Young Bess

Young Bess (1953)

A Great and Spectacular Drama!

The mother died under the executioner's axe; the daughter rose to become England's greatest monarch -- the brilliant and cunning Queen Elizabeth I. Jean Simmons portrays young Bess in this rich tapestry of a film that traces the tumultuous, danger-fraught years from Elizabeth's birth to her unexpected ascension to the throne at a mere 25. Charles Laughton reprises his Academy Award®-winning* role as her formidable father Henry VIII. Deborah Kerr plays her last stepmother (and Henry's last of six wives), gentle Catherine Parr. And Simmons' then real-life husband, Stewart Granger, adds heroics as Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour. In a resplendent world of adventure, romance and court intrigue, Young Bess reigns.

Date of release
1953-05-29
TMDB
5.8 / 10 (22)
Runtime
1h 52m
Genres
Drama, History, Romance
Director
George Sidney

Casting

Interesting facts

  • Awards: 0 · Nominations: 2

Young Bess is a 1953 Technicolor biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about the early life of Elizabeth I, from her turbulent childhood to the eve of her accession to the throne of England. It stars Jean Simmons as Elizabeth and Stewart Granger as Thomas Seymour, with Charles Laughton as Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, a part he had played 20 years before in The Private Life of Henry VIII. The film was directed by George Sidney and produced by Sidney Franklin, from a screenplay by Jan Lustig and Arthur Wimperis based on the novel of the same title by Margaret Irwin (1944).

Production

The novel was published in 1944 in Britain and in 1945 in the U.S. It became a best seller.

MGM bought the rights to the novel in February 1945. Katherine Anne Porter and Jan Lustig signed to write the script, and Sidney Franklin was producer. Eventually a script by Lustig and Arthur Wimperis was finished in 1946 and Franklin said "we were full of enthusiasm for it." In May 1947, Deborah Kerr was tested for the lead role.

In March 1948, MGM announced it would make the film in Britain. It was to be the second in a series of films made there, following Edward, My Son. In May 1948, MGM stated that Deborah Kerr and Errol Flynn were "definite" for the film. However filming did not proceed.

In August 1948, Walter Pidgeon and Janet Leigh reportedly were tested for lead roles. Elizabeth Taylor was considered for the title role as was Deborah Kerr (if it was going to be the latter the character would be aged up). In November 1948, MGM put the film on its schedule for the following year. However, filming kept being postponed.

In December 1950, Jean Simmons emerged as a favorite to play the title role. This was partly at the behest of J. Arthur Rank who had Simmons under contract and thought the role would be perfect for her. In February 1951, MGM announced Simmons would co-star with her husband Stewart Granger. Filming continued to be pushed back in part because Simmons became enmeshed in a contractual dispute with Howard Hughes.

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