The virgin queen

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Movie
German title The virgin queen
Original title The Virgin Queen
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1955
length 92 minutes
Age rating FSK 12
Rod
Director Henry Koster
script Harry Brown
Mindret Lord
production Charles Brackett
music Franz Waxman
camera Charles G. Clarke
cut Robert L. Simpson
occupation

The Virgin Queen (original title: The Virgin Queen ) is an American period film by Henry Koster from 1955. The film was also under the alternative title Her Majesty's Rebel .

action

England in 1581: Lord Leicester's carriage sinks in the mud on the way to London to the Royal Castle. In a tavern he asks the men present to make the carriage roadworthy, but only gets ridicule from one of the guests. Walter Raleigh, however, the nobleman looks familiar. He fights for his honor and in the end the carriage is made roadworthy. Lord Leicester learns Raleigh's name and recognizes him as the son of his late best friend. He invites Raleigh to London. Here he wants to grant him a wish and Raleigh asks to be introduced to Queen Elizabeth I. He wants to tell her about his seafaring plans, about his ideas about how ships should be built, and hopes to get three ships from her for the discovery of the New World. At the audience, Raleigh initially messed with the courtiers, but in return receives the attention of Beth Throgmorton , who is the lady-in-waiting and ward of the queen. Elisabeth, in turn, realizes that in Raleigh she is not dealing with an adapted lackey of her court. She grants him a private audience, during which he impetuously demands the three ships. She denies it to him and he wants to leave without being asked. Elisabeth is outraged, throws her wine goblet at him and finally forces him to pour it more. In the end, Raleigh is allowed to leave, but is certain never to return to the palace. He goes to his accommodation, which he shares with his confidante Lord Derry, an Irishman. He reports on his failure when Lord Leicester suddenly appears with news: Elizabeth I has appointed Raleigh captain of her palace guard. Raleigh is irritated, but cannot refuse the task. He takes Lord Derry into the Guard.

In the following years, Raleigh rose in favor of the queen, but also submitted to her more than he ever wanted. Beth Throgmorton in particular teases him about it and Elisabeth does not miss the fact that there is familiarity between the two. She herself is ensnared by a French duke, with the French ambassador playing the courtship. Annoyed, she throws the envoy out and Sir Christopher Hatton, who was the Queen's favorite until Raleigh's arrival, sees his chance to discredit him: He reports to Elizabeth that Raleigh had smuggled an Irishman into the station who was planning the murder of the Queen. Raleigh, overhearing the conversation, is outraged. Angry, he storms out of the room. When he refuses to give Elisabeth the necessary respect and accuses her of being reluctant to send ships to the New World like other countries, she throws him out of the palace. He packs in his accommodation, he wants to leave London with Derry as soon as possible. Suddenly Beth Throgmorton appears and they both admit their love. With the host as a witness, they say yes before God. Beth wants to come with Raleigh, but suddenly the palace guards appear and take Raleigh prisoner. He is brought to Elisabeth, who forgives him. He must swear to her that he will never raise his sword against Christopher Hatton. Shortly afterwards she knights him and offers him the ship Golden Falcon for his voyage to the New World.

Raleigh goes to Plymouth , where he has the Golden Falcon rebuilt. In the meantime, Elisabeth has changed her plans: She does not want to let Raleigh leave, but rather to bring him back to London with a trick. Allegedly, he had to bring cannons on board for the ship to leave. The messenger of the news tells Raleigh even more: the Queen has decided to send her four ladies-in-waiting to the French court for two years. In addition, there was a rumor that one of the ladies-in-waiting was pregnant. Raleigh suspects that she is talking about Beth and goes to see her. At first she refuses to see him, but he gains entry. She thinks he wants to negotiate with her about the child and absolves him of all responsibility. However, he renews his marriage to Beth. She reveals to him that once back in London he will never be able to set sail and so he plans to secretly sail with her and Derry to the New World without making the detour via London. He has a double bed built for himself and Beth on the Golden Falcon . When courtier Chadwick visits him on behalf of the Queen and hands him a banner from Elizabeth, which Elizabeth is to flag on the flagpole of the Golden Falcon as a sign of his submission to London , he sees the newly made bed. He and Christopher Hatton tell Elisabeth about it and also about the rumors that Raleigh is said to have secretly married Beth Throgmorton. She orders Raleigh to be arrested. On board the Golden Falcon , there is a duel between Raleigh and Christopher Hatton, while Lord Derry fetches Beth to flee by ship. Derry is stabbed to death by Hatton's men and Beth and Raleigh are captured. Both are to be executed, but Beth reveals to the queen that she is pregnant and that the law only allows her to be killed after the child is born. She accuses Elisabeth of acting so mercilessly out of jealousy. Elisabeth makes it clear to Beth that her love for men is of a different kind: she learned early on that she could not have children. In addition, she has been bald for a long time and has been wearing wigs. Unlike Beth, men love her because of her intellect. Elisabeth visits Raleigh a little later in his cell. She believes she will find a broken man, but he is already making plans how his great goal - sailing the New World - can be achieved without him. He hopes that the riches that Elisabeth receives will please her so that nothing will happen to Beth and her child. Elisabeth, however, shows herself heartless and he throws her out of his cell. Only when she implies that she loved him does he fall to the ground in front of her and kiss her hand. Elisabeth leaves, but returns after a short time. She pardons Raleigh and Beth, even if she cannot forgive either of them. She doesn't want to be the cause of an orphan because she had a similar fate. Raleigh is supposed to bring her the riches he promised her. A little later, the Golden Falcon sets sail . Lord Leicester asks Elizabeth to look at the ship in binoculars: Raleigh has hoisted the sail she had sent him - in recognition of his submissiveness.

production

The Virgin Queen was filmed in Hollywood from February to May 1955. The costumes were created by Charles Le Maire , the film construction was done by Lyle R. Wheeler and Leland Fuller . The film premiered on July 22, 1955 in Portland and was released in US cinemas that same month. The film was shown in cinemas in Germany from November 8, 1955 and was shown for the first time on January 26, 1975 on ZDF.

It was the second time, after a Queen's favorite (1939), that Bette Davis played Queen Elizabeth I in the film.

criticism

The film-dienst called The Virgin Queen a "Hollywood-style historical film, insignificant as a historical picture, but worth seeing because of Bette Davis' brilliant representational art." Cinema also found that Davis "[plays] the aging queen so grandiose that it is all melodramatic Defects are secondary ". The contemporary critics noted that Davis' does not appear like herself because of the sheer amount of makeup, but that her face resembles a facade. Your Elisabeth looked like a thing that was “partly man, partly woman, partly monster, partly humble, partly crazy. She makes Elizabeth a shrill, dominant, pathetic queen. "

Awards

The Virgin Queen was nominated for an Oscar in the category Best Costume Design in 1956 , but could not prevail against All Glory on Earth .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Virgin Queen. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed October 27, 2019 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  2. ↑ See cinema.de
  3. ↑ "... a thing that seems part man, part woman, part monster, part suppliant and part freak. She makes Elizabeth a strident, domineering, piteous queen. She is now a little stronger and a little more freakish than before. "Bosley Crowther: Bette Davis as 'Virgin Queen'; Repeats Great Role at Roxy After 16 Years Richard Todd Seen as Sir Walter Raleigh . In: The New York Times , August 6, 1955.