Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth

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Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth
Still from the film
Directed by	Louis Mercanton, Henri Desfontaines
Produced by	Louis Mercanton
Written by	Émile Moreau (original play and script)
Starring	Sarah Bernhardt, Lou Tellegen
Distributed by	L’Histrionic Film (France) / Famous Players Film Company (USA)
Release date(s)	1912
Running time	53 min
Country	France
IMDb profile

Les Amours de la reine Élisabeth (The Loves of queen Elizabeth), Les Amours d'Elisabeth, Reine d'Angleterre (The Loves of Elizabeth, Queen of England) or La reine Élisabeth (Queen Elizabeth) was a 1912 short 4-reel French silent film based on the love affair between Elizabeth I of England and the Earl of Essex. It was condensed from a play of the same name and directed by Louis Mercanton and Henri Desfontaines. It was shot in Paris and starred Sarah Bernhardt as Elizabeth and Lou Tellegen as Essex. Bernhardt (by then 68 - she said of the film "This is my last chance at immortality") and Tellegen were already romantically involved, and this was their second film together.

Its production company, L’Histrionic Film, was forced into liquidation by Pathé Frères during the film's production, but it was completed with funds from Adolph Zukor. Zukor also brought it to New York, where its US release (on State Rights basis, on 12 July 1912) was Famous Players Film Company's first film release, and convinced other American companies that feature films were commercially viable.