In the same year as she made The Actress, Jean Simmons also made Young Bess, but neither casting made any sense. In The Actress, she portrayed the homely Ruth Gordon. In this one, she plays a pre-queen Elizabeth I, who was never known for her beauty. Why cast Jean Simmons in these parts? Deborah Kerr costars in Young Bess, and she would have been a far better choice for the red-headed royal. Jean's auburn rinse in her hair is far from convincing.
Her attitude was also far from convincing. When Bette Davis took on the same role in her 1939 biopic, it was clear she came from royal blood. Jean came across as a common, spoiled brat, not as someone who took frequent visits to the palace to spend time with her father, the king. She didn't hold herself or talk in any way of elevated status. I didn't believe for one minute she was Elizabeth I, but instead a highly irritating teenager with a crush on someone who didn't like her back. Her object of affection is Stewart Granger, but he wishes to marry Deborah Kerr.
I'm really not a Deborah Kerr fan, and this movie is one of the reasons why I never liked her. Just as she was in Julius Caesar, she rattled off her lines quickly to seem impressive, but without any feeling to communicate she knew what she was saying. As far as I was concerned, Deb and Stewart deserved each other.
Charles Laughton reprises his role (briefly) as King Henry VIII, and while it's fun to see him add presence to the screen, he's not enough to save the movie. Neither is Rex Thompson, an absolutely doll in his first movie as the young prince. The other three leads ruin it. If I'd only seen Jean Simmons's movies from 1953, I wouldn't like her at all.
Her attitude was also far from convincing. When Bette Davis took on the same role in her 1939 biopic, it was clear she came from royal blood. Jean came across as a common, spoiled brat, not as someone who took frequent visits to the palace to spend time with her father, the king. She didn't hold herself or talk in any way of elevated status. I didn't believe for one minute she was Elizabeth I, but instead a highly irritating teenager with a crush on someone who didn't like her back. Her object of affection is Stewart Granger, but he wishes to marry Deborah Kerr.
I'm really not a Deborah Kerr fan, and this movie is one of the reasons why I never liked her. Just as she was in Julius Caesar, she rattled off her lines quickly to seem impressive, but without any feeling to communicate she knew what she was saying. As far as I was concerned, Deb and Stewart deserved each other.
Charles Laughton reprises his role (briefly) as King Henry VIII, and while it's fun to see him add presence to the screen, he's not enough to save the movie. Neither is Rex Thompson, an absolutely doll in his first movie as the young prince. The other three leads ruin it. If I'd only seen Jean Simmons's movies from 1953, I wouldn't like her at all.