. I found this a bit distracting the first time I viewed the movie. This must have been a deliberate choice by Davis in order to add more nuance to the character. Keep in mind Davis was only around the age of thirty when this movie was made, and Elizabeth at this period in time was around sixty. Although Davis’s performance does exhibit frequent tenderness, she seems more effective playing Elizabeth as cold and shrewd.

The chief problem I had with this movie is the chemistry between Davis and Flynn…there isn’t any. The movie is primarily a love story between two people, but I found myself unable to believe that they actually held affection for one another. The story is already fictional, so why not go ahead and make Elizabeth a tad younger and a bit better looking to complement Flynn’s handsomeness. (or pick an older looking Essex)

Overall, I found this movie a bit so-so. It’s not really a bad movie, but the aforementioned lack of chemistry between the main characters hampers would could have been a much better film. If you’re thinking of viewing this because of Vincent Price, then give it a pass. He has hardly any screen time. If you enjoy romance films set in Elizabethian England and/or seeing lots of men in tights, give it a shot.