No one of those days would have fitted the character off Sir Walter Raleigh better than Richard Todd. The film is a dramatisation of the first and greatest conflict between him and Queen Elizabeth concerning his secret marriage with Elizabeth Throgmorton, which infuriated her as every love affair with any of her court ladies used to infuriate her more than anything else. The film is also the story of how Sir Walter Raleigh got his first expedition to America, which led to the first British colony of Virginia in North America, the very foundation of the American colonies, and that story is very much romanticised with only the basic truth left in it. We must remember, of course, that this is an American film, and all the American films about the Elizabethan age were very much romanticised - anything else would have been out of the question, so there is very little realism here, while instead the beauty and splendour of the spectacle is the more efficient and overwhelming. Bette Davis was also an American, she had made Queen Elizabeth already once against Errrol Flynn as Essex, which was also an exaggerated romanticisation, and the only problem is that Bette Davis can never be convincing neither as a Queen nor as an Englishwoman - she is too much herself, too much of an American buccaneer, although one of the most splendid actresses of all, but practically all other Elizabeths are more convincing, especially Flora Robson, Cate Blanchett and Vanessa Redgrave, while Bette Davis in spite of all her splendid acting and doing well in her role makes a rather artificial impression as a dressed up doll, almost like a caricature, and her cruelty is exaggerated. She was firm but sensible and always kept to her heart. There may have been serious arguments between her and Raleigh, and he certainly would have lost his temper a number of times, as he was a rather dynamic nature of great force and initiative, but the fact remains that he actually brought her America and was the one remaining favourite of hers to the end of her days. The film is a great spectacle of a play, perfectly bringing his character alive, and Joan Collins is also quite acceptable as his Bess, but I must prefer other Elizabeths to Bette Davis.