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The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex

1939 · 106 min

A stately, passionate costume drama where grand romance and political scheming collide, carried by fiery performances and lush Technicolor.

Tagline
Elizabeth I's love for the Earl of Essex threatens to destroy her kingdom.
Overview
This period drama frames the tumultuous affair between Queen Elizabeth I and the man who would be King of England.
Rent or buy in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • power
  • love
  • ambition
  • betrayal
  • politics
Places
  • single country house
  • big city
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
None
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror0
Humour2
Realism7
Romance7
Tension6
Darkness6
Complexity6
Emotional weight7

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Where to watch in the UK

Rent or buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, history, romance
Directed by
Michael Curtiz
Written by
Norman Reilly Raine, Aeneas MacKenzie
Starring
Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Olivia de Havilland, Donald Crisp, Alan Hale, Vincent Price, Henry Stephenson, Henry Daniell
Music
Erich Wolfgang Korngold
Cinematography
Sol Polito
Runtime
106 min
Country
United States of America
Languages
English, Italian

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