''The Divine Lady'' is a 1929 American

pre-Code Pre-Code Hollywood was the brief era in the American film industry between the widespread adoption of sound in film in 1929LaSalle (2002), p. 1. and the enforcement of the Motion Picture Production Code censorship guidelines, popularly known ...

Vitaphone Vitaphone was a sound film system used for feature films and nearly 1,000 short subjects made by Warner Bros. and its sister studio First National from 1926 to 1931. Vitaphone was the last major analog sound-on-disc system and the only one ...

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronization, synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decad ...

with a synchronized musical score, sound effects, and some synchronized singing, but no spoken dialogue. It stars Corinne Griffith and tells the story of the love affair between

Horatio Nelson Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte (29 September 1758 – 21 October 1805) was a British flag officer in the Royal Navy. His inspirational leadership, grasp of strategy, and unconventional tactics brought a ...

and Emma Hamilton. It featured the theme song "Lady Divine", with lyrics by Richard Kountz and music by Nathaniel Shilkret, which became a popular hit in 1929 and was recorded by numerous artists, such as Shilkret, Frank Munn, Ben Selvin (as the Cavaliers),

Smith Ballew Sykes "Smith" Ballew (January 21, 1902 – May 2, 1984) was an American actor, sophisticated singer, orchestra leader, and a western singing star. He also was billed as Buddy Blue, Charles Roberts, and Billy Smith. Early years The son of Wi ...

, Adrian Schubert, Sam Lanin, and

Bob Haring Bob Haring (August 21, 1895 – February 18, 1975) was an American popular music bandleader of the 1920s and early 1930s. Biography Haring began recording as the music director of the then-new Cameo Records label beginning in 1922 under a plethora ...

. The film was adapted by

Harry Carr __NOTOC__ Harry C. Carr (1877–1936) was an American reporter, editor and columnist for the ''Los Angeles Times.'' In 1934 he was given an honorable mention by a Pulitzer Prize committee on awards. When a heart attack claimed his life at the ag ...

, Forrest Halsey,

Agnes Christine Johnston Agnes Christine Johnston was an American screenwriter who wrote for more than 80 films between 1915 and 1948. Biography Early life Johnston was born in Swissvale, Pennsylvania, to John Johnston and Isabel McElhany. She attended the Horace Man ...

, and Edwin Justus Mayer from the novel ''The Divine Lady: A Romance of Nelson and Emma Hamilton'' by E. Barrington. It was directed by Frank Lloyd. The film won the

Academy Award for Best Director The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibi ...

and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role (Corinne Griffith) and Best Cinematography. It is the only film to be awarded Best Director without a Best Picture nomination (one year earlier, '' Two Arabian Knights'' was awarded for Best Director of a Comedy Picture without being nominated for Best Picture).

Plot

In the late eighteenth century, Lady Hamilton has had a somewhat turbulent relationship with the British people, especially the aristocracy. Born Emma Hart from a very humble background (she being the daughter of a cook), she was seen as being vulgar by the rich, but equally captivating for her beauty. In a move to protect his inheritance, Honorable Charles Greville, Emma's then lover and her mother's employer, sent Emma to Naples under false pretenses to live with his uncle, Sir William Hamilton, where she would study to become a lady. Surprisingly to Greville whose deception Emma would eventually discover, Emma ended up becoming Hamilton's wife in a marriage of convenience. But it is Emma's eventual relationship with Horatio Nelson of the British navy that would cause the largest issue. A move by Lady Hamilton helped Nelson's armada defeat Napoleon's fleet in naval battles, which Nelson would have ultimately lost without Lady Hamilton's help. Beyond the dangers of war, Lady Hamilton and Nelson's relationship is ultimately threatened by the court of public opinion as both are married to other people.

Cast

* Corinne Griffith as Emma Hart * Victor Varconi as Horatio Nelson * H. B. Warner as Sir William Hamilton *

Ian Keith Ian Keith (born Keith Ross; February 27, 1899 – March 26, 1960) was an American actor. Early years Born in Boston, Massachusetts, Keith grew up in Chicago. He was educated at the Francis Parker School there and played Hamlet in a school p ...

as Honorable Charles Greville *

Marie Dressler Marie Dressler (born Leila Marie Koerber, November 9, 1868 – July 28, 1934) was a Canadian stage and screen actress, comedian, and early silent film and Depression-era film star. In 1914, she was in the first full-length film comedy. Sh ...

as Mrs. Hart * Montagu Love as Captain Hardy *

William Conklin William Conklin (December 25, 1872 – March 21, 1935) was an American actor. He appeared in more than 80 silent films between 1913 and 1929. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, and died in Hollywood, California. Partial filmography * '' Ari ...

as Romney * Dorothy Cumming as Queen Maria Carolina * Michael Vavitch as King Ferdinand * Evelyn Hall as Duchess of Devonshire * Helen Jerome Eddy as Lady Nelson

Preservation status

The film still survives intact along with its Vitaphone soundtrack. This film was a joint preservation project of the

UCLA Film and Television Archive The UCLA Film & Television Archive is a visual arts organization focused on the preservation, study, and appreciation of film and television, based at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Also a nonprofit exhibition venue, the a ...

and the Museum of Modern Art Department of Film in cooperation with the Czechoslovak Film Archive. It was restored in conjunction with the project American Moviemakers: The Dawn of Sound.

Home media

In 2009, the film was released on manufactured-on-demand DVD by the

Warner Archive Collection The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inten ...

References

External links

* * * *
''The Divine Lady''
at Virtual History {{DEFAULTSORT:Divine Lady, The 1929 films 1920s biographical films American biographical films American silent feature films American black-and-white films Films whose director won the Best Directing Academy Award Transitional sound films Films directed by Frank Lloyd First National Pictures films Napoleonic Wars films Adultery in films Films set in England Films set in London Films set in Naples Films set in the 1790s Films set in the 1800s Films set in the 1810s Cultural depictions of Horatio Nelson Cultural depictions of Emma, Lady Hamilton 1920s historical films American historical films 1920s English-language films 1920s American films