Fire Over England (1937)

Queen Elizabeth 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 got far too much ... See full summary »

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 I of England
Raymond Massey	...	King Philip II of Spain
Leslie Banks	...	Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester
Laurence Olivier	...	Michael Ingolby
Vivien Leigh	...	Cynthia
Morton Selten	...	Lord Burleigh
Tamara Desni	...	Elena
Lyn Harding	...	Sir Richard Ingolby
George Thirlwell	...	Mr. Lawrence Gregory
Henry Oscar	...	Spanish Ambassador
Robert Rendel	...	Don Miguel (as Robert Rendell)
Robert Newton	...	Don Pedro
Donald Calthrop	...	Don Escobal
Charles Carson	...	Adm. Valdez
James Mason	...	Hillary Vane

Storyline

Queen Elizabeth 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 got 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 can do great things. Michael is mostly thinking about one of Elizabeth's ladies in waiting, Cynthia. 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:

. . . A truly brilliant producer brings you a thrilling tale of love and danger that will live in your memory as long as there is romance in your heart !

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Genres:

Adventure | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

5 March 1937 (USA)

Also Known As:

Eld över 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 Wide Range Noiseless Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This is the first of three films that paired Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, the other two being 21 Days Together (1940) and That Hamilton Woman (1941).

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Goofs

Queen Elizabeth uses a small telescope to check on the progress of her fleet against the Spanish Armada (1588). The telescope was invented in 1608, five years after her death.

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Quotes

Don Pedro: You see, Elena, the whole trouble comes from treating your enemies like human beings. Don't you see, my dear, that if you do that they cease to be enemies. Think what that leads to: the end of patriotism; the end of war; it's the end of everything."

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Connections

Featured in The Lion Has Wings (1939)

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Soundtracks

The Spanish Lady's Love
(ncredited)
Sixteenth century English ballad by Henry Morley
Sung by Vivien Leigh
Reprised by Laurence Olivier and Tamara Desni
Reprised by Laurence Olivier at the Spanish court
Played as background music often

User Reviews

Complicated for a Reason

This is a great movie with excellent production values, performances and exposition. These were very complicated times and neither Elizabeth nor Philip was a simple ruler. Neither was good nor bad and both were permitted by the mores of their times to be outrageous. Given that Flora Robson did not resemble Elizabeth in the slightest and was far, far younger at the time of her portrayal, she presents the great Queen as she should be portrayed except that Elizabeth was a beauty in her youth and permitted the illusion of beauty to continue long after it was lost. See it, hear it and enjoy it. It is a mountain beside the current portrayals of these people and their times as a bland pageant of farthingales.