The Divine Lady (1928)

The story of the romance between Emma, Lady Hamilton, and British war hero Admiral Horatio Nelson.

Director:

Frank Lloyd

Writers:

E. Barrington (story), Forrest Halsey (adaptation)

Stars:

Corinne Griffith, Victor Varconi, H.B. Warner

Won 1 Oscar. Another 2 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Corinne Griffith	...	Emma Hart
Victor Varconi	...	Horatio Nelson
H.B. Warner	...	Sir William Hamilton
Ian Keith	...	Honorable Charles Greville
Marie Dressler	...	Mrs. Hart
Montagu Love	...	Capt. Hardy
William Conklin	...	Romney
Dorothy Cumming	...	Queen Maria Carolina
Michael Vavitch	...	King Ferdinand
Evelyn Hall	...	Duchess of Devonshire
Helen Jerome Eddy	...	Lady Nelson

Storyline

A partly fictionalized account of history begins with the arrival of slatternly Emma Hart, a cook's daughter, at the home of Charles Greville. Greville takes her as his lover and grooms her until their relationship becomes an inconvenience. Greville then dupes Emma into traveling to Naples to live with his uncle, Lord Hamilton, ambassador to the court at Naples. Realizing that Greville has abandoned her, Emma agrees to marry Lord Hamilton. Soon, however, she meets Admiral Horatio Nelson of the British Navy. Emma plays a crucial role in convincing Naples to open its ports to Nelson during his campaign against Napoleon's French fleet. Soon, Emma and the married Nelson become romantically involved -- a relationship which will have consequences for them both.

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Plot Keywords:

horatio nelson | uncle | cook | admiral | marriage | 

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Taglines:

So mighty a love story it swayed the fate of nations. (Print Ad- Union-Democrat, ((Sonora, Calif.)) 28 September 1929)

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Genres:

Drama | History | Romance | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 December 1928 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Trafalgar

Filming Locations:

Warner Brothers Burbank Studios - 4000 Warner Boulevard, Burbank, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

First National Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min 98 min (1994 UCLA/MOMA restoration)

Sound Mix:

Silent Mono (musical score and sound effects) (Western Electric Apparatus)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With this film, Frank Lloyd became one of only two directors to win the best director Oscar without their movie also being nominated for best picture. The only other film to win a directing Oscar without a best picture nomination was Two Arabian Knights (1927), which won the only Oscar ever given for Comedy Direction to Lewis Milestone. Both Lloyd and Milestone won additional best director Oscars for directing best picture winners, Lloyd for Cavalcade (1933) and Milestone for All Quiet on the Western Front (1930).

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Goofs

During the naval battle sequence a modern bridge can be seen in the far distance.

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Quotes

Honorable Charles Greville: [to Emma] When in my service, walk - never run - it anoys me.

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Connections

Version of Nelson (1926)

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Soundtracks

God Save the King!
(1744)
Music attributed to Henry Carey
Played in the score when the royals enter the reception for Nelson

User Reviews

The story of some tart and Lord Nelson...

I know my summary sounds a bit flippant, but Emma Hamilton was, in every sense of the word, a tart. Although details of her early life are today a bit sketchy, she was apparently the Courtney Love of her time--living a very wild life. When this film begins, all the wildness and affairs of her early years has been erased--making her seem like a pretty nice lady--and rather innocent. 'Innocent' is certainly not a word to describe Lady Hamilton and her later affair with Lord Nelson became legendary. So, if you are looking to have a history lesson, I suggest you try another film.

So, if you ignore the fact that the film is only GENERALLY true and it takes great liberties with the truth, is the film otherwise worth seeing? Well, if you are a film historian, perhaps. The film is a transitional film and is a curiosity because of this. By 'transition', I mean that they call it a talking picture but it really is a silent with a few songs included--much like the first such film, "The Jazz Singer"--not a true all-talking film. But apart from that, the film is only okay. The costumes and sets are lovely but the story itself seems very episodic and, at times, dull. Also, the songs they included are, by today's standards, pretty dreadful. If you are NOT a cinemaniac or historian, then this film will be very tough going.

If you MUST see an inaccurate film about Lady Hamilton, try watching Vivian Leigh and Laurence Olivier in "That Hamilton Woman". It's better looking and lacks the bad musical interludes.