The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex - DVD

Bette Davis and Errol Flynn made The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex fascinatingly public, striking sparks in this lavish Technicolor tale of the ill-fated love between the aging Elizabeth I and the dashing Earl of Essex. Thoroughly unglamorous here -- eyes and hairline shaved, face painted chalky white -- double Academy Award winner* Davis exudes such intelligence, energy and ardor that her romance with the decades-younger Essex

A woman caught between ruling a nation, duty and family, and how she has led a monarchy through some of the greatest changes in modern history. A woman who never chose her life, but who has become the world's longest ever serving Queen.

Queen Elizabeth I was one of England's greatest monarchs, but she spent her life surrounded by enemies. Born in 1533 to King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, Elizabeth was declared illegitimate when her mother was beheaded after losing the king's favor. Elizabeth fought hard for her crown-and even harder to keep it-as foreign powers, scheming nobles, and members of her own family sought to topple her. Surviving assassination attempts, rebellions, and accusations of treason, Elizabeth had to overcome numerous adversaries to become one of history's most remarkable figures.