This epic drama from the man who almost brought us the first "I Claudius" (Alexander Jordan) focuses on the rival of two 16th century rulers, Queen Elizabeth of England and King Philip of Spain, once related through marriage. They are portrayed by two of the greatest character actors in cinema and stage history, Flora Robson and Raymond Massey, and their performances are extraordinary. While they do not share a scene it is obvious that in spite of being enemies, there is an underlying caring for the other through their past familial relationship even though as Elizabeth notes, she was not a favorite of her sister, the late Queen Mary.

The film basically deals with the various relationships of Elizabeth's court, particularly the young Laurence Olivier and lady in waiting Vivian Leigh, and Olivier's mission to go to Spain to pass along messages to the king in regards to plots against the queen. When he tells Philip that there was an assassination attempt on the Queen's life, King Philip seems genuinely concerned.

Even though they are in constant battle over Spain's commanding of the waters through the Armada and the belief that England's small seafaring army (not yet a Navy) are nothing more than pirates, the two never display hatred towards the other, only the desire for what they believe to be justice. Robson's Queen is a temperamental aging matriarch, at one point slapping Leigh in fury, then comforting her when she sends Olivier away on a mission. She truly is commanding and gives an outstanding, believable performance, filled with strengthen, intelligence, sadness and regret, demonstrated when Leigh removes her wig to work on what remains of her hair.

In Spain, Olivier is rescued and nursed back to healthy by Tamara Desni after being thrown overboard in battle, which gives a bit of romantic conflict even though she is loyal to her country and hates the English. While Olivier singing voice isn't unpleasant, it is awkward to hear him sing the rather annoying "Spanish Lady" song over and over. His acting at times is completely over the top, making his character rather testy even though he outgrows that due to the necessity of the plot. Leigh is window dressing only, not yet the sultry vixen of Tara, but she certainly is gorgeous in those period costumes.

Olivier's future "Boys From Brazil" costar James Mason has a smaller role as one of the young men in service to the queen, and a cast of aging British character actors round out the ensemble, some with great wisdom and sadness as they see their days as being numbered. This is an entertaining film, not a great one, and the fact that this is in the public domain and not restored makes it sometimes frustrating because the prints even today look like those many TV broadcasts I saw of it back in the 80's when I first began collecting classic cinema.

But it's the film itself, not the print, that could have used a bit more energy to stand the test of time as a classic. Robson would go on one more time to play the queen even though far younger, and while not as grotesque as the characters she would play in "Saratoga Trunk" and "Caesar and Cleopatra", shows her as a brave actress who shines in these types of parts. She would be reunited with Olivier just a year later for her classic role as Ellen in "Wuthering Heights", a complete contrast to the part she plays here. Massey, going from playing the king here, would play other real life historical figures, most notably John Brown and Abraham Lincoln, but even with limited footage here, he is terrific. The ending, while profound and dramatic, seems to be trying to stretch itself out, and that doesn't aide to the film's dramatic power.

Recently I've come to realize that I often hate many costume dramas--especially because most of them are a little short on excitement and acting because they spend so much time on expensive sets and blaring music that the actors just seem secondary. I would say this is pretty true of this film, as most of the actors are kind of wooden and most of the action just isn't that action-packed. Plus, I've seen better versions of this same material. Flora Robson, who plays Queen Elizabeth in this film, also did just about the EXACT same role with a similar plot--only co-starring Errol Flynn instead of Lawrence Olivier. SEA HAWK just had a lot more to offer--better plot, more action and a spark. And, while Olivier is pleasant enough, Flynn's charisma gave the other film a little more energy. Also, the dialog is a bit stupid now and again--especially when they try to make Elizabeth seem human--in reality, she was a terrible person just like most other absolute rulers of the day. If you MUST see an Elizabethan costumer, try SEA HAWK first--it's just more bang for your buck.

PS--interestingly enough, Ms. Robson was only 35 when she took on the part of Elizabeth, though she looked about 60 in the film. I assume they just used a ton of makeup and they did a good job of passing her off as this older lady.

Renowned and handsomely-mounted early British spectacular with imposing credentials – producers Alexander Korda and Erich Pommer, cinematographer James Wong Howe, art director Lazare Meerson, special effects creator Ned Mann – and a cast virtually assembling the cream of the crop working in the country at that particular moment – Laurence Olivier, Flora Robson, Leslie Banks, Vivien Leigh, Raymond Massey, Robert Newton, James Mason – all of which is complemented by a suitably rousing score from Richard Addinsell.

The narrative revolves around the planned invasion of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I by the Spanish armada of King Philip II (with help from British traitors); the former is magnificently embodied by Robson (who would eventually return to the role in Hollywood for the Errol Flynn vehicle THE SEA HAWK [1940]), while the latter is played by Massey as a sleek but cagey monarch. With one of the dissidents among her ranks (Mason) intercepted, the English Queen appoints a young naval officer (Olivier) – who had just lost his admiral father to the Spanish Inquisition – to assume the conniver's identity and travel to Philip's court in order to obtain the names of his associates and establish the enemy's strategy for attack. Complications arise when one of the Spanish ruler's subordinates (Newton) is revealed to be married to the woman (pretty Tamara Desni – the German-born Russian actress died in France only last month at the venerable age of 97!) who had previously cared for the wounded Olivier, their respective fathers having been the best of friends. Torn between betraying his country or his wife, Newton engineers Olivier's flight home – whereupon the latter receives a knighthood, before being promptly sent by his sovereign (along with the conspirators newly-swayed to patriotic duty) on a mission to destroy the approaching enemy fleet!

The film maintains a good balance throughout between romance (thanks to Olivier's matinée idol looks, he's briefly involved with Desni apart from his love interest in England – provided by future wife Leigh, as the Queen's lady-in-waiting, in the first of three on-screen collaborations…though Robson herself is shown carrying a hesitant torch for veteran and devoted chief adviser Banks!), intrigue (in effect at both camps), action (including raids by pirate ships, a couple of chases, discreet swordplay and culminating in the final elaborate fiery offensive) and propaganda (WWII was already looming at this point). While the print I viewed turned out to be anything but pristine, I was grateful to have finally caught this altogether splendid historical epic; incidentally, I'd become acquainted with several wonderful Korda productions over the years on both Italian TV and VHS – but, oddly enough, FIRE OVER ENGLAND itself seldom turned up until now in my neck of the woods!