That Lady

A lot of talent worked on this movie. Terence Young directed, Robert Krasker photographed, and John Addison supplied most of the music. Costumes are lavish and sets make good use of actual locations in Spain. The cast shines with names such as Olivia de Havilland, Paul Scofield, Gilbert Roland, and Christopher Lee. It has the look of an "A" production, in CinemaScope at that.

Alas, neither the story nor the characters have much interest with the result that the movie doesn't work either as a romance or a historical epic. Just as MGM was finding out with Lana Turner's "Diana," these heavy costume dramas had gone out of style by the mid-1950s and audiences stayed away from them in droves. Certainly the marketing department must have had a problem selling a movie with such a bland and pointless title as "That Lady."

...in this British-Spanish historical drama from 20th Century Fox and director Terence Young. In late 16th century Spain, King Philip II (Paul Scofield) enlists the aid of old friend and confidante Ana de Mendoza (Olivia de Havilland), the Princess of Eboli, to help Philip train a worthy successor to be his chief minister. Philip has his eye on commoner Antonio Perez (Gilbert Roland), so the king asks Ana to teach Antonio in the ways of the court. This leads to an affair between Antonio and the long-widowed Ana, a scandal in strict Catholic Spain. Scheming courtier Don Mateo (Dennis Price) sees to it that the scandal becomes a national outrage, forcing Philip to take harsh action.

I can see why de Havilland wanted this role, as it's showy and she gets to wear a lot of extravagant costumes, including an eye patch! Paul Scofield made his film debut here, and won a BAFTA as Best Newcomer. I'm curious how I would view his performance in that time, not knowing him from his subsequent roles, as he uses an affected voice, and makeup and hair design that make him appear older than his actual 33 years. I think he does a good job, but those character choices are glaring in the early scenes. Dennis Price is underused, and Christopher Lee, as the Captain of the Guard and ally of Price's baddie, just gets to look imposing. The Spanish location shooting is a plus. The story lurches from courtly intrigue to uninspired romance, with the latter winning out in the end.

The English language literature and cinema has not been kind to Philip II of Spain. The two best known cinematic portrayals of him are Raymond Massey in Fire Over England and Montagu Love in The Sea Hawk. Each portrays him as the driven workaholic that he was. If you had an empire that allied with his uncle the Holy Roman Empire covered half of what was called Christendom back in the day, you might be a 24/7 guy like he was to keep it together.

That Lady shows Philip as a central character, but not the center of the story. For That Lady is played by Olivia DeHavilland as Ana deMendoza who with one eye was still one of the regal beauties of those medieval times.

Back in the day Philip would have gotten together, but for reasons of state he married 4 other women at one time or other in his life. He married her off to one of his aging courtiers with the hope probably that she might be free one day.

And one day she's a widow and free, but Philip is not, but he sends for her anyway to kind of tutor his commoner new minister Antonio Perez played by Gilbert Roland in court ways and politics.

Being a commoner, Roland gets more than the usual jealousy and Philip's other minister Dennis Price looks to bring him down playing a wonderful Iago type. Philip isn't quite the raging jealous type that Othello was, but he's got his weaknesses.

Playing Philip and making his big screen debut is Paul Scofield, one of the great players of the English speaking world of the last century. Scofield takes the character made familiar by Massey and Love and adds quite a bit to it. This is a most lonely man as rulers are and having put aside his own passion for DeHavilland is subject to some nasty impulses. That he controls them as well as he did is something of a tribute to his character. But Philip if he was nothing else was about control, most of all self control.

That Lady originated as a play on Broadway that starred Katharine Cornell that ran 79 performances in the 1949-50 season. It was not one of her bigger successes, but we are the poorer for it because like the Lunts, Kit Cornell stuck with the stage. Playing Perez was Torin Thatcher and playing Philip was Henry Daniell. That's a production I can easily see the casting of.

That Lady when its not on Scofield does not move at a good pace. Still the players do what they can with a slow moving story and Scofield is always a pleasure to watch.

There are some great names in this film, Olivia de Havilland for one in the title role, John Gilbert back on the screen as a great lover, Paul Scofield as King Philip II of Spain, Francoise Rosay as Olivia de Havilland's trusted friend and nurse, Dennis Price as a double-dealing minister and even Christopher Lee in a small part as a captain; Richard Addison has contributed a great score, and the director is no one less than Terence Young, later on famous mostly for his James Bond films. All this should add to a great film of splendour, pageantry and glory? Well, does it? The story and script would have made a great basis for an opera, but as it is, it is no more than a rather heavy-weight melodrama. It's the heavy Spanish court of Philip II in his monastery castle outside Madrid, a monumental mausoleum for the living dead, and all you miss in this film is Don Carlos and that dreary additional intrigue. Paul Scofield runs the film, it's his character that you will remember afterwards, a gloomy giant of loneliness and miserable inhumanity, while Olivia de Havilland makes a very credible martyred princess. The settings are heavy, but they should be so, and their gloom only add to the realism of this study in the incompatibility of love with power - Philip sacrifices everything for his power and especially his soul and humanity, leaving nothing left - than further disasters of his realm, like the great armada against England. The film is interesting for its story and truthful rendering of the suffocating inhibition of the Spanish court, so there is nothing wrong with it. All you lack is the sparkle of life that was banned from thence.

Philip II of Spain was one of the most interesting and powerful figures in 16th century Europe. So why is a film featuring him so incredibly dull?! The only reason I stuck with the film are the good actors...the script is bereft of life and certainly doesn't encourage you to keep watching.

The widow Ana de Mendoza (Olivia de Havilland) and Antonio Perez (Gilbert Roland) have fallen in love. Perez is a minister within Philip's government and Ana is a woman the King (Paul Scofield) seems to want...though considering his many political intrigues not mentioned in the movie, it seemed like the King wanted her but more didn't want anyone else to have her. As a result, he trumps up charges against Ana and Don Antonio...and the King just seems mean and petty throughout the film. And, for so much of the film, the three of them talk and talk and talk...with very little action.

The actors starring in the film are all very good actors and the film looks good. But it also is slow and dry and Philip's actions seem irrational much of the time...and the real life Philip was not this dumb! Overall, a film that I recommend mostly if you have insomnia and really need a good nap.

By the way, the characters in this film were real people who lived in Spain during the 16th century and the film reasonably follows their lives. But with no energy nor action, the story just becomes duller than dust.