Fire Over England (1937)

During the reign of Elizabeth I, a young man's fervent devotion to the crown and to his sweetheart, a lady-in-waiting, lead him to battle for England's victory over the Spanish Armada in 1588.

Director:

William K. Howard

Writers:

A.E.W. Mason (novel), Clemence Dane (screenplay)

Stars:

Laurence Olivier, Flora Robson, Vivien Leigh

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Flora Robson	...	Queen Elizabeth
Raymond Massey	...	Philip of Spain
Leslie Banks	...	Leicester
Laurence Olivier	...	Michael
Vivien Leigh	...	Cynthia
Morton Selten	...	Burleigh
Tamara Desni	...	Elena
Lyn Harding	...	Sir Richard
George Thirlwell	...	Gregory
Henry Oscar	...	Spanish Ambassador
Robert Rendel	...	Don Miguel (as Robert Rendell)
Robert Newton	...	Don Pedro
Donald Calthrop	...	Don Escobal
James Mason	...	Vane
Charles Carson	...	Adm. Valdez

Storyline

Queen Elizabeth I (Dame Flora Robson) is running this show. The men in her court should be thinking about how to add to the glory of the Elizabethan Age and how to foil those pesky Spanish who have far too much influence in England when her older sister Mary was on the throne, after their father Henry VIII was succeeded by their sickly half-brother. Elizabeth thinks Michael Ingolby (Sir Laurence Olivier) can do great things. Michael is mostly thinking about one of Elizabeth's ladies in waiting, Cynthia (Vivien Leigh). Soon his mind is on survival when Elizabeth sends him on a voyage to Spain.

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Plot Keywords:

queen elizabeth i | boat on fire | spanish history | european history | british history | 

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Taglines:

UNDER HER ROYAL ROBES PULSED A WOMAN'S YEARNING HEART! (Print Ad- Buffal Courier-Express, ((Buffalo NY)) 14 May 1937)

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Genres:

Adventure | History | Romance | War

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Vivien Leigh and Sir Laurence Olivier credit this movie as being the inspiration for their falling in love. Although both were married to other people, they became known as "the lovers" on the set.

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Goofs

Cynthia is admonished by the Queen when she tries to fit the Queen's foot into the wrong shoe. Shoes made for the left foot and the right foot were not introduced in England until the 1860's.

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Quotes

Spanish Ambassador: If your majesty will not hear words, we must come to cannon and see if you will hear them.
Queen Elizabeth I of England: If you use threats of that kind, I will chase you out of my kingdom.
Spanish Ambassador: But, your grace. You MUST listen.
Queen Elizabeth I of England: Must? Little man, little man, must is NOT a word to use to princes. Our council shall confer with you. Meanwhile, go home and be quiet!

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Crazy Credits

Opening credits prologue: IN 1587 SPAIN POWERFUL IN THE OLD WORLD MASTER IN THE NEW

ITS KING PHILIP RULES BY FORCE AND FEAR

BUT SPANISH TYRANNY IS CHALLENGED BY THE FREE PEOPLE OF A LITTLE ISLAND

ENGLAND

EVERYWHERE ENGLISH TRADERS APPEAR ENGLISH SEAMEN THREATEN SPANISH SUPREMACY

A WOMAN GUIDES AND INSPIRES THEM ELIZABETH THE QUEEN.

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Connections

Featured in Stars of the Silver Screen: James Mason (2014)

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Soundtracks

O Magnum Mysterium
(uncredited)
Composed by Tomás Luis de Victoria
Sung by unseen chorus at the Spanish court

User Reviews

Enjoyable Historical Drama With A Fine Cast

This enjoyable historical drama is particularly notable for the fine cast headed by Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, and Raymond Massey. The period atmosphere works well, and the setting, against the background of the 16th century struggles between England and Spain, is an interesting one.

The story does a solid job of working the historical setting into a romance between Olivier's and Leigh's characters, setting up some interesting possibilities. Those two work well together - Leigh is a natural in her role, and it's an interesting change of pace for Olivier, from his Shakespeare roles and the like. Massey adds considerable interest and energy as the kind of heavy that he played so well – his very voice seems appropriate. Flora Robson is very well suited to the role of Queen Elizabeth. Tamara Desni and Leslie Banks also do well in their roles.

The plot creates good moments of drama, romance, and action, along with some good cat- and-mouse games between the characters. It builds to a good climax and, if it occasionally stretches plausibility, it easily holds your interest all the way through. Overall, it's pretty good and well worth seeing.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fire Over England

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

92 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System Noiseless Wide Range Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1