Sir Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd) overcomes court intrigue to win favor with Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) in order to get financing for a proposed voyage to the New World.
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Title: The Virgin Queen (1955)
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Nominated for
1
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Edit
Cast
| Complete credited cast: | |||
| Bette Davis | ... | Queen Elizabeth I | |
| Richard Todd | ... | Sir Walter Raleigh | |
| Joan Collins | ... | Beth Throgmorton | |
| Jay Robinson | ... | Chadwick | |
| Herbert Marshall | ... | Lord Leicester (Robert Dudley) | |
| Dan O'Herlihy | ... | Lord Derry | |
| Robert Douglas | ... | Sir Christopher Hatton | |
| Romney Brent | ... | French Ambassador | |
| Leslie Parrish | ... | Anne (as Marjorie Hellen) | |
| Lisa Daniels | ... | Mary | |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
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Storyline
Sir Walter Raleigh (Richard Todd) gains an audience with Queen Elizabeth I (Bette Davis) and soon wins her over to his way of thinking. He wants ships to sail and make a name for England. A young ward of the court, Beth Throgmorton (Dame Joan Collins), is strongly attracted to Raleigh and returns the attraction. But soon the Queen shows her desires and he bends in order to achieve his goal of ships. But still, he loves Beth. Written by McGinty <McGinty@aol.com>
Plot Keywords:
queen elizabeth i | year 1581 | knight | elizabethan era | queen of england |Taglines:
CinemaScope spectacularly spreads before you the velvet cape and violent age of Sir Walter Raleigh and The Virgin Queen.Parents Guide:
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
22 July 1955 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Sir Walter Raleigh See more »Filming Locations:
Stage 8, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Budget:
$1,600,000 (estimated)Company Credits
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IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
4-Track Stereo (Western Electric Recording) (magnetic prints)| Stereo (Western Electric Recording)| Mono (Western Electric Recording) (optical prints)Color:
ColorAspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1
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Sir Walter Raleigh: I've already launched on it, Ma'am. My next campaign is you.
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Rod Taylor appears, uncredited, in a very short scene. He is ostensibly playing a Welshman, given his character's name, but his accent is completely unidentifiable. See more »Goofs
At the concluding scene of the movie, Queen Elizabeth looks through her window with a telescope, an invention of 1608, five years after her death in 1603. See more »Quotes
Queen Elizabeth I: And what is your next campaign?Sir Walter Raleigh: I've already launched on it, Ma'am. My next campaign is you.
See more »
Crazy Credits
Opening credits prologue: In 1581 all the roads of England led to London -- for better or worse. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Elizabeth I is nearly always portrayed as stern and unemotional which is probably attributable to the early performances by Dame Flora Robson who set the Elizabeth blueprint. This performance by Bette Davis retains the blueprint but introduces a dark wit to the character. An example is when a scheming ambassador compliments her on her beautiful palace. She replies it was her fathers and that "I will tell him when I see him".
An ambitious adventurer named Walter Raleigh arrives at her court. He only wants three ships to sail and discover gold and the other treasures of the Americas. She takes an instant liking to the handsome Raleigh and the film revolves around her plotting to keep him at her side. She famously refused to marry because she believed in putting country first and here she manipulates Raleigh towards a private relationship that would not diminish her power as Queen in a man's world.
The colorful costumes look a bit party rental but there is plenty of historical accuracy apart from the myth of the "coat over the puddle". The performance from Richard Todd is good but there is little chemistry between him and his wife played by Joan Collins. She delivers her lines so hastily in a modern London accent as if she is about to get on a bus.
The Bette Davis interpretation of Elizabeth and the political machinations at her court are the focus points of the film. There are no dodgy Spanish Armadas or swashbuckling Errol Flynn types detracting from the storytelling or the excellent portrayal of Elizabeth.