''A Royal Divorce'' is a 1923 British silent

historical drama film A historical drama (also period drama, costume drama, and period piece) is a work set in a past time period, usually used in the context of film and television. Historical drama includes historical fiction and romances, adventure films, and swas ...

directed by

Alexander Butler Alexander Butler was a British film director who made over sixty features and short films during the 1910s and 1920s including many for G. B. Samuelson's production company. Butler directed several British films in Hollywood in 1920, where Samuel ...

and starring Gwylim Evans,

Gertrude McCoy Gertrude McCoy (born Gertrude Lyon; June 30, 1890 – July 17, 1967) was an American film actress of the silent era. She appeared in more than 160 films between 1911 and 1926. McCoy was born in Rome, Georgia, on June 30, 1896, and she att ...

and

Lillian Hall-Davis Lillian Hall-Davis (23 June 1898 – 25 October 1933) was an English actress during the silent film era, featured in major roles in English film and a number of German, French and Italian films. Born Lilian Hall Davis, the daughter of a London ...

. It was based on a play by C.C. Collingham and depicts the romantic relationship and political divorce between

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

and his wife Josephine. It reportedly did well at the box office when released in the United States, possibly reflecting the strategy of casting an American star McCoy in a leading role.Street p.19 It was remade as a sound film, '' A Royal Divorce'', in 1938.

Cast

* Gwylim Evans as Napoleon *

as Josephine *

as Stephanie *

Gerald Ames Gerald Ames (12 September 1880 – 2 July 1933) was a British actor, film director and Olympic fencer. Ames was born in Blackheath, London in 1880 and first took up acting in 1905. He was a popular leading man in the post-First World War cinema ...

as Marques de Beaumont *

Mary Dibley Mary Dibley (21 February 1883 in London – 11 September 1968) was a British film actress. She was married to the actor Gerald Ames. Selected filmography * '' The Christian'' (1915) * '' The Shulamite'' (1915) * '' The Folly of Desire'' (1915) * ...

as Marie-Louise *

Jerrold Robertshaw Jerrold Robertshaw (28 March 1866, in Allerton, West Riding of Yorkshire – 14 February 1941, in London) was a British stage and film actor of the silent era. Selected filmography * ''Dombey and Son'' (1917) * ''Build Thy House'' (1920) * ...

as Talleyrand * Tom Reynolds as Grimand *

Mercy Peters Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French ''merci'', from Medieval Latin ''merced-'', ''merces'', from Latin, "price paid, wages", from ''merc-'', ''merxi'' "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, rel ...

as King of Rome

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''The History of British Film, Volume 4 1918-1929''. Routledge, 1997. * Street, Sarah. ''Transatlantic Crossings: British Feature Films in the USA''. A&C Black, 2002.

External links

* 1923 films British silent feature films British historical drama films 1920s historical drama films Films directed by Alexander Butler Films about Napoleon Cultural depictions of Joséphine de Beauharnais Cultural depictions of Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord British black-and-white films 1923 drama films 1920s English-language films 1920s British films Silent drama films {{1920s-UK-film-stub