Filmography

Movies about Queen Elizabeth I:

Queen Elizabeth (1912)
This early silent film, also known by the French title Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth, revolves around the legend of Elizabeth's ill-fated love affair with Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex. Directed by Henri Desfontaines and Louis Mercanton; Writing credits Emile Moreau; Starring Sarah Bernhardt as Elizabeth.

The Virgin Queen (1923)
A black and white silent film. Directed by J. Stuart Blackton; Writing credits Harry Pirie Gordon; Starring Diana Manners as Elizabeth I.

Fire Over England (1937)
Film about failing relations between Spain and England that culminate in the battle against the Spanish Armada. Directed by William K. Howard; Writing credits A.E.W. Mason (novel) and Clemence Dane (screenplay); Starring Flora Robson as Elizabeth I, Raymond Massey as Philip II of Spain, Lawrence Olivier as Elizabeth's spy in Spain, and Vivien Leigh as the queen's lady-in-waiting.

The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex (1939)
A drama about the political intrigue and royal ambitions motivating Robert Devereux's courtship of the queen. Directed by Michaeul Curtiz; Writing credits Maxwell Anderson (play) and Norman Reilly Raine; Starring Bette Davis as Elizabeth I and Errol Flynn as the dashing Earl of Essex.

The Sea Hawk (1940)
A film about English pirateering against the Spanish during the height of the Armada fleet's power. Directed by Michael Curtiz; Writing credits Howard Koch and Seton Miller; Starring Flora Robson as Elizabeth and Errol Flynn as an English buccaneer.

Young Bess (1953)
Chronicles of Elizabeth's youth and the perils she faced as a successor to the throne. Directed by George Sidney; Writing credits Margaret Irwin (novel) and Jan Lustig; Starring Jean Simmons as the teenage Princess Elizabeth, Stewart Grainger as Thomas Seymour and Charles Laughton as King Henry VIII.

The Virgin Queen (1955)
Historical drama that focuses on Queen Elizabeth I's volatile relationship with the English explorer Sir Walter Raleigh. Directed by Henry Koster; Writing credits Harry Brown (story) and Mildred Lord; Starring Bette Davis as Elizabeth, Richard Todd as Raleigh and Joan Collins as the queen's lady-in-waiting.

Seven Seas to Calais (1962)
An Italian film about the exploits of Sir Francis Drake with a full cast of Elizabethan characters. Directed by Rudolph Mate and Primo Zeglio; Writing credits Filippo Sanjust; Starring Rod Taylor as Drake and Irene Worth as Elizabeth.

Elizabeth R (1971)
A BBC miniseries about Elizabeth (R for Regina). Directed by Roderick Graham and Richard Martin; Writing credits John Hale and Julian Mitchell; Starring Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth.

Shakespeare in Love (1998)
Directed by John Madden; Writing credits Marc Norman and Tom Stoppard; Starring Joseph Fiennes as the Bard and Dame Judi Dench as an older Queen Elizabeth I.

Elizabeth (1998)
Directed by Shekhar Kapur; Writing credits Michael Hirst; Starring Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth, Joseph Fiennes as Robert Dudley, and Geoffrey Rush as Sir Francis Walsingham.

Biography: Elizabeth I (1999)
A documentary produced as part of A&E biography series for television.

Elizabeth (2002)
A History Channel documentary hosted by the Elizabethan scholar David Starkey.

Movies about King Henry VIII:

Henry VIII (1911)
A silent film based on Shakespeare's play. Directed by William G.B. Barker; Writing credits John Fletcher and William Shakespeare; Starring Arthur Bourchier as Henry.

The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933)
A look at the infamous King Henry's multifaceted love life. Directed by Alexander Korda; Writing credits Lajos Biro and Arthur Wimperis; Starring Charles Laughton as Henry.

Carry On Henry (1971)
Comedy about Henry VIII and his consorts. Directed by Gerald Thomas; Writing credits Talbot Rothwell; Starring Sid James as Henry.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1971)
A BBC television series known for accurate analysis of each of King Henry's six wives. Directed by Naomi Capon and John Glenister; Writing credits Beverley Cross and Nick McCarty; Starring Keith Michell as Henry.

Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1973)
Film version of the BBC television series. Directed by Waris Hussein; Writing credits Ian Thorne; Starring Keith Michell as Henry.

Movies about Anne Boleyn:

Anna Boleyn (1920)
German made silent film about the second Queen of Henry VIII. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch; Writing credits Norbert Falk and Hanns Kraly; Starring Henny Porten as Anne Boleyn and Emil Jannings as King Henry.

Anne of the Thousand Days (1969)
The story of Anne Boleyn's ill-fated marriage to King Henry VIII. Directed by Charles Jarrott; Writing credits Maxwell Anderson (play) and Bridget Boland; Starring Genevieve Bujold as Anne Boleyn and Richard Burton as Henry VIII.

Movies about Lady Jane Grey:

Nine Days A Queen (1936)
A black and white film about Lady Jane Grey's brief stint as ruler of England. Directed by Robert Stevenson; Writing credits Miles Malleson and Robert Stevenson.

Lady Jane (1986)
A remake of the 1936 film Nine Days a Queen. Directed by Trevor Nunn; Writing credits Chris Bryant (story) and David Edgar; Starring Helena Bonham Carter as the tragic Queen Jane.

Movies about Mary Queen of Scots:

The Execution of Mary Stuart (1895)
One of the first movies ever made, this film depicts the controversial execution of Mary Queen of Scots. Directed by Alfred Clark; Produced by Thomas A. Edison; Starring Robert Thomae as Mary.

The Loves of Mary Queen of Scots (1923)
A silent film about the murder of Mary Stuart's first husband and her second marriage to the man thought to have killed him. Directed and written by Denison Clift; Starring Fay Compton as Mary.

Mary of Scotland (1936)
A drama about the ill-fated Mary Queen of Scots. Directed by John Ford; Writing credits Maxwell Anderson (play) and Dudley Nichols; Starring Katherine Hepburn as Mary.

The Heart of a Queen (1940)
A German film about the life and loves of Mary Stuart. Directed by Carl Froelich; Writing credits Harald Braun (novel) and Jacob Geis; Starring Zarah Leander as Mary.

Mary, Queen of Scots (1971)
A film about the rivalry between Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elizabeth I. Directed by Charles Jarrott; Writing credits John Hale; Starring Glenda Jackson as Elizabeth and Vanessa Redgrave as Mary.

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