This is Davis' second film in which she plays Queen Elizabeth I of England. Personally, I thought 1939's "Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" was better, but it is hard to compare the two since this film takes place 15 years earlier in history than "Private Lives" and has Davis essentially playing Elizabeth at the age - 47 - that Davis actually was at the time.
The earlier film had Davis at 31 playing Queen Elizabeth in her sixties, and thus the two films make for an interesting comparison. Here Richard Todd plays Sir Walter Raleigh, who, like Essex in the earlier film, is a younger man who trades on Elizabeth's love for him to gain some personal glory. Richard Todd plays Raleigh effectively, but there is just no topping the charisma of Flynn's performance in the earlier movie.
Also, this film is saddled with Joan Collins in a supporting role who always made any film she was in worse and almost single handedly caused the death of classic film on DVD with her box set of not so special Fox films.
The earlier film had Davis at 31 playing Queen Elizabeth in her sixties, and thus the two films make for an interesting comparison. Here Richard Todd plays Sir Walter Raleigh, who, like Essex in the earlier film, is a younger man who trades on Elizabeth's love for him to gain some personal glory. Richard Todd plays Raleigh effectively, but there is just no topping the charisma of Flynn's performance in the earlier movie.
Also, this film is saddled with Joan Collins in a supporting role who always made any film she was in worse and almost single handedly caused the death of classic film on DVD with her box set of not so special Fox films.