Curapedi I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

ChampDavSlim The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

blue-7 It has been a long time arriving but "Young Bess" is finally available on the DVD format as of August 2010 through the Warner Bros. Archive program. These are made on demand discs that usually come from the best current material on the title. In other words the film has not been digitally restored as is often the case for new DVD pressings. In the case of "Young Bess" it comes from the material that would be used for screenings on Turner's Classic Movies and in this case it is a very satisfactory presentation. "Young Bess" boasts Technicolor cinematography by two time Oscar winner Charles Rosher (Oscars for Murnau's "Sunrise" and "The Yearling"). The color on the disc does justice to the original film. "Young Bess" is that rare film in which direction, screenplay, cast, costumes, musical score, sets all come together to provide a superior film experience. Jean Simmon's performance as the young Elizabeth is one of her two or three best roles. If you love this film as I do then you'll want to order it at wbshop.com and you may also find other titles to add to your collection

janes6womack I don't expect or even want precise historicity in a costume drama, so I love this beautifully-filmed production. Did anybody else find Rex Thompson's portrayal of Edward, the little king, as remarkable as I did? Rex was only 11 at the time, and no matter how visionary the director, how plausible the writing or how facile the film editor, it takes real brilliance for a person that young to perform so believably. He perfectly reproduced Laughton's characterizations of Henry VIII in miniature, and was as matter-of-dactyl bloodthirsty as Henry ("I wish he'd die," he remarks about his "Oncle Ned," seeing nothing untoward about it). He worked again with Deborah Kerr playing Louis in "The King and I." He was "The Page" in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production of the same name in 1966, but there are no later entries about him on this site. Also, no death date, which I'm glad to see...was he one of those unfortunate child actors who was robbed blind by unscrupulous relatives/agents/investors? Did he just get sick of the grind and chuck it all? Or did he change his name and vocation? I would have liked to have seen him as an adult. He was such an appealing child!

esteban1747 Historical facts are very difficult to draw in films. I think that this material tried to present some features of lives of Elizabeth (Jean Simmons, his father and the members of the council once his father, the cruel King Henry VIII (Charles Laughton), died. The plot went through the love triangle of Bess and Catherine Parr (Deborah Kerr) with Thomas Seymour (Stewart Granger), a man loyal to the King but very much in love with Catherine and then with Elizabeth. It was clear that the council was doing everything possible to keep Elizabeth away from the throne, something that happened at the end of the film suddenly and without much explanation. At least someone like me, not knowing well this story, finished with several questions, whether her brother (the successor to the throne) died?, what happened to Ned Seymour?, the main instigator of the assassination of his brother Tom and the main one avoiding Bess to govern. May be with more complete plot and perhaps time for the film, this story may have looked much better than it is.

Hans C. Frederick There really isn't much more that I can add that hasn't been said in previous reviews.Yes,it's historically quite inaccurate with regard to :a.)Tom Seymour's character.b.)The fact that Elizabeth wasn't at all interested in him,romantically.c.)The way Tom Seymour was sent to execution,not at the instigation of his brother,but as a result of his own (failed)machinations.What I found most interesting,however,was the device of having a real-life husband and wife performing the roles of an erotically charged romantic situation.It adds an extra depth,and degree of verisimilitude to what is going on on-screen. Regarding the production,see my comments on "Diane."They apply here equally.