''Bequest to the Nation'' is a 1973 British historical drama film directed by James Cellan Jones and starring Glenda Jackson,

Peter Finch Frederick George Peter Ingle Finch (28 September 191614 January 1977) was an English-Australian actor of theatre, film and radio. Born in London, he emigrated to Australia as a teenager and was raised in Sydney, where he worked in vaudeville ...

, Michael Jayston and Margaret Leighton. It is based on the 1970 Terence Rattigan play ''

A Bequest to the Nation ''A Bequest to the Nation'' is a 1970 play by Terence Rattigan, based on his 1966 television play ''Nelson'' (full title – ''Nelson – A Portrait in Miniature''). It recounts the events surrounding Horatio Nelson, his mistress Emma Hamilton, ...

''. In the United States, it was released as ''The Nelson Affair''.

Plot summary

The film depicts the relationship between Admiral Lord Nelson and his mistress,

Lady Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), generally known as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becoming the mistress of a series of wealthy men ...

, during the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

plus others they would meet, including Nelson's nephew, George Matcham Jr. Much of the story takes place at

Merton Place Merton is an ancient parish historically in Surrey, but which has since 1965 been part of Greater London (under its current name Merton Priory). It is bounded by Wimbledon to the north, Mitcham to the east, Morden, Cheam and Cuddington (Worce ...

, Nelson & Hamilton's estate, before Nelson's heading out to sea for the 1805

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar (21 October 1805) was a naval engagement between the British Royal Navy and the combined fleets of the French and Spanish Navies during the War of the Third Coalition (August–December 1805) of the Napoleonic Wars (180 ...

Cast

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 ...

'' found the film "thoroughly genteel", and wrote that Rattigan's dialogue was written "in the manner of someone regurgitating the cadences of a 19th-century schoolgirl's diary... Peter Finch plays Lord Nelson with a reserved passion that seems intelligently thought out but is not terribly interesting to watch, while Glenda Jackson seems to go at Lady Hamilton from the opposite direction." ''

Sky Cinema Sky Cinema is a British subscription film service owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). In the United Kingdom, Sky Cinema channels currently broadcast on the Sky satellite and Virgin Media cable platforms, and in addition Sky Cinema on ...

'' found the film "remarkable for the handsome Technicolor photography of

Gerry Fisher Gerry Fisher, B.S.C. (23 June 1926 – 2 December 2014) was an English cinematographer. Biography He was born in London in 1926. Early employment by Kodak and De Havilland Aircraft was followed by service in the Royal Navy during WW II. Fish ...

and the brilliant production design of

Carmen Dillon Carmen Dillon (25 October 190812 April 2000) was an English film art director and production designer who won an Oscar for the Olivier version of ''Hamlet'' (1948). Life Dillon was born in Hendon to Irish-born Joseph Thomas Dillon and his wife ...

. There are some touching moments, notably those involving Margaret Leighton as Lady Nelson, and vivid climactic battle scenes. However, the two principals are not very well cast, and while Peter Finch struggles gamely to erase memories of

Olivier Olivier is the French form of the given name Oliver. It may refer to: * Olivier (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Olivier (surname), a list of people * Château Olivier, a Bordeaux winery *Olivier, Louisiana, a rural popul ...

's version of the role, Miss Jackson responds by stridently over-playing her hand as a sluttish Emma"; and ''

Time Out Time-out, Time Out, or timeout may refer to: Time * Time-out (sport), in various sports, a break in play, called by a team * Television timeout, a break in sporting action so that a commercial break may be taken * Timeout (computing), an enginee ...

'' wrote, "Histrionics apart, you come out wondering whether it really matters."

Locations

Lansdown Crescent, Bath

References

External links

* 1973 films 1970s historical drama films Films based on works by Terence Rattigan British historical drama films Films with screenplays by Terence Rattigan Films scored by Michel Legrand Films produced by Hal B. Wallis Films set in the 1790s Films set in the 1800s Universal Pictures films Cultural depictions of Horatio Nelson Cultural depictions of Emma, Lady Hamilton 1973 drama films Films directed by James Cellan Jones 1970s English-language films 1970s British films {{1970s-UK-film-stub