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The Virgin Queen

  • 19551955
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 32m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Virgin Queen (1955)
  • Biography
  • Drama
  • History
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.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.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.
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
2.8K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Henry Koster
  • Writers
    • Harry Brown(story "Sir Walter Raleigh")
    • Mindret Lord
  • Stars
    • Bette Davis
    • Richard Todd
    • Joan Collins
Top credits
  • Director
    • Henry Koster
  • Writers
    • Harry Brown(story "Sir Walter Raleigh")
    • Mindret Lord
  • Stars
    • Bette Davis
    • Richard Todd
    • Joan Collins
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 33User reviews
    • 13Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 1 nomination total

    Photos30

    Joan Collins in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis and Joan Collins in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis, Joan Collins, and Richard Todd in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis and Richard Todd in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis and Richard Todd in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Joan Collins in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Bette Davis in The Virgin Queen (1955)
    Richard Todd in The Virgin Queen (1955)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bette Davis
    Bette Davis
    • Queen Elizabeth Ias Queen Elizabeth I
    Richard Todd
    Richard Todd
    • Sir Walter Raleighas Sir Walter Raleigh
    Joan Collins
    Joan Collins
    • Beth Throgmortonas Beth Throgmorton
    Jay Robinson
    Jay Robinson
    • Chadwickas Chadwick
    Herbert Marshall
    Herbert Marshall
    • Lord Leicester (Robert Dudley)as Lord Leicester (Robert Dudley)
    Dan O'Herlihy
    Dan O'Herlihy
    • Lord Derryas Lord Derry
    Robert Douglas
    Robert Douglas
    • Sir Christopher Hattonas Sir Christopher Hatton
    Romney Brent
    Romney Brent
    • French Ambassadoras French Ambassador
    Leslie Parrish
    Leslie Parrish
    • Anneas Anne
    • (as Marjorie Hellen)
    Lisa Daniels
    Lisa Daniels
    • Maryas Mary
    Robert Adler
    Robert Adler
    • Postillion Rideras Postillion Rider
    • (uncredited)
    Heather Ames
    Heather Ames
    • Tavern Maid with Derryas Tavern Maid with Derry
    • (uncredited)
    Gertrude Astor
    Gertrude Astor
    • Lady-in-Waiting - 2nd Groupas Lady-in-Waiting - 2nd Group
    • (uncredited)
    Frank Baker
    Frank Baker
    • Physicianas Physician
    • (uncredited)
    Barry Bernard
    • Patch Eyeas Patch Eye
    • (uncredited)
    Janice Carroll
    • Serving Maidas Serving Maid
    • (uncredited)
    John Costello
    • Town Crieras Town Crier
    • (uncredited)
    Ashley Cowan
    • Sailoras Sailor
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Henry Koster
    • Writers
      • Harry Brown(story "Sir Walter Raleigh")
      • Mindret Lord
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    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. —McGinty <McGinty@aol.com>
    • queen elizabeth i
    • year 1581
    • knight
    • queen elizabeth i character
    • murder
    • 120 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • CinemaScope spectacularly spreads before you the velvet cape and violent age of Sir Walter Raleigh and The Virgin Queen.
    • Genres
      • Biography
      • Drama
      • History
      • Romance
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The second time Bette Davis portrayed English monarch Queen Elizabeth I, the first being "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex "(1939).
    • 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.
    • Quotes

      Queen Elizabeth I: It is I who makes the policy of this realm, I and I alone!

    • Crazy credits
      Opening credits prologue: In 1581 all the roads of England led to London -- for better or worse.
    • Connections
      Featured in Twentieth Century Fox: The First 50 Years (1997)

    User reviews33

    Review
    Top review
    7/10
    Excellent portrayal of Elizabeth
    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.
    helpful•4
    0
    • cornishrexrasta
    • Nov 11, 2018

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 22, 1955 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Raleigh and the Virgin Queen
    • Filming locations
      • Stage 8, 20th Century Fox Studios - 10201 Pico Blvd., Century City, Los Angeles, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Twentieth Century Fox
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $1,600,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 32 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.55 : 1

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