Sixty Years a Queen

Sixty Years a Queen is a 1913 British silent historical film directed by Bert Haldane and starring Blanche Forsythe, Louie Henri and Fred Paul.

Sixty Years a Queen
Sixty Years a Queen
Directed by	Bert Haldane
Written by	Herbert Maxwell Harry Engholm Arthur Shirley G.B. Samuelson
Produced by	G. B. Samuelson Will Barker
Starring	Blanche Forsythe Louie Henri Fred Paul
Production company	Barker Motion Photography
Distributed by	Royal Film Distributors
Release date	November 1913 (1913-11)
Country	United Kingdom
Languages	Silent English intertitles

Outline

The film portrays the six decade-long reign of Queen Victoria, serving as a wider depiction of the Victorian era and its leading British figures. It was based on the 1897 non-fiction work of the same title by Sir Herbert Maxwell, 7th Baronet which had been written to celebrate Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.^[1]

Production

The film was conceived in 1912 at a meeting between G. B. Samuelson and his brother Julian Wylie. Samuelson was looking for his first film project, and later brought in Will Barker as his co-producer.^[1] The picture was largely filmed at Barker's newly built Ealing Studios, where Barker gained a reputation for extravagant productions, often historical.^[2]

A great deal of money was invested in Sixty Years a Queen, and more than a thousand actors and extras were employed, on many locations. There was also much advance publicity. The picture was a great success at the box-offices, making the producers a profit of some £35,000.^[1]

More than twenty years later Herbert Wilcox made a similar film, Sixty Glorious Years, which was also very popular.

Cast

• Blanche Forsythe as Queen Victoria (younger)
• Louie Henri as Queen Victoria (older)
• Fred Paul as Archbishop of Canterbury
• Roy Travers as Prince Albert
• Gilbert Esmond as Duke of Wellington
• E. Story Gofton as W.E. Gladstone
• Rolf Leslie as 27 Different Roles
• J. Hastings Batson
• Alfred Bailey Groves as Prince Edward