The Virgin Queen (1955)

Review by All Movie Guide
It doesn't measure up to the earlier The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex, but as long as Bette Davis is on screen, The Virgin Queen commands our attention. The problem is that Queen was originally conceived not as Elizabeth's story but as that of Sir Walter Raleigh, with the Queen originally conceived of as a supporting part. When Davis came on board, that changed; but building her part up comes at the expense of the actual story. As a result, the film feels a bit lopsided structurally. Things are confused further by the fact that Davis is so damn good in her part, while Richard Todd as Raleigh and Joan Collins as his true love are only adequate. Thus, the force of Davis's performance and the relative weakness of her co-stars' tilts the film in her favor, even as structurally it continues to favor Todd. (It goes without saying, of course, that the film also sacrifices historical fact for dramatic effect at the drop of a hat.) Even with its flaws, the screenplay still provides plenty of meaty individual scenes which score big points. Henry Koster's direction is uneven, with very good segments mixed with not-so-good; the latter unfortunately includes the famous laying-down-the-coat sequence which is what many viewers remember about Raleigh today. But he wisely gives Davis plenty of room, and she doesn't disappoint, mesmerizing the viewer whenever she's around. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide