''Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth'' (''The Loves of Queen Elizabeth''), ''Les Amours d'Élisabeth, Reine d'Angleterre'' (''The Loves of Elizabeth, Queen of England'') or ''La reine Élisabeth'' (''Queen Elizabeth'') is a 1912 feature 4-reel French

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

based on the love affair between

Elizabeth I of England Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

and the

Earl of Essex Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...

. It was condensed from a play of the same name and directed by

Louis Mercanton Louis Mercanton (4 May 1879 – 29 April 1932) was a Swiss people, Swiss film director, screenwriter and actor. Mercanton was born in Nyon, Vaud, Canton of Vaud, Switzerland and died in Neuilly-sur-Seine, France. Partial filmography Director * ' ...

and Henri Desfontaines. It was shot in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

and starred

Sarah Bernhardt Sarah Bernhardt (; born Henriette-Rosine Bernard; 22 October 1844 – 26 March 1923) was a French stage actress who starred in some of the most popular French plays of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including by Alexandre Dumas fils, ...

as Elizabeth and Lou Tellegen as Essex. Bernhardt by then was 68 and said of the film "This is my last chance at immortality". She and Tellegen were already romantically involved, and this was their second film together. Its production company, L’Histrionic Film, was forced into liquidation by

Pathé Frères Pathé SAS (; styled as PATHÉ!) is a French major film production and distribution company, owning a number of cinema chains through its subsidiary Pathé Cinémas and television networks across Europe. It is the name of a network of Fren ...

during the film's production, but it was completed with funds from

Adolph Zukor Adolph Zukor (; ; January 7, 1873 – June 10, 1976) was a Hungarian-American film producer best known as one of the three founders of Paramount Pictures.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'' (June 16, 1976), p. 76. He produced one of Ameri ...

. Zukor also brought it to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, where it premiered at the Lyceum Theatre on Broadway. The film's US release (on State Rights basis, on 12 July 1912) was the first release from the Famous Players Film Company. Its success convinced other American companies that feature films were commercially viable. Famous Players, which advertised "Famous Players in Famous Plays", later became Famous Players–Lasky, and then

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. ''Queen Elizabeth'' had one of the earliest dedicated

film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...

s, composed by Joseph Carl Breil specifically for the production.Davis, Richard (1999). ''Complete Guide to Film Scoring'', Berklee Press, Boston. , p. 17

Cast

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...

* Lou Tellegen as Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex * Max Maxudian as Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham *Nita Romani as Catherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham * Jean Angelo as Seymour *Jean Chameroy as Lord Bacon *Albert Decoeur as

Sir Francis Drake Sir Francis Drake ( 1540 – 28 January 1596) was an English Exploration, explorer and privateer best known for making the Francis Drake's circumnavigation, second circumnavigation of the world in a single expedition between 1577 and 1580 (bein ...

* Georges Deneubourg as Biron *Marie-Louise Derval as Lady Howard * Henri Desfontaines * Guy Favières as Worcester * Paul Guidé as

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

*Paul Laurent as Jacques Stuart *Jane Maylianes as Lady Southwell

References

External links

*
''Queen Elizabeth'' at SilentEraClip from the film at ''Encyclopædia Britannica''
1912 films 1910s historical films French historical films French silent feature films Films set in Tudor England Films about Elizabeth I Articles containing video clips French black-and-white films Films directed by Henri Desfontaines Films directed by Louis Mercanton 1910s French films {{1910s-France-film-stub

Cast

See also

References

External links