Why Bette Davis initially fought to change the title of this 1939 historical drama
In short: Bette Davis was so determined to ensure her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I took center stage that she threatened to walk away from the production unless the title reflected her character's prominence. Despite her initial doubts about her co-star, the film became a profitable hit and a lasting cinematic curiosity.
The 1939 Warner Bros. production, The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, was a high-stakes adaptation of Maxwell Anderson’s 1930 Broadway play, Elizabeth the Queen. Bette Davis, who underwent a physical transformation by shaving her hairline and eyebrows to mirror the aging monarch, was deeply invested in the project. She famously lobbied for Laurence Olivier to play the Earl of Essex, fearing that Errol Flynn, then at the height of his fame, lacked the gravitas required for the role. Davis even sent multiple telegrams to studio president Jack L. Warner in 1938, demanding that the title prioritize Elizabeth’s name over Essex’s to avoid diminishing the film as a woman’s story.
The film’s narrative takes significant liberties with history, depicting a volatile romance between the 63-year-old Queen and the ambitious, younger Earl of Essex. While the real-life age gap between the historical figures was over 30 years, Davis and Flynn were nearly the same age—31 and 30 respectively—during production. The plot follows Essex’s return from a naval victory at Cádiz, his subsequent failure in Ireland, and his eventual march on London to seize the crown. The drama culminates in a tragic execution, though a final scene depicting the event was cut following preview screenings.
Despite critical reviews that favored Davis’s resolute performance over Flynn’s portrayal, the film was a commercial success, earning over $1.6 million globally. The production was noted for its elaborate Technicolor cinematography and a score by Erich Wolfgang Korngold, both of which earned Academy Award nominations. Years later, Davis reassessed her co-star’s contribution, admitting to her friend Olivia de Havilland that she had been wrong about Flynn, ultimately declaring his performance brilliant. The film remains a notable example of the studio system's ability to blend historical fiction with star-driven melodrama.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex
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