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Young Bess

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5.8/10 • 18

1953-05-291h 52m

DramaHistoryRomance

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.

Directors
George Sidney
Editors
Ralph E. Winters

Top Billed Cast

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  1. Jean Simmons

    Jean Simmons

    Young Bess (Queen Elizabeth I)

  2. Stewart Granger

    Stewart Granger

    Thomas Seymour

  3. Deborah Kerr

    Deborah Kerr

    Catherine Parr

  4. Charles Laughton

    Charles Laughton

    King Henry VIII

  5. Kay Walsh

    Kay Walsh

    Mrs. Ashley

  6. Guy Rolfe

    Guy Rolfe

    Ned Seymour

  7. Kathleen Byron

    Kathleen Byron

    Ann Seymour

  8. Cecil Kellaway

    Cecil Kellaway

    Mr. Parry

  9. Rex Thompson

    Rex Thompson

    Prince Edward / King Edward VI

Reviews1

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CinemaSerf Avatar

CinemaSerf

Dec 24, 2022

7/10

Maybe not quite how it actually happened, but this was Hollywood, remember. Jean Simmons plays the Princess Elizabeth brought up in rags and riches depending on the whim of her father Henry VIII (rather rumbustiously played by Charles Laughton). Meantime Thomas Seymour (a handsome, swashbuckling rogue played by Stewart Granger) is marrying Henry's widow Catherine Parr (Deborah Kerr) and so we have our menage-a-trois. History is fact about the marriage; much less so about the "love affair" between Elizabeth and Seymour. This film follows her coming-of-age as she navigates the political intrigues after her father's death. It's is colourful and engaging - her two servants add quite a lot too. It's entertainment though, nothing too educational.

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  • Young Bess poster
  • Young Bess poster
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  • Young Bess poster

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Status
Released
Original Language
English
Budget
--
Revenue
--
Keywords
englandqueenbiographytudorhistorical figure16th century