Review of Fire Over England (1937) by Stephanie F — 30 Mar 2008
Sadly (?), this movie has fallen out of copyright, so it's very unlikely we'll ever get a decently restored DVD version of this movie. Is it trite? Yes, in many, many ways, especially in relation to the Leigh/Olivier romantic sub-plot.
The marvel here, though, is Flora Robson's Elizabeth I, for my money still the best one committed to film. She's stern, steely, gruff and even a bit philosophical, with none of the bombast evident in Judi Dench's performance or the soporific navel-gazing of Cate Blanchett's.
This is Robson's movie all the way, and her speech to the troops at Tillbury is still very effective.
This review of Fire Over England (1937) was written by Stephanie F on 30 Mar 2008.
Fire Over England has generally received mixed reviews.
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