Young Bess is a 1953 Technicolor biographical film made by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer about the early life of Elizabeth I, from her turbulent childhood to the eve of her accession to the throne of England.

Following the execution of Elizabeth's mother, Anne Boleyn, for infidelity, King Henry VIII declares his daughter illegitimate, removes her from the line of succession to the throne, and exiles her to Hatfield House.

When Henry marries his last wife, Catherine Parr, the now-teenage Elizabeth rebels against her latest summons but is persuaded by the handsome, tactful Lord Admiral Thomas Seymour to change her mind.

Having survived the perils of her early life, and with Edward deceased and her elder sister Mary dying, Elizabeth is about to become Queen of England.

In April 1949, MGM announced it was negotiating a contract with James Mason, whom it wanted to put in Young Bess and Robinson Crusoe.

[17] Filming continued to be pushed back in part because Simmons became enmeshed in a contractual dispute with Howard Hughes.

Producer Sidney Franklin said: We're telling an intimate story against a background of sixteenth century court life, as opposed to a historical pageant about royal intrigues.

We feel the love story between the Princess and Seymour – actually he was 25 years older than Elizabeth – will be more valid to audiences than a lot of historical detail which has no relation to our customers lives.

A. H. Weiler of The New York Times wrote in a favorable review that "if faint strains of soap opera occasionally filter through the pomp and circumstance, Elizabeth of England and some of the storied figures who crowd this beautiful Technicolored tapestry, emerge as human beings.

"[19] Variety called it "a remarkably engrossing motion picture" and "a human story, sensitively written, directed and played.

"[21] John McCarten of The New Yorker wrote that the plot "may sound like a Madison Avenue concept of history, but as directed by George Sidney, the piece doesn't churn up too much sudsy bathos to be intolerable, and, indeed, the cast goes about its work with such sincerity that you can enjoy the thing as a handsome costume exercise even though you're skeptical about Miss Irwin's history.

[24] The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction (Cedric Gibbons, Urie McCleary, Edwin B. Willis, Jack D.