''Nell Gwyn'' is a 1934

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Herbert Wilcox Herbert Sydney Wilcox Order of the British Empire, CBE (19 April 1890 – 15 May 1977) was a British film producer and film director, director. He was one of the most successful British filmmakers from the 1920s to the 1950s. He is best know ...

and starring

Anna Neagle Dame Florence Marjorie Wilcox (''née'' Robertson; 20 October 1904 – 3 June 1986), known professionally as Anna Neagle, was an English stage and film actress, singer, and dancer. She was a successful box-office draw in the British cinema ...

Cedric Hardwicke Sir Cedric Webster Hardwicke (19 February 1893 – 6 August 1964) was an English stage and film actor whose career spanned nearly 50 years. His theatre work included notable performances in productions of the plays of Shakespeare and Shaw, and ...

Jeanne de Casalis Jeanne de Casalis (22 May 1897 – 19 August 1966) was a Basutoland-born British actress of stage, radio, TV and film. Born in Basutoland as Jeanne Casalis de Pury, she was educated in France, where her businessman father was the proprietor of ...

Miles Malleson William Miles Malleson (25 May 1888 – 15 March 1969) was an English actor and dramatist, particularly remembered for his appearances in British comedy films of the 1930s to 1960s. Towards the end of his career he also appeared in cameo roles i ...

and

Moore Marriott George Thomas Moore Marriott (14 September 1885 – 11 December 1949) was an English character actor best remembered for the series of films he made with Will Hay. His first appearance with Hay was in the film '' Dandy Dick'' (1935), but he w ...

. The film portrays the historical romance between

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651, and King of England, Scotland and Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest surviving child of ...

and the actress

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stage ...

. In the opening credits, the dialogue is credited to "King Charles II,

Samuel Pepys Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...

and Nell Gwyn" with additional dialogue by Miles Malleson. It was also released as ''Mistress Nell Gwyn''.

Cast

as Charles II *

Jeanne De Casalis Jeanne de Casalis (22 May 1897 – 19 August 1966) was a Basutoland-born British actress of stage, radio, TV and film. Born in Basutoland as Jeanne Casalis de Pury, she was educated in France, where her businessman father was the proprietor of ...

Duchess of Portsmouth Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranke ...

Muriel George Muriel George (29 August 1883 – 22 October 1965) was an English singer and film actress. She appeared in 55 films between 1932 and 1955. She also appeared on the variety stage and sang on radio with her second husband Ernest Butcher for thir ...

as Meg *

Helena Pickard Helena Pickard (13 October 1900 – 27 September 1959) was a British stage, film and television actress. Career Pickard was a prominent character actress in West End plays such as ''When We Are Married'' and ''Flare Path'' and also appe ...

as Mrs. Pepys *Dorothy Robinson as Mrs. Knipp *

Esmé Percy Saville Esmé Percy (8 August 1887 – 17 June 1957) was an English actor who specialized in the plays of G.B. Shaw and appeared in 40 films between 1930 and 1956. He was born in London and died in Brighton. Partial filmography * ''Murder! ...

as Chiffinch *

as Robin *

Craighall Sherry Craighall Sherry (April 8, 1869; Glasgow, Scotland, UK - 1943 (age 73); Uxbridge, Middlesex, UK) was a British stage and film actor. Selected filmography * '' The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands'' (1927) * ''Spione'' (1928) * '' Number ...

as Ben *Lawrence Anderson as James, Duke of York

Production

had enjoyed a big success with the Nell Gwynn story in 1926 with

Dorothy Gish Dorothy Elizabeth Gish (March 11, 1898June 4, 1968) was an American actress of the screen and stage, as well as a director and writer. Dorothy and her older sister Lillian Gish were major movie stars of the silent era. Dorothy also had great s ...

and decided to remake it with

(who would become his wife in 1943). Part of the finance was raised by

United Artists United Artists Corporation (UA), currently doing business as United Artists Digital Studios, is an American digital production company. Founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, the studi ...

. The film encountered censorship difficulties in the US, insisting on the deletion of some scenes and addition of others, including a marriage between James and Nell, and an ending where Nell winds up in the gutter.

Reception

The film flopped in the US but was a big success in the rest of the world. According to ''Film Weekly'' it was the third most popular film in Britain in 1935.

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' wrote, "Sir Cedric Hardwicke's superb portrait of a monarch who combined dignity and a love of pleasure sets the tone for the entire film, its easy graciousness and its pungent humours. Anna Neagle gives us a gay and sprightly Nell, seasoning the part with wantonness and edging it with vulgarity. These two, with Herbert Wilcox's fetching production at their back, set a gallant age in motion on the screen... All of the English players wear their laces and plumes with that true nonchalance which is one of their special gifts to the cinema. This "Nell Gwyn" is a costumed comedy of grace and wit"; and

Graham Greene Henry Graham Greene (2 October 1904 – 3 April 1991) was an English writer and journalist regarded by many as one of the leading English novelists of the 20th century. Combining literary acclaim with widespread popularity, Greene acquir ...

wrote, "I have seen few things more attractive than Miss Neagle in breeches."

References

External links

*
''Nell Gwyn'' at BFI Screenonline
1934 films Films set in the 1660s Films set in the 1670s Films set in the 1680s 1930s English-language films Films directed by Herbert Wilcox Films set in London British historical drama films Nell Gwyn 1930s historical drama films British black-and-white films British and Dominions Studios films Films shot at Imperial Studios, Elstree 1934 drama films Cultural depictions of Charles II of England 1930s British films {{historic-film-stub