Ajouter une intrigue dans votre langueThe story of the romance between Emma, Lady Hamilton, and British war hero Admiral Horatio Nelson.The story of the romance between Emma, Lady Hamilton, and British war hero Admiral Horatio Nelson.The story of the romance between Emma, Lady Hamilton, and British war hero Admiral Horatio Nelson.
- Réalisation
- Scénario
- Casting principal
- Récompensé par 1 Oscar
- 2 victoires et 2 nominations au total
Ben Alexander
- Young Lieutenant
- (non crédité)
Joan Bennett
- Extra
- (non crédité)
Leroy Boles
- Neighbor Kid
- (non crédité)
Jackie Combs
- Neighbor Kid
- (non crédité)
Godfrey Craig
- Powder Monkey
- (non crédité)
Vondell Darr
- Neighbor Kid
- (non crédité)
Andy Devine
- Extra
- (non crédité)
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I finally was able to see this early Oscar silent winner: Frank Lloyd was the 1928-29 Best Director Oscar winner. The occasion for showing film was that TCM is honoring Marie Dressler in a series of her movies, and she had a small humorous role in this film.
This movie is based on the semi-true story by E. Barrington. It centers on the affair between Emma, Lady Hamilton and the British naval hero, Admiral Horatio Nelson, during the Napoleonic Wars. Both were married to other spouses at the time of their affair.
The same general story was later made into the 1941 Kora-directed movie, That Hamilton Woman (1941) with Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier as the two main characters.
This movie is based on the semi-true story by E. Barrington. It centers on the affair between Emma, Lady Hamilton and the British naval hero, Admiral Horatio Nelson, during the Napoleonic Wars. Both were married to other spouses at the time of their affair.
The same general story was later made into the 1941 Kora-directed movie, That Hamilton Woman (1941) with Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier as the two main characters.
Both this film The Divine Lady and the better known That Hamilton Woman hardly give the correct portrayal of Emma Hart Hamilton. There was nothing saintly or divine about that woman. If you want to see a correct interpretation of her, I would recommend Bequest To A Nation, written by Terrence Rattigan and starring Glenda Jackson as Emma and Peter Finch as Lord Nelson.
However for those who love romantic stories be they true or fictional this restored transitional classic and the much better That Hamilton Woman will be your cup of tea. The Divine Lady was a mostly silent film with no dialog, but a dubbed singer for Corinne Griffith singing English airs of the period. I don't think anyone believed that soprano was Corinne's voice.
For those who don't know any of the films I've cited or English history, Emma Hart played by Corinne Griffith and her mother Marie Dressler are employed as cook and maid at the home of Ian Keith as Charles Greville. Griffith catches the eye of Sir William Hamilton who is in the diplomatic service of Great Britain and she marries him to skip quite a few rungs on the English social scale.
But while H.B. Warner as Hamilton has eyes for her, Griffith spots an up and coming naval officer Victor Varconi as Horatio Nelson. They begin one of the most notorious extra-marital affairs in history. That affair and the influence that Emma gains at the court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies where Hamilton has been made ambassador has a great deal to do with saving Great Britain. That much is true.
What's not true is how noble Emma Hamilton was. She was quite the bawdy character in her day, her common origins did more than slip. She could be vulgar and cruel, she was very cruel to Lady Nelson in real life played here by Helen Jerome Eddy. But her place in history is secure as is her place in legendary romances.
The Divine Lady won an Oscar for Director Frank Lloyd, his first of three the others also being subjects concerning the United Kingdom, Cavalcade and Mutiny On The Bounty. Corinne Griffith was nominated for Best Actress although that seems to be a subject of dispute and the film got an Oscar nomination for cinematography. Probably the award it should have gotten was for special effects, but that category had not been established yet.
The Divine Lady is a cinematic and historical anachronism, but worthy of a viewing for those reasons.
However for those who love romantic stories be they true or fictional this restored transitional classic and the much better That Hamilton Woman will be your cup of tea. The Divine Lady was a mostly silent film with no dialog, but a dubbed singer for Corinne Griffith singing English airs of the period. I don't think anyone believed that soprano was Corinne's voice.
For those who don't know any of the films I've cited or English history, Emma Hart played by Corinne Griffith and her mother Marie Dressler are employed as cook and maid at the home of Ian Keith as Charles Greville. Griffith catches the eye of Sir William Hamilton who is in the diplomatic service of Great Britain and she marries him to skip quite a few rungs on the English social scale.
But while H.B. Warner as Hamilton has eyes for her, Griffith spots an up and coming naval officer Victor Varconi as Horatio Nelson. They begin one of the most notorious extra-marital affairs in history. That affair and the influence that Emma gains at the court of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies where Hamilton has been made ambassador has a great deal to do with saving Great Britain. That much is true.
What's not true is how noble Emma Hamilton was. She was quite the bawdy character in her day, her common origins did more than slip. She could be vulgar and cruel, she was very cruel to Lady Nelson in real life played here by Helen Jerome Eddy. But her place in history is secure as is her place in legendary romances.
The Divine Lady won an Oscar for Director Frank Lloyd, his first of three the others also being subjects concerning the United Kingdom, Cavalcade and Mutiny On The Bounty. Corinne Griffith was nominated for Best Actress although that seems to be a subject of dispute and the film got an Oscar nomination for cinematography. Probably the award it should have gotten was for special effects, but that category had not been established yet.
The Divine Lady is a cinematic and historical anachronism, but worthy of a viewing for those reasons.
Scottish film-maker Frank Lloyd (a would-have-been birthday celebrant on the day I watched the film under review) was one of the founding members of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences – best-known for holding the annual Oscar ceremony. He was also the second Academy Award winner for Best Direction for this rarely seen historical epic which, as it turned out, was the only film in Oscar history to win that category without an accompanying nod for Best Picture (a feat which, given the current rules, is practically impossible to repeat itself). However, Lloyd was even nominated for directing two more movies that same year – WEARY RIVER (which I own a copy of but did not manage to locate in time for inclusion in this ongoing Oscar marathon!) and the unavailable DRAG. He would later emerge victorious again for CAVALCADE (1933) and received his last nomination for MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY (1935) which, like the latter, was also named Best Picture. For the record, his other films that have had notable brushes with Oscar were EAST LYNNE (1931), BERKELEY SQUARE (1933) and IF I WERE KING (1938) – and, although I have all three in my collection, they will have to wait a similarly-themed marathon for their first viewing. After such a distinguished career, Lloyd semi-retired in the mid-1940s and only made the occasional movie in the following decade before dying in 1960.
THE DIVINE LADY – not to be confused with the contemporaneous Greta Garbo vehicle THE DIVINE WOMAN (1928) only a fragment of which exists today – tells the oft-told tale of the controversial affair between Lady Emma Hamilton and Lord Horatio Nelson; I am already familiar with the Alexander Korda version of events entitled THAT HAMILTON WOMAN (1941; the only on screen pairing of then husband-and-wife team of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier) and also have the Glenda Jackson/Peter Finch- starring A BEQUEST TO THE NATION aka THE NELSON AFFAIR (1973) in my unwatched pile; for the record, I would love to catch Richard Oswald's even earlier LADY HAMILTON (1921), in which the ubiquitous pair of Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss played Nelson and Sir William Hamilton respectively, and Christian-Jaque's international version EMMA HAMILTON (1968) – with Michele Mercier, Richard Johnson and John Mills.
The narrative here starts out with an 'impoverished' aristocrat (Ian Keith) dismissing a newly-engaged cook (Marie Dressler) because of the "vulgar" antics of her daughter Emma Hart (an Oscar-nominated Corinne Griffith, though her name is bafflingly omitted in Roy Pickard's "The Oscar Movies From A-Z" and seems to be disputed elsewhere too!); her entreaties to rethink his harsh decision win him over and impress his artist friend who wants to paint a portrait of her. Before long, she is accompanying her employer on social occasions, until she embarrasses him by bursting into song at a fair thereby attracting the attentions of every male within hearing distance. He is convinced to dispose of her by thrusting her into the arms of his aging womanizing uncle Sir William Hamilton (H.B. Warner!) even though she had fallen for Keith himself in the meantime. He soon gets to regret his actions when the wealthy relative (whom he had hoped to inherit) marries the wench and turns her into Lady Emma Hamilton, Ambassadress to Sicily! Although that island is ostensibly neutral to the ongoing conflict between England and France, the king sides with France while the queen (sister to the deposed Marie Antoinette) secretly sides with Britain. When Lady Hamilton decides to intervene, the latter's allegiance is instrumental in overturning a Royal decree not to help the ailing British fleet headed by Admiral Horatio Nelson (Victor Varconi – who is not shown wearing a black patch over his blind eye but does get to lose a hand!). Apart from helping the British repel the enemy, this fateful event brings Emma and Horatio together for the first time and, as they say, the rest is history...
The understandably battered print – culled from the "Warner Archives" DVD-R – does not really do the film much justice but remains reasonably watchable throughout. Indeed THE DIVINE LADY is a handsomely mounted and well-crafted production (cinematographer John F. Seitz also received an Oscar nomination for his work here), with Lloyd's solid direction smoothing over the crude sound sequences interspersed throughout where we hear Emma Hamilton sing, and only calling attention to itself intermittently, as in the aforementioned fairground sequence.
THE DIVINE LADY – not to be confused with the contemporaneous Greta Garbo vehicle THE DIVINE WOMAN (1928) only a fragment of which exists today – tells the oft-told tale of the controversial affair between Lady Emma Hamilton and Lord Horatio Nelson; I am already familiar with the Alexander Korda version of events entitled THAT HAMILTON WOMAN (1941; the only on screen pairing of then husband-and-wife team of Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier) and also have the Glenda Jackson/Peter Finch- starring A BEQUEST TO THE NATION aka THE NELSON AFFAIR (1973) in my unwatched pile; for the record, I would love to catch Richard Oswald's even earlier LADY HAMILTON (1921), in which the ubiquitous pair of Conrad Veidt and Werner Krauss played Nelson and Sir William Hamilton respectively, and Christian-Jaque's international version EMMA HAMILTON (1968) – with Michele Mercier, Richard Johnson and John Mills.
The narrative here starts out with an 'impoverished' aristocrat (Ian Keith) dismissing a newly-engaged cook (Marie Dressler) because of the "vulgar" antics of her daughter Emma Hart (an Oscar-nominated Corinne Griffith, though her name is bafflingly omitted in Roy Pickard's "The Oscar Movies From A-Z" and seems to be disputed elsewhere too!); her entreaties to rethink his harsh decision win him over and impress his artist friend who wants to paint a portrait of her. Before long, she is accompanying her employer on social occasions, until she embarrasses him by bursting into song at a fair thereby attracting the attentions of every male within hearing distance. He is convinced to dispose of her by thrusting her into the arms of his aging womanizing uncle Sir William Hamilton (H.B. Warner!) even though she had fallen for Keith himself in the meantime. He soon gets to regret his actions when the wealthy relative (whom he had hoped to inherit) marries the wench and turns her into Lady Emma Hamilton, Ambassadress to Sicily! Although that island is ostensibly neutral to the ongoing conflict between England and France, the king sides with France while the queen (sister to the deposed Marie Antoinette) secretly sides with Britain. When Lady Hamilton decides to intervene, the latter's allegiance is instrumental in overturning a Royal decree not to help the ailing British fleet headed by Admiral Horatio Nelson (Victor Varconi – who is not shown wearing a black patch over his blind eye but does get to lose a hand!). Apart from helping the British repel the enemy, this fateful event brings Emma and Horatio together for the first time and, as they say, the rest is history...
The understandably battered print – culled from the "Warner Archives" DVD-R – does not really do the film much justice but remains reasonably watchable throughout. Indeed THE DIVINE LADY is a handsomely mounted and well-crafted production (cinematographer John F. Seitz also received an Oscar nomination for his work here), with Lloyd's solid direction smoothing over the crude sound sequences interspersed throughout where we hear Emma Hamilton sing, and only calling attention to itself intermittently, as in the aforementioned fairground sequence.
The Divine Lady is a fantastic silent film, a gem of early American cinema that we are lucky to have discovered. Once thought to be lost, The Divine Lady was found along with its original vitaphone score. Since its rediscovery, the movie hasn't raised much commotion in the film community. It has aired on Turner Classic Movies only a handful of times, and it has not been offered for sale on home video. Despite all of this neglection, The Divine Lady is as important and significant as it is entertaining. Garnering an Oscar nomination for its lovely star Corinne Griffith (who, after seeing all the nominees from that year, I have decided should have won) and an Oscar win for Best Direction (for Frank Lloyd). The opening scene is upbeat and humorous. The deliciously hammy Marie Dressler is a delight as the English cook, Mrs. Hart. When her and her hussy of a daughter Emma (Griffith) arrive at the home of the Honorable Charles Greville (Ian Kieth) to work, Sir Charles is skeptical and doubts allowing a vulgar young gamine to enter his home. After her persuasions, however, the man changes his mind and begins to romance Emma. Anxious to inherit the fortune of a rich uncle Sir William Hamilton, Greville sends Emma to live with him in Naples. His motivation is that Sir William could never bring himself to marry such a woman, and that she will exist as his mistress; thus, he himself will inherit the fortune of his uncle when he dies unmarried. When Emma learns that her love will not be joining her, however, she foils the plans of her suitor and marries Sir William. One day, a young naval officer, Horatio Nelson (Victor Varconi), comes to ask a favor of Sir William. Instead, he meets his lovely wife and the two are attracted to one another. When, after a great deal of success, Nelson returns, the two carry out a much-gossipped-about affair. Struggling for the peace and tranquility they desire, the two settle down to live a quiet life. But when Napoleon becomes a threat to England again, the lovers must separate and Nelson must go fight another naval battle. Dripping with beautiful production values, the Divine Lady is a wonderful film, even today. The characters are portrayed vividly and realistically. The photography is some of the best ever, at times similar to the much-touted 'Sunrise.' Over all, the film is a massive experience. It is truly one of the best silents of American film!
The Divine Lady,the Oscar winner for Best Director,Frank Lloyd, has recently been restored and has shown up on TCM. I saw it on the big screen at a Vitaphone film festival. Since it was a very late silent,it had a vitaphone soundtrack and even a theme song.The film tells the story of the romance of Lord Nelson and Lady Hamilton The movie has some lovely visual moments. The most memorable being,the two lovers on a swing and a battle at sea. But the film is a little slow going and the male lead is stiff and lacks charisma. Frank Lloyd is best remembered for the 1935 version of Mutiny on the Bounty, which shares with this film,historical characters and sea experiences.However, Mutiny on the Bounty is a much better film. For the best version of the story of Hamilton and Nelson, see the wonderful,Vivian Leigh- Laurence Olivier-movie-That Hamilton Woman.
Le saviez-vous
- AnecdotesWith 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 Frères d'armes (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 À l'Ouest rien de nouveau (1930).
- GaffesSir William informs Queen Maria Carolina that England has declared war on France and that her sister Queen Marie Antoinette has been killed simultaneously. In reality, the Queen was killed ten years before England's declaration of war.
- Citations
Honorable Charles Greville: [about Emma] I am sorry to lose a good cook, but I will not tolerate a brazen hussy.
- ConnexionsRemade as Lady Hamilton (1941)
- Bandes originalesLady Divine
(1928)
Music by Nathaniel Shilkret
Lyrics by Richard Kountz
Played during the opening credits and sung offscreen by an unidentified singer
In the score often as the love theme
Reprised at the end by an unidentified singer offscreen
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- How long is The Divine Lady?Alimenté par Alexa
Détails
- Durée
- 1h 39min(99 min)
- Couleur
- Mixage
- Rapport de forme
- 1.33 : 1
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