Young Bess (1953)

The early life of Elizabeth I, from her childhood until her accession to the throne of England in 1558.

Director:

George Sidney

Writers:

Margaret Irwin (based on the novel by), Jan Lustig

Stars:

Jean Simmons, Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean Simmons	...	Young Bess (Queen Elizabeth I)
Stewart Granger	...	Thomas Seymour
Deborah Kerr	...	Catherine Parr
Charles Laughton	...	King Henry VIII
Kay Walsh	...	Mrs. Ashley
Guy Rolfe	...	Ned Seymour
Kathleen Byron	...	Ann Seymour
Cecil Kellaway	...	Mr. Parry
Rex Thompson	...	Prince Edward / King Edward VI
Robert Arthur	...	Barnaby
Leo G. Carroll	...	Mr. Mums
Norma Varden	...	Lady Tyrwhitt
Alan Napier	...	Robert Tyrwhitt
Noreen Corcoran	...	Bess as a child
Ivan Triesault	...	Danish Envoy

Storyline

Chronicles the life of queen Elizabeth I, before she became the queen of England. Apart from taking part in the court intrigues, she is unhappily in love with admiral Thomas Seymour, and dreams of building a navy to match the Portuguese and the Spanish.

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Plot Keywords:

woodpile | character name as title | king edward vi character | king henry viii character | queen elizabeth i character | 

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Taglines:

A Great and Spectacular Drama!

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 1953 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Thronfolgerin

Filming Locations:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios - 10202 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,423,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The second time that actor Charles Laughton played Henry VIII on film. The first film was The Private Life of Henry VIII. (1933) for which he won an Oscar.

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Goofs

In the shot showing Elizabeth leaving Whitehall after Edward becomes king, her carriage becomes transparent (due to the matte painting of trees and sky behind it).

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Quotes

Prince Edward: [muttering to Tom about Uncle Ned, who rules while Edward is King as a minor] I wish he'd die.
Thomas Seymour: What? What was that?
Prince Edward: I said, I wish he'd die. D-Y-E.
Thomas Seymour: It's the wrong spelling.
Prince Edward: [nonchalant] Oh, is it?
Ned Seymour: What is Your Majesty talking about?
Prince Edward: Spelling. Nobody knows for certain how to spell the King's English.
Ned Seymour: The spelling is not important, so long as the word carries the right meaning.
Thomas Seymour: The word His Majesty had *exactly* the right meaning.

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Connections

Featured in The World According to Smith & Jones: The Tudors (1987)

User Reviews

Entertaining, sumptuous treatment of historical drama...

With an exceptionally good cast headed by Jean Simmons, Stewart Granger, Deborah Kerr and Charles Laughton, costumes by Walter Plunkett, music by Miklos Rozsa and all the technical wizardry of MGM's vast resources, YOUNG BESS is the kind of historical romance that comes to life on the screen with a good deal of vitality. Jean Simmons and Charles Laughton have the most interesting roles and play them brilliantly, particularly Laughton who is once again portraying Henry VIII, the shrewd monarch who disposed of the women in his life by putting them to the block.

The screenplay is gracefully written and although it is leisurely paced, it never lets up interest in examining the relationships between Elizabeth I (young Bess) and others at court. Historical purists will object to whatever liberties the novel took to tell this story of court intrigue, but they will be impressed by the attention paid to historical detail and the meticulous settings and costumes. The score by Miklos Rozsa is not obtrusive and yet it underlines the deep emotions portrayed by Simmons, Granger and Laughton. Deborah Kerr has a rather colorless and almost minor role as Catherine Parr and is unable to do much with it although she and Simmons photograph beautifully in color.

Easy on the eyes and a very entertaining saga of a bloody chapter in England's history.