The Iron Duke (1934)

Director:

Victor Saville

Writers:

H.M. Harwood (story), Bess Meredyth

Stars:

George Arliss, Ellaline Terriss, Gladys Cooper

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George Arliss	...	Duke of Wellington
Ellaline Terriss	...	Kitty, Duchess of Wellington
Gladys Cooper	...	Duchess d'Angouleme
A.E. Matthews	...	Lord Hill
Alan Aynesworth	...	Louis XVIII (as Allan Aynesworth)
Lesley Wareing	...	Lady Frances Webster
Emlyn Williams	...	Bates
Edmund Willard	...	Marshal Ney
Norma Varden	...	Duchess of Richmond
Felix Aylmer	...	Lord Uxbridge
Gerald Lawrence	...	Castlereagh
Gibb McLaughlin	...	Talleyrand
Farren Soutar	...	Metternich
Walter Sondes	...	Wedderburn Webster
Frederick Leister	...	King of Prussia

Storyline

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 April 1935 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

O Duque de Ferro

Filming Locations:

Shepherd's Bush, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Gainsborough Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Referenced in Hi-de-Hi!: Only the Brave (1986)

User Reviews

Early British historical film

This movie is quite dated now but it is still an excellent example of early British cinema and George Arliss, as usual, is very good as Wellington. The only problem is that the near 70 year old Arliss is supposed to be playing the Iron Duke when he was in his forties. As good an actor as Arliss was, even he can't pull that off. He actually plays the Duke as he probably was in his later years; prone to cackle a lot, friendly with the young ladies, and a bit of an eccentric. The rest of the cast is just okay, with Gladys Cooper a bit ahead of the rest as Madame, King Louis VIII's vengeful niece. The Waterloo battle scenes are stilted and poorly staged but the interiors are fine, most notably the scenes of the Duchess of Richmond's ball. For a better view historically of Wellington during his fighting days, see Christopher Plummer's characterization in the 1970 Dino De Laurentis production "Waterloo".