User reviews

This is a dramatic B/W film made just before WWII was begun by Adolf Hitler. The British Empire-based filmmakers draw a distinction between the theocratic Spanish Empire of Philip II, ably played by Raymond Massey, and the somewhat parliamentary government of England's island under the Protestant governance of Tudor Queen Elizabeth I, portrayed by Flora Robson with yet-unmatched power and skill. The distinction is important; although the misuse of their powers by neo-imperial-U.S. and post-Empire British governments have lessened our perception of the difference between the two regimes, that difference is in fact real and cleverly presented. The vehicle for the storyline was a novel by A.E. W. Mason. Clemence Dane's screenplay follows the adventure of young Michael, agent of the Queen, as he tries to uncover the nature and extent of a Spanish spy-ring operating in England. This requires him to pretend to be one of them and present himself to Philip; but his pretense fails for lack of a missing password. He is imprisoned in Spain, falls half in love with a lovely Spanish girl, daughter of his jailer, although he really loves one of Elizabeth's ladies-in-waiting; but she allows him to escape when she sees what Philip's evil is doing to her country's people, and he hastes back to the court in time to uncover the plot and save Elizabeth. Elizabeth then give her famous speech that rallies the English to defeat the Spanish Armada and save England, to become another empire and finally in our century a country again. The plot is fairly well-done, but the beauty of the film lies in its characters and dialogue and the way these are brought to life by an excellent cast. Laurence Olivier is Michael, Vivien Leigh is the girl he loves, Leslie Banks is the Earl of Leicester, Morton Selten is Lord Burleigh ;and Robert Newton heads the villains with Tamara Desni as the Spanish girl, plus many other fine British stage actors. The music was composed by Richard Addinsell, William K. Howard directed, cinematography was by the legendary James Wong Howe and camera-work by Wilkie Cooper. This is not a great film, but the restored B/W version is beautiful; the characters memorable, the villains intelligently unethical and some of the actors, especially Robson, superb. This is also a very good film about the era of Elizabeth and the meaning of tyranny--and what honorable men need to risk to avoid having its shadow fall over their lives; and what one group of men in the late 1580s dared to do.

Recently I've come to realize that I often hate many costume dramas--especially because most of them are a little short on excitement and acting because they spend so much time on expensive sets and blaring music that the actors just seem secondary. I would say this is pretty true of this film, as most of the actors are kind of wooden and most of the action just isn't that action-packed. Plus, I've seen better versions of this same material. Flora Robson, who plays Queen Elizabeth in this film, also did just about the EXACT same role with a similar plot--only co-starring Errol Flynn instead of Lawrence Olivier. SEA HAWK just had a lot more to offer--better plot, more action and a spark. And, while Olivier is pleasant enough, Flynn's charisma gave the other film a little more energy. Also, the dialog is a bit stupid now and again--especially when they try to make Elizabeth seem human--in reality, she was a terrible person just like most other absolute rulers of the day. If you MUST see an Elizabethan costumer, try SEA HAWK first--it's just more bang for your buck.

PS--interestingly enough, Ms. Robson was only 35 when she took on the part of Elizabeth, though she looked about 60 in the film. I assume they just used a ton of makeup and they did a good job of passing her off as this older lady.

I saw this years ago and didn't think much of it at the time dismissing it as a third rate Errol Flynn rip-off. I'm glad I revisited it - I found it a real exciting, superbly produced intelligent swashbuckler.

Laurence Olivier shows that he wasn't just a great dramatic actor - he could also be a fabulous dashing romantic action hero as well. It seems a stupid thing to say but he sure could act. Good old reliable Leslie Banks and Vivien - the most beautiful woman in the world, ever - Leigh provide good believable support. As for Flora Robson, she is Queen Elizabeth.

Historical films are usually guaranteed to get those of us with some historical knowledge shaking their fists at the slightest inaccuracy. Unlike Korda's earlier SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII however, this film isn't too bad on that score. (SIX WIVES was a clever comedy anyway so doesn't really count). Apart from the timing of the famous Tilbury speech, it's surprisingly how historically accurate this film actually is. Although we can't really know exactly how these people thought, that sense of impetuousness and that sense of certainty that their beliefs were the absolute truth is reflected well in this.

The contrast of England's freedom of thought with the repressive totalitarianism of Philip's Spain is an obvious analogy with what was happening in Germany. Whilst American films in theory had to be politically neutral, no such undertaking existed in England so this no doubt helped to stir us up to stand up against that chap over in Berlin. It's very stirring stuff and still after all these years manages to engage emotionally.

Note the date this was made..1937. What a shot in the arm for a people about to fight for their survival....AGAIN. The lines that effectively say "Loved I you, loved I not England more" spoken by Olivier speak for all the Brits that would soon have to turn their backs on a gentle home life. Today we are not faced with that decision and it seems amazing that a human being would have to lay down his life for his country. As Vivien Leigh pleads with her lover (later to be her husband) to remember 'all the sunsets we could see together", you know that she is speaking to the audience of that time in a visceral manner.

Quaintly anachronistic, and let's pray it stays that way.

To watch Raymond Massey play the king of Spain and James Mason play the English 'spy' Vane is worth the price of the movie itself. Logic rears its ugly head, of course, or illogic: Five Englishmen are identified as traitors by Olivier and what happens? Elisabeth puts them under his command to fight off the Spanish Armada. Didn't she ever hear of fragging?

As the English ships are set ablaze and sailed into the Armada, it makes me long for a history book to find out what actually happened. I thought the weather broke the Spanish Armada up before it reached English shores off the coast of Ireland....accounting for the 'black Irish', descendants from those sailors who made it ashore.

Nonetheless, to watch the Lord and Lady of the English stage appear together while their love was young (and both were married to others) is fascinating.

You think you're watching Elisabeth Taylor half the time, with those big expressive eyes. Olivier also sings and plays a lute. His singing voice isn't bad atall, and is he handsome!!!!

When he plays his acrobatic ship and sword fighting tricks, you'll think of Errol Flynn and long for the movie to be colorized. How easy it would be with today's technology to color these wonderful old movies in gorgeous realistic color. And the mood would be enhanced, not destroyed as it might were it a film noir.

When Queen Elisabeth (the first one) says, "I'm only a woman", you'll burst out laughing.....she who made England was 'only a woman'. See it.

So 'Fire over England' was a propaganda film. Fine. I loved it.

I'm afraid I was disappointed by "Fire over England", having pinned too many hopes on this film of all those in the Olivier season: based on a novel I'd loved as a child, starring Flora Robson as Queen Elizabeth with names such as Raymond Massey, James Mason and Robert Newton among the supporting cast, and featuring Vivien Leigh as the real-life love interest of a Laurence Olivier described as channelling Douglas Fairbanks and John Barrymore as he does all his own stunts, what could hold more promise? Like "The Sea Hawk", it was a picture I'd heard of and had long since been waiting to see.

But great anticipation places an insuperable weight on a film. "The Sea Hawk" disappointed, and Olivier is no Flynn. The character is petulant and callow, admittedly -- but I couldn't identify with Michael emotionally (not aided by the fact that he appears to be trifling completely untroubled with the affections of two ladies at once, which deprived the love scenes of their conviction: it didn't come across as a conflict of loyalties, but as having your cake and eating it), and I found the action sequences uninspiring. The stunt dives look like belly-flops (presumably with an eye to the angle of the safety nets), the 'storm-tossed' ships wobble along with their sails obviously providing no propulsion whatsoever (would it have cost too much to have someone blow on them?), and the palace guards at the Escurial display a degree of stupidity in their pursuit that even in the context of cliché is less thrilling than ridiculous. The only moments of the Spanish adventure that worked for me at all were the double-edged dialogue at the dining table, and the 'spy' scenes with Raymond Massey.

For the true honours of this production lie not with the adolescent hero but with the ageing generation. Massey invests the workaholic, melancholic Philip of Spain with a lethally plodding efficiency that makes him truly to be feared. The quietly-weighted exchange between the older Ingolby and his friend-turned-captor holds far more emotional impact than young Michael's histrionics when he finally cottons on (about a reel later than everybody else, audience included). The Queen's relationship with her boyhood's Robin is far deeper and better-portrayed than Michael's with Cynthia, and the memorable struggle is not Laurence Olivier with a sword in his hand but Elizabeth facing the loss of her youth.

It is the grown-up drama that is worth watching here. But unfortunately this is not the main focus of the motion picture.

Laurence Olivier is an excitable and immature hero for much of the running time of this unremarkable costume drama that was probably made with one eye on the gathering war clouds in Europe. Its' plot revolves around young Larry's undercover attempts to unearth the names of those in England plotting to replace Queen Elizabeth I with the Spanish King Philip. The direction and editing leaves much to be desired, but is at least counteracted by a strong, committed cast and a mildly intriguing plot. More of Raymond Massey would have been good - he barely rises from his seat once...

From the start of the film, I had a hard time distinguishing between characters. I was having a difficult time who was English and who was Spanish. We would go from scene to scene not knowing who the character's of the film were associated. However, once in the middle of the movie it became more involved with the main characters and the movie became more interesting and clearer. > Even though some of the acting was very stiff, it did tell a story that was compelling and entertaining. Most of the acting was par for the time period. But there an escape from custody scene in the film that was nearly laughable as guards appear unable to see when the escape person is right in eye sight of them. But overall, the movie did serve its purpose and was entertaining enough to make for a nice watch. > Even with some acting inflexible, this was not the case with Flora Robson, who played Queen Elizabeth I, as her performance was the best thing about this movie. Also, Morton Selten was excellent in one of his last performances. > Even with times the movie was difficult to understand, it was entertaining enough to make the watch absorbing. With a nice cast and forceful message, this was enough to make for a good view.

'Fire Over England' covers more or less the same ground as 'The Sea Hawk' did a few years later, though the younger film did it to much better effect. The issue is Philip II of Spain's (Raymond Massey) ambition to eradicate Protestantism, which requires annexing and re-catholicising countries such as England. In 'Fire Over England' Elizabeth (Flora Robson) sends young Michael Ingolby (Laurence Olivier) as an agent to Spain. His mission: discover a) when the Armada will sail, and b) who of her courtiers are secretly in league with Spain. The plot is pretty convoluted; moreover, there are several sub-plots that are not adding or helping much (for example, Elena's (Tamara Desni) only function seems to be to convince the audience of Michael Ingolby's irresistable charms). Robson as Queen Elizabeth is excellent. She reprised her role later in 'The Sea Hawk'. As a swashbuckling hero, Olivier is no match for Errol Flynn. Vivien Leigh, who plays his love interest Cynthia is charming and vivacious. The sets are great throughout. One important thing that should not be forgotten is that 'Fire Over England' had a clear message for British audiences in 1937: It is about the need to resist great powers bent on the invasion of England. I am sure many viewers saw the parallel with Nazi-Germany - but I am not sure whether this helped the film: public opinion was pacifist, and British politics dominated by appeasers. 'Fire Over England' took a courageous, if unpopular stance.

Sir Laurence Olivier once said that he thought his work before Wuthering Heights markedly inferior to that after because it was William Wyler who taught him the art of film acting and the difference between that and the stage. Although he overacts in spots in Fire Over England, even with that it comes natural because the character he's playing is an impetuous youth.

England did not have the big navy and the empire it boasted of in later centuries. Spain was the big kid on the European block in 1587 when this story takes place. It's Hapsburg King, Philip II either directly or through his Hapsburg relations lay claim to about half of western Europe and about 3/5 of the North and South American continents combined.

And Spain was driven by a religious ideology in the Roman Catholic faith with its Inquisition determined to stamp out diversity of thought in it's wake. England had broken away from the Roman Church and the Pope and was asserting its own religious sovereignty.

England didn't have a navy, but it did have privateers, although the Spanish called them pirates. They raided Spanish commerce and exacted a heavy toll in life and property. That got Philip II pretty mad and he set out to build the biggest fleet anyone ever saw to wipe these upstarts out. He called it the Armada.

These upstarts had a female ruler in Elizabeth I, played by Flora Robson. Over 400 years before Germaine Greer and Betty Friedan were writing about feminism, in that most masculine of ages Queen Elizabeth devoted her very existence to her people and sacrificed a lot of personal happiness in doing so. Flora Robson gives the definitive portrait of Elizabeth of England in this film. She did it so well that when she came to America, Warner Brothers had her play Queen Elizabeth again in The Sea Hawk. Elizabeth in this writer's humble opinion was the greatest monarch the English have ever had.

Raymond Massey plays Philip II, a dour humorless man who also unceasingly worked for his country. He's a cunning adversary for Elizabeth.

Fire Over England was the first film that Olivier did with his future wife Vivien Leigh. On this film they started the affair that was the Taylor-Burton romance of it's day. I'm sure the publicity helped the box office here. Vivien Leigh is one of Elizabeth's ladies in waiting and she falls big time for Olivier who has been captured, escapes Spain and then sent on a confidential mission by Elizabeth to find out about some English fifth columnists she suspects. How Olivier escapes the first time and what happens on the mission, well that's for you to see Fire Over England for.

Two other main characters are Lord Burleigh played by Morton Selten and the Earl of Leicester played by Leslie Banks. Leicester in his youth was the lover and chief confidant of Elizabeth even before she became Queen. Their story is a part of the rich tapestry of pageant that was Elizabeth of England's life. Why they didn't marry is a whole film in and of itself and Banks's anguish is captured well here.

Grand entertainment and a grand historical pageant tribute to one of the most heroic times in English history.

Whilst Olivier falls for Vivienne Leigh at the court of Elizabeth I, the queen sends him on a mission to Spain to find out who are the traitors in King Philip's pay.

Mounted rather like a Shakespearean play with Olivier in best thrusting doublet pose, this is a very British, handsomely put together piece of flag waving. Most of the cast speak in the grandest tones about everything leaving it to Raymond Massey as Philip to provide the only grounded performance.

Enjoyable but very much of its pre war time.

There is not real film about the events leading to Philip II's great enterprise of 1588, the sailing (and destruction, as it turned out) of the great Spanish Armanda. To understand the story would take too many twists and turns. I recommend Garrett Mattingley's classic account of the Armada from the 1950s for those interested. Philip, tired of the aid that Elizabeth I of England gave to the Dutch and French Protestants, made a plan to transport an army under his nephew, Alexander Farnese, Duke of Palma, from Belgium to England using the Armada. He put the fleet under command of the Spanish nobleman, the Duke of Medina Sidonia. But Medina Sidonia was not a sailor (although a conscientious nobleman and servant of Philip). The Armada would first suffer a raid (by Walter Raleigh and Francis Drake). After it was repaired it did sail, only to find the faster English ships of Drake, Howard, and Frobisher more deadly, and the heavy winds, seas, and storms even deadlier. Many ships were wrecked off Scotland and Ireland. It was one of the worst naval catastrophes of history.

However it was also Philip's finest moment. Always a firmly religious man, he did not despair at the disaster to his fleet and plans, but he saw it was God's will. He actually put together Armadas again twice in the 1590s, but neither got as far as the first one did.

The complications of the story make it too confusing for anything but a full television seris: Philip was spurred on when Mary, Queen of Scots was executed in 1587 - he had been named her appointed heir to the English throne in her will; the French religious wars were approaching a critical moment, and Mary's uncle (the Duc de Guise) was leader of the Catholic forces at war with King Henri III of France and King Henri of Navarre (the leader of the Huguenots). There have been films dealing with Elizabeth's sea rovers, such as Drake ("Seven Seas To Calais", "The Sea Hawke"), but only this film tries to tackle the actual story of the Armada. As an adventure story it is excellent. As history, not exact but pretty good in parts.

First it does touch briefly on Mary's execution, in an early scene where one of Mary's servants tries to assassinate Elizabeth (Flora Robson). It really concentrates on the complex world of Elizabethan spying and the Elizabethan Catholic "underworld". The latter is an unfair description, for the Catholics were being persecuted in England. They had been supporters of Mary, and now that she was killed they gave support (mostly begrudgingly) to Philip. England's master of spies was Sir Francis Walsingham (who does not appear in this film). Instead the espionage against Spain is handled by Robert, Earl of Leicester (Leslie Banks) in the film - but in fact, Leicester died in 1587 in Holland, so he was not around for the Armada.

Lawrence Olivier is splendid in this early role as the young agent sent to spy on Philip and his plan (going in place of James Mason, who committed suicide in trying to avoid arrest). Olivier manages to get close to Philip (Raymond Massey) but that is not fully possible. Philip does not even like Englishmen, but he is willing to go along with the Catholics to get rid of Elizabeth and her regime. Philip is not easy to fool, and in a marvelous (almost comic moment) he stops Olivier from disclosing anything by finding that there was one name Olivier does not know that he should.

I won't go into the rest of the film's story. Watch it to see how Olivier still manages to escape and save England, and end up with his love (Vivian Leigh). For a 1937 historic film it is quite good, even if it could not tell the completely true story of the invasion of 1588.

I actually enjoyed this movie quite a big. The film is well acted and is a mixture of romance, history and politics. Lawerence Oliver and Leight are both superb in their roles and there's genuine chemistry between them. I also really liked the performance of Flora Robson as an older Queen Elizabeth I. The queen we have here manages to be both iron willed and lofty, yet also clear headed and commanding great authority. Her mounting her horse and rallying her army was perhaps one of my favourite moments in the film. Whenever you're told old films didn't have strong female characters you can refer them to this movie. The film was made in 1937 when a new threat of war in Europe was loaming and I'm sure that fact wouldn't have been lost on this audience. The film though shows the Queen also acutely aware of all those who will have suffered while others celebrate victory. England in this film is portrayed as an underdog, lacking Spain's gold and oversea territory. The plot is quite complex with lots of intrigue, mistrust and risk. I also liked the costumes in this film quite a bit. I would say though they could have done more to differentiate between the Spanish court setting and the English one.

This enjoyable historical drama is particularly notable for the fine cast headed by Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, and Raymond Massey. The period atmosphere works well, and the setting, against the background of the 16th century struggles between England and Spain, is an interesting one.

The story does a solid job of working the historical setting into a romance between Olivier's and Leigh's characters, setting up some interesting possibilities. Those two work well together - Leigh is a natural in her role, and it's an interesting change of pace for Olivier, from his Shakespeare roles and the like. Massey adds considerable interest and energy as the kind of heavy that he played so well – his very voice seems appropriate. Flora Robson is very well suited to the role of Queen Elizabeth. Tamara Desni and Leslie Banks also do well in their roles.

The plot creates good moments of drama, romance, and action, along with some good cat- and-mouse games between the characters. It builds to a good climax and, if it occasionally stretches plausibility, it easily holds your interest all the way through. Overall, it's pretty good and well worth seeing.

"Fire Over England" is the sort of swashbuckler which, had it been made in America, would probably have starred Errol Flynn. Flynn, in fact, was to make a similar film, "The Sea Hawk", three years later. Both films are historical drama about England's victory over the Spanish Armada. In "The Sea Hawk" Flynn plays Captain Geoffrey Thorpe, a thinly fictionalised version of Sir Francis Drake. In "Fire over England" the main lead, Michael Ingolby, played by a young Laurence Olivier, is a wholly fictional character with no historical equivalent.

Michael has a hatred of the Spaniards after they burned his father, captured in a sea-battle, as a heretic, and offers his services to Queen Elizabeth. The Earl of Leicester, the head of Elizabeth's intelligence service, offers him a dangerous mission to infiltrate the Spanish court pretending to be a pro-Spanish traitor and thereby find out the names of the real traitors who are plotting to kidnap Elizabeth. As in any good swashbuckler there has to be at least one lovely heroine, and here there are two as Michael finds himself torn between Elena, a beautiful Spanish lady who has fallen for him, and Cynthia, his sweetheart back in England. Cynthia is played by Olivier's real-life girlfriend (later his wife) Vivien Leigh. This was the first film they made together.

The film, however, is more than just a swashbuckler. Like many historical adventures on both sides of the Atlantic from the late thirties and early forties, this one has a political agenda. The producer Alexander Korda was strongly anti-Nazi and anti-appeasement, and used the film to draw parallels between the political situation in the Europe of the 1580s with that of the 1930s. King Philip of Spain is portrayed as a megalomaniac with ambitions of world domination, and the English war against Spain becomes a heroic fight for freedom. The message to the Britain of 1937 was unmistakeable; we have stood up to, and defeated, one tyrant in the past, and we must do the same to that Hitler fellow! The traitor Hillary Vane (played by a young pre-stardom James Mason) was probably intended as an unflattering portrait of the pro-appeasement lobby. Excerpts from the film were included in "The Lion Has Wings", the first British propaganda film made after the outbreak of war in 1939.

"The Sea Hawk", made in Hollywood after Britain had declared war but America had not, has a similar anti-Nazi agenda. Korda himself, after moving to America, was to make another film, "That Hamilton Woman", also starring Olivier and Leigh, which sought to draw parallels between Britain's fight against an earlier dictator, in that case Napoleon, and her fight against Hitler. This film made Korda unpopular with America's powerful isolationist lobby; according to one story he was summoned to appear before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and only excused when the attack on Pearl Harbor took place the day before his scheduled attendance.

Flynn had a fairly narrow range as an actor, but within that range he could be very good, and in his day he was the unchallenged king of the swashbuckler. Even a major star like Olivier (who had a much wider range) does not make as much impact here as Flynn was to do in "The Sea Hawk". The best acting performances come from Flora Robson as Queen Elizabeth, an indomitable symbol of English courage and determination, and from Raymond Massey as King Philip. Massey resisted the temptation to make Philip into a ranting Hitler-style maniac; better to let the parallel speak for itself. His Philip is a ruthless fanatic, but a cold and calculating one.

"The Sea Hawk" still stands up well today and can be enjoyed as an exciting drama from the Golden Age of Hollywood, independent of the political considerations which inspired it in 1940. I don't think that "Fire over England" has stood the test of time as well. With a less charismatic hero and a sometimes muddled plot, it comes across today as a curiosity from a bygone age. 6/10

Some goofs. In reality Elizabeth I's intelligence chief was not Leicester but Sir Francis Walsingham, who does not appear in the film. Part of the action takes place near Lisbon, which the scriptwriter clearly believed was in Spain not Portugal. The name of Philip's palace, El Escorial, is misspelt in a title card as "El Escurial" and that of the Spanish Admiral Valdés in the cast list as "Valdez". (The spelling "Valdez" is largely found in Latin America; the two names are pronounced identically in Latin American Spanish but not European Spanish). Contrary to what is shown here, no Spanish ships were actually set alight by the English fireships; the point of using this tactic was to force them out into the open sea where they could more easily be attacked.

If anyone ever doubted the kind of actor Laurence Olivier was going to become, then they need only watch this and it is as plain as the nose on his handsome young face. Here, though, his over-acting (and singing) in the role of the enthusiastic "Michael Ingleby" rather badly dates an otherwise quite entertaining recounting of the machinations leading up build up to the Spanish Armada's attempt to invade Elizabethan England. Flora Robson always did carry off the role of a monarch well and Morton Selten (reputedly a child of Edward VII), Vivien Leigh, Raymond Massey and a slightly camp Leslie Banks serve well in support as this story of court intrigues and romance unfolds. Though it is mostly stage bound there are a few attempts to take it outside, the costumes look the part and it's quite menacingly scored at times, too. Keep a look out for early appearances by James Mason and Robert Newton and remember - a Spanish lady may retire, but she never goes to bed!

Even considering the 1937 production here, this is a classy effort on every front: acting, sets, script, plot, historical accuracy, etc.

My major reason for seeking out this film was a compilation of the works for the incomparable Vivien Leigh. While she is stunning here, adding her usual vitality to any of her roles, there are many other strengths to admire in "Fire Over England." This is certainly the best of her early works with Laurence Olivier.

The film only runs about 90 minutes but moves quickly with a plot that makes perfect sense. The whole production is quite believable, and Olivier is stronger here than in "That Hamilton Woman." Flora Robson steals the show. Her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I reveals a complex woman with a big heart. She is brilliant, wise, cunning, ruthless, and forgiving all in one package. These terms describe both Robson and the Monarch she played.

Go out and get this one. You will be glad you did.

I admit I don't know much about the historical aspects of the British, so I defer to others comments about this film. I watched this film more out of curiosity recently when it was on TCM. "Fire Over England" released in 1937, is noteworthy to a true movie fan because of the early pairing of Viven Leigh and Laurence Olivier, who would eventually become Mr. and Mrs. Olivier. They had actually made a few films earlier in England, but they are not well known. In fact, both were not known much in America at all at this point, but of course that would change in two years with Viven Leigh playing Scarlett O'Hara and Laurence Olivier playing Heathcliff. This film is what some call a costume drama, focusing on the 1500's turbulence of England about to go to war with Spain. Flora Robson plays Queen Elizabeth, and she is riveting in the part, and -- in my opinion -- steals every scene she is in. With all due respect to Bette Davis playing the great queen two years later in "The Private Lives of Elizabeth and Essex" Robson's Queen is superior. She carries her not just with the required bitchiness, but with a regal air about her. Davis seemed rather actress and self-conscious in the part. Anyway, this film, while not great, is still worthwhile, although largely forgotten today. It enjoyed something of a revival after Vivien Leigh won the Oscar for "Gone With the Wind," becoming a bona fide star, and Laurence Olivier finally getting the recognition he deserved in "Wuthering Heights."

I remembered the title so well. To me, it was a Flora Robson movie with Olivier and Vivien Leigh in supporting roles. And it had Vincent Massey's voice from behind whiskers. Well Flora Robson was great. Her next signature, for me, would be "55 Days at Peking". The same role but with different sumptuous gowns. And the same voice. As for the Armada, it was a subtext. I like black-and-white films. Was everything done in Elizbethan times at night? It was talky and difficult to fathom, at times. I couldn't tell which was the love interest. Was it the Spaniard or was it Vivien Leigh? And I do not believe that Elizabeth I would have been the brilliant strategist to recommend that fire ships be sent against the Armada. Apparently it worked for the Empire, but not for the script. This might have been more accurate, historically, but Bette Davis had more engaging scripts. And I missed daylight!

Renowned and handsomely-mounted early British spectacular with imposing credentials – producers Alexander Korda and Erich Pommer, cinematographer James Wong Howe, art director Lazare Meerson, special effects creator Ned Mann – and a cast virtually assembling the cream of the crop working in the country at that particular moment – Laurence Olivier, Flora Robson, Leslie Banks, Vivien Leigh, Raymond Massey, Robert Newton, James Mason – all of which is complemented by a suitably rousing score from Richard Addinsell.

The narrative revolves around the planned invasion of England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I by the Spanish armada of King Philip II (with help from British traitors); the former is magnificently embodied by Robson (who would eventually return to the role in Hollywood for the Errol Flynn vehicle THE SEA HAWK [1940]), while the latter is played by Massey as a sleek but cagey monarch. With one of the dissidents among her ranks (Mason) intercepted, the English Queen appoints a young naval officer (Olivier) – who had just lost his admiral father to the Spanish Inquisition – to assume the conniver's identity and travel to Philip's court in order to obtain the names of his associates and establish the enemy's strategy for attack. Complications arise when one of the Spanish ruler's subordinates (Newton) is revealed to be married to the woman (pretty Tamara Desni – the German-born Russian actress died in France only last month at the venerable age of 97!) who had previously cared for the wounded Olivier, their respective fathers having been the best of friends. Torn between betraying his country or his wife, Newton engineers Olivier's flight home – whereupon the latter receives a knighthood, before being promptly sent by his sovereign (along with the conspirators newly-swayed to patriotic duty) on a mission to destroy the approaching enemy fleet!

The film maintains a good balance throughout between romance (thanks to Olivier's matinée idol looks, he's briefly involved with Desni apart from his love interest in England – provided by future wife Leigh, as the Queen's lady-in-waiting, in the first of three on-screen collaborations…though Robson herself is shown carrying a hesitant torch for veteran and devoted chief adviser Banks!), intrigue (in effect at both camps), action (including raids by pirate ships, a couple of chases, discreet swordplay and culminating in the final elaborate fiery offensive) and propaganda (WWII was already looming at this point). While the print I viewed turned out to be anything but pristine, I was grateful to have finally caught this altogether splendid historical epic; incidentally, I'd become acquainted with several wonderful Korda productions over the years on both Italian TV and VHS – but, oddly enough, FIRE OVER ENGLAND itself seldom turned up until now in my neck of the woods!

I admit not knowing much about the part of British history conveyed in "Fire over England." The main interest for me was seeing the two young lovers, Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier, who began their affair during this film. What a beautiful couple, what a great love, and what a sad end to it. You'd never dream looking at these two what life had in store for them on the personal front.

"Fire over England" is a 1937 Alexander Korda film that takes place in 1558. Relations between Spain and England are terrible, with the British capturing Spanish gold from the New World. When a scheme to get her off the throne is uncovered, the Queen (Flora Robson) sends a young man, Michael Ingolby (Olivier) undercover to the court of Philip of Spain. Pretending to be a traitor, he is able to get the names of the actual Brits in the pay of the Spanish and learns they want to send the Armada against England.

He goes to battle, leading an attack by night on the Armada ships. Meanwhile, he is in love with one of the Queen's ladies in waiting, Cynthia (Leigh) and has the affection of the Queen herself.

"Fire over England" is an early acting film acting assignment from Laurence Olivier. He is super-handsome and an exuberant, energetic Michael Ingolby, perhaps a bit overdone in spots. This, however, can be forgiven because of the nature of the role. Leigh really doesn't have much to do. Though Selznick allegedly was introduced Vivien Leigh by his brother Myron when Atlanta was burning, a historian made something of the fact that he evidently saw this film beforehand. If he did, there's no way he would have a) remembered Leigh and b) thought of her for Scarlett.

All in all, a very interesting film.

This is a terrific, interesting historical saga about an Englishman(Laurence Olivier)spying in Spain during their 1500s conflict. Full of action and adventure. Flora Robson is outstanding as Queen Elizabeth I. Almost flawless portrayals from Raymond Massey, Leslie Banks, Morton Selten, Cecil Mainwaring and the lovely Vivien Leigh. Highly recommended.