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Rating:  - You can tell Bette is loving this!
Sir Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd) woos the decaying Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) in order to acheive his dreams of sailing to the Americas. But when he falls in love with her handmaiden, Beth (Joan Collins), the Queen becomes possesive and imprisons the lovers, perhaps seperating them forever.
Bette reprises one of her favorite roles as the powerful Queen Elizabeth, and she is loving every minute of it. Unlucky in love, the Queen is the complete antithesis of the lovely and young Beth. Joan Collins always claimed that Bette Davis was the inspiration for her character Alexis on "Dynasty."
This is a fun film, especially on a rainy Sunday.
Rating:  - Davis plays Queen Elizabeth I for a second time
This is Davis' second film in which she plays Queen Elizabeth I of England. Personally, I thought 1939's "Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" was better, but it is hard to compare the two since this film takes place 15 years earlier in history than "Private Lives" and has Davis essentially playing Elizabeth at the age - 47 - that Davis actually is. The earlier film had Davis at 31 playing Queen Elizabeth in her sixties. Here Richard Todd plays Sir Walter Raleigh, who, like Essex in the earlier film, is a younger man who trades on Elizabeth's love for him to gain some personal glory. Richard Todd plays Raleigh effectively, but there is just no topping the charisma of Flynn's performance in the earlier movie.
The special features include a "Making Of" featurette, some trailers, and a photo gallery. This film is being released separately and as part of Fox' Bette Davis Centenary Collection.
Rating: - a regal Bette Davis in lavish costume drama
In 1939, Bette Davis provided one of her greatest performances as Queen Elizabeth the 1st in the Technicolor MGM drama "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex". She sacrificed for the role, to the extent of shaving her eyebrows plus two inches from her hairline to resemble the aged monarch. So when Twentieth Century Fox went forward with THE VIRGIN QUEEN sixteen years later, it made sense for Bette Davis to once again ascend the throne. Though it does pale dramatically when compared to the earlier film, Bette Davis' regal performance keeps it on a smooth path.
Queen Elizabeth (Bette Davis) falls in love with the younger Sir Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd), despite the scheming of a catty rival (Joan Collins). Though historically, THE VIRGIN QUEEN often plays fast and loose with the truth; Joan Collins (a Fox contract player of the period) creates some fireworks as the "Other Woman"--and her scenes with Davis are fun. Richard Todd and Bette Davis also have an enjoyable rapport, despite Henry Koster's often pedestrian direction.
If you enjoyed "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex", you will most certainly appreciate THE VIRGIN QUEEN. How often does an actor get the chance to revisit a role and get to use their newfound maturity and insight to create a deeper characterisation the second time around?
Highly-recommended for Bette Davis fans.
Rating:  - Bette Davis-the Queen
Bette Davis is at her best in this one, as the Queen of England, wooing Sir Walter Raleigh. As always, she lives up to the part, making it her own. I'm not so sure this is based, entirely, on fact. The ending seems alittle off. But it is interesting to watch Bette Davis in full form.
Rating: - Bette Davis in The Virgin Queen
Bette Davis reigns supreme in this highly colourful film on the lives of Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Walter Raleigh.
The full pageant of royal life, including the famous laying of Sir Walter's cloak in a puddle to allow the queen to step on it, is brought wonderfully to life.
Joan Collins adds a lot of colour as the royal lady-in-waiting who incurs the queen's wrath by marrying Sir Walter.
A classic period drama with scrumptuous costumes and an all-star cast.
If you liked the 1939 classic The Private Lives of Elizabeth And Essex, you will deffinately love The Virgin Queen. Once again Bette Davis portrays Queen Elizabeth The I magnificently.
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