This epic drama from the man who almost brought us the first "I Claudius" (Alexander Jordan) focuses on the rival of two 16th century rulers, Queen Elizabeth of England and King Philip of Spain, once related through marriage. They are portrayed by two of the greatest character actors in cinema and stage history, Flora Robson and Raymond Massey, and their performances are extraordinary. While they do not share a scene it is obvious that in spite of being enemies, there is an underlying caring for the other through their past familial relationship even though as Elizabeth notes, she was not a favorite of her sister, the late Queen Mary.
The film basically deals with the various relationships of Elizabeth's court, particularly the young Laurence Olivier and lady in waiting Vivian Leigh, and Olivier's mission to go to Spain to pass along messages to the king in regards to plots against the queen. When he tells Philip that there was an assassination attempt on the Queen's life, King Philip seems genuinely concerned.
Even though they are in constant battle over Spain's commanding of the waters through the Armada and the belief that England's small seafaring army (not yet a Navy) are nothing more than pirates, the two never display hatred towards the other, only the desire for what they believe to be justice. Robson's Queen is a temperamental aging matriarch, at one point slapping Leigh in fury, then comforting her when she sends Olivier away on a mission. She truly is commanding and gives an outstanding, believable performance, filled with strengthen, intelligence, sadness and regret, demonstrated when Leigh removes her wig to work on what remains of her hair.
In Spain, Olivier is rescued and nursed back to healthy by Tamara Desni after being thrown overboard in battle, which gives a bit of romantic conflict even though she is loyal to her country and hates the English. While Olivier singing voice isn't unpleasant, it is awkward to hear him sing the rather annoying "Spanish Lady" song over and over. His acting at times is completely over the top, making his character rather testy even though he outgrows that due to the necessity of the plot. Leigh is window dressing only, not yet the sultry vixen of Tara, but she certainly is gorgeous in those period costumes.
Olivier's future "Boys From Brazil" costar James Mason has a smaller role as one of the young men in service to the queen, and a cast of aging British character actors round out the ensemble, some with great wisdom and sadness as they see their days as being numbered. This is an entertaining film, not a great one, and the fact that this is in the public domain and not restored makes it sometimes frustrating because the prints even today look like those many TV broadcasts I saw of it back in the 80's when I first began collecting classic cinema.
But it's the film itself, not the print, that could have used a bit more energy to stand the test of time as a classic. Robson would go on one more time to play the queen even though far younger, and while not as grotesque as the characters she would play in "Saratoga Trunk" and "Caesar and Cleopatra", shows her as a brave actress who shines in these types of parts. She would be reunited with Olivier just a year later for her classic role as Ellen in "Wuthering Heights", a complete contrast to the part she plays here. Massey, going from playing the king here, would play other real life historical figures, most notably John Brown and Abraham Lincoln, but even with limited footage here, he is terrific. The ending, while profound and dramatic, seems to be trying to stretch itself out, and that doesn't aide to the film's dramatic power.
The film basically deals with the various relationships of Elizabeth's court, particularly the young Laurence Olivier and lady in waiting Vivian Leigh, and Olivier's mission to go to Spain to pass along messages to the king in regards to plots against the queen. When he tells Philip that there was an assassination attempt on the Queen's life, King Philip seems genuinely concerned.
Even though they are in constant battle over Spain's commanding of the waters through the Armada and the belief that England's small seafaring army (not yet a Navy) are nothing more than pirates, the two never display hatred towards the other, only the desire for what they believe to be justice. Robson's Queen is a temperamental aging matriarch, at one point slapping Leigh in fury, then comforting her when she sends Olivier away on a mission. She truly is commanding and gives an outstanding, believable performance, filled with strengthen, intelligence, sadness and regret, demonstrated when Leigh removes her wig to work on what remains of her hair.
In Spain, Olivier is rescued and nursed back to healthy by Tamara Desni after being thrown overboard in battle, which gives a bit of romantic conflict even though she is loyal to her country and hates the English. While Olivier singing voice isn't unpleasant, it is awkward to hear him sing the rather annoying "Spanish Lady" song over and over. His acting at times is completely over the top, making his character rather testy even though he outgrows that due to the necessity of the plot. Leigh is window dressing only, not yet the sultry vixen of Tara, but she certainly is gorgeous in those period costumes.
Olivier's future "Boys From Brazil" costar James Mason has a smaller role as one of the young men in service to the queen, and a cast of aging British character actors round out the ensemble, some with great wisdom and sadness as they see their days as being numbered. This is an entertaining film, not a great one, and the fact that this is in the public domain and not restored makes it sometimes frustrating because the prints even today look like those many TV broadcasts I saw of it back in the 80's when I first began collecting classic cinema.
But it's the film itself, not the print, that could have used a bit more energy to stand the test of time as a classic. Robson would go on one more time to play the queen even though far younger, and while not as grotesque as the characters she would play in "Saratoga Trunk" and "Caesar and Cleopatra", shows her as a brave actress who shines in these types of parts. She would be reunited with Olivier just a year later for her classic role as Ellen in "Wuthering Heights", a complete contrast to the part she plays here. Massey, going from playing the king here, would play other real life historical figures, most notably John Brown and Abraham Lincoln, but even with limited footage here, he is terrific. The ending, while profound and dramatic, seems to be trying to stretch itself out, and that doesn't aide to the film's dramatic power.