''That Hamilton Woman'', also known as ''Lady Hamilton'', is a 1941 black-and-white historical film drama produced and directed by

Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)

for his British company during his exile in the United States. Set during the

Napoleonic Wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

, the film tells the story of the rise and fall of

Emma Hamilton Dame Emma Hamilton (born Amy Lyon; 26 April 176515 January 1815), known upon moving to London as Emma Hart, and upon marriage as Lady Hamilton, was an English maid, model, dancer and actress. She began her career in London's demi-monde, becom ...

, dance-hall girl and

courtesan A courtesan is a prostitute with a courtly, wealthy, or upper-class clientele. Historically, the term referred to a courtier, a person who attended the court of a monarch or other powerful person. History In European feudal society, the co ...

, who married Sir William Hamilton, British ambassador to the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples (; ; ), officially the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was established by the War of the Sicilian Vespers (1282–1302). Until ...

, and later became Admiral

Horatio Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

's mistress. The film was a critical and financial success, and while on the surface the plot is both a war story and a romance set in Napoleonic times, it was also intended to function as a film that would portray Britain positively within the context of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, which was being fought at that time. At the time it was released, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland and Denmark were all occupied by Germany and the Soviet Union was still officially allied with the Third Reich, so the British were fighting against the Nazis alone and felt the need to produce films that would both boost their morale and also portray them sympathetically to the foreign world, especially the United States. On

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

, ''That Hamilton Woman'' has a rating based on reviews.

Plot

The aging, alcoholic Lady

is clapped into

debtor's prison A debtors' prison is a prison for Natural person, people who are unable to pay debt. Until the mid-19th century, debtors' prisons (usually similar in form to locked workhouses) were a common way to deal with unpaid debt in Western Europe.Cory, L ...

in the slums of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...

. In a husky, despairing, whiskey-soaked voice, she narrates her life story to her skeptical fellow prisoners. In one of the early scenes that launches the flashback, Emma looks into a mirror and remembers "the face I knew before", the face of the young, lovely girl who captured the imagination of artists—most notably George Romney and

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter who specialised in portraits. The art critic John Russell (art critic), John Russell called him one of the major European painters of the 18th century, while Lucy P ...

. Emma Hart's early life as the mistress of the charming but unreliable

Charles Francis Greville Charles Francis Greville PC FRS FRSE FLS FSA (12 May 1749 – 23 April 1809) was a British antiquarian, collector and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1774 to 1790. Early life Greville was the second son of Francis Greville ...

leads to her meeting with his wealthy uncle Sir William Hamilton, the British ambassador to Naples. Vivian Leigh Laurence Olivier That Hamilton Woman

Vivian Leigh Laurence Olivier That Hamilton Woman

Greville gives Emma to Sir William in exchange for relief on his debts. At first, Emma is crushed by this turn of events. But gradually she comes to appreciate her luxurious surroundings and glamorous new life. She also grows to respect Sir William, who marries her and explains the reasons for Britain's war against Napoleon. When Horatio Nelson arrives in Naples, Emma is soon deeply attracted to him and impressed by his passionate insistence upon resisting Napoleon's wars of conquest. She leaves Sir William to live with Nelson, who is also married. Their idyllic life together is threatened by the continuing war and their infidelity to their spouses. The Admiralty contacts Sir William and he graciously explains to Emma that it (not he) has ordered her to go to

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

and Nelson to return to Britain. She informs Nelson and they have a passionate farewell. However, both end up in England. When Lady Nelson meets Emma, she is less forgiving than Sir William. Following Nelson's maiden speech at the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

, the crowds spot both Lady Nelson and Emma and gossip starts as to which he will go to first afterwards. It is here that they say "There is that Hamilton woman". Nelson chooses his wife, but Emma faints, and Lady Nelson ushers the carriage away. Against the pleas of his father, a

clergyman Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

of the

Church of England The Church of England (C of E) is the State religion#State churches, established List of Christian denominations, Christian church in England and the Crown Dependencies. It is the mother church of the Anglicanism, Anglican Christian tradition, ...

, Lord Nelson separates from the enraged Lady Nelson, who vows she will never give him a divorce. Emma bears Nelson's child, but Nelson is called back to sea. Meanwhile, Sir William dies and Emma is left impoverished. When Nelson finds out, he is enraged and buys her a country house, where they live together.

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

declares himself

Emperor of the French Emperor of the French ( French: ''Empereur des Français'') was the title of the monarch and supreme ruler of the First French Empire and the Second French Empire. The emperor of France was an absolute monarch. Details After rising to power by ...

and the war restarts. Nelson leaves to confront the

French Navy The French Navy (, , ), informally (, ), is the Navy, maritime arm of the French Armed Forces and one of the four military service branches of History of France, France. It is among the largest and most powerful List of navies, naval forces i ...

off the coast of Spain. The fleet sing " Heart of Oak" as Nelson raises the signal "

England expects that every man will do his duty "England expects that every man will do his duty" was a signal sent by Vice-Admiral of the Royal Navy Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, from his flagship as the Battle of Trafalgar was about to commence on 21 October 1805. During the battl ...

Captain Hardy Vice admiral (Royal Navy), Vice-Admiral Sir Thomas Masterman Hardy, 1st Baronet, Order of the Bath, GCB (5 April 1769 – 20 September 1839) was a Royal Navy officer who served in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars. He took part in ...

warns Nelson that wearing his multitude of decorations could attract snipers, but Nelson insists, as he earned them in combat. The

Battle of Trafalgar The Battle of Trafalgar was a naval engagement that took place on 21 October 1805 between the Royal Navy and a combined fleet of the French Navy, French and Spanish Navy, Spanish navies during the War of the Third Coalition. As part of Na ...

begins, a huge, ferocious battle between the opposing fleets. Nelson is shot through the spine by a sniper and taken below deck. "Poor Emma, what will become of her?" he muses. Outside, Admiral Villeneuve's flagship surrenders and the fighting continues despite 14 enemy ships destroyed or captured. Nelson orders them to continue until 20 are lost. After 18, he says, "We have a great victory" and dies. In England, Hardy goes to Emma and describes the battle, but starts weeping and reveals Nelson's death. Considering her life over, she spirals into poverty and alcoholism.

Production

Shot in the United States during September and October 1940, ''That Hamilton Woman'' defines Britain's struggle against Napoleon in terms of resistance to a dictator who seeks to dominate the world.Haskell, Molly
"Essay: 'That Hamilton Woman: An Alexander Korda Film'."
''The Criterion Collection'', 2009. Retrieved: 2 February 2015. The film was intended to parallel the current situation in Europe and to serve as propaganda at a time, before the attack on

Pearl Harbor Pearl Harbor is an American lagoon harbor on the island of Oahu, Hawaii, west of Honolulu. It was often visited by the naval fleet of the United States, before it was acquired from the Hawaiian Kingdom by the U.S. with the signing of the Reci ...

, when the U.S. was still formally neutral. Korda's brother

Vincent Vincent (Latin: ''Vincentius'') is a masculine given name originating from the Roman name ''Vincentius'', which itself comes from the Latin verb ''vincere'', meaning "to conquer." People with the given name Artists *Vincent Apap (1909–2003) ...

designed the sets, creating Sir William Hamilton's palatial home that looked out over the sea of Naples, as well as the interiors of Merton Place, the home Emma and Nelson shared when they returned to England. On a tight budget, Korda completed filming in only five weeks, working from an original screenplay by Walter Reisch and R.C. Sherriff. Originally to be titled ''The Enchantress'', the film was first released in Britain as ''Lady Hamilton''. Stars Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier were newlyweds at the time of filming and were considered a "dream couple". The film's tagline was ''The Year's Most Exciting Team of Screen Lovers!'' ''That Hamilton Woman'' is the last of three films they made together and their only film as a married couple. Korda also produced their first film, '' Fire Over England''. Because of the strict

Motion Picture Production Code The Motion Picture Production Code was a set of industry guidelines for the self-censorship of content that was applied to most motion pictures released by major studios in the Cinema of the United States, United States from 1934 to 1968. It ...

, the two lovers never appear in bed together or ever even partially undressed together. Before the affair begins Emma sits on her bed, wherein Nelson is recovering from exhaustion, to feed him some soup. According to K.R.M. Short's study of the film, the major problem for the Production Code office was not the scenes showing romantic encounters: It was the script's treating an "adulterous relationship as a romance instead of a sin". The supporting cast of ''That Hamilton Woman'' includes Sara Allgood as Emma's mother,

Henry Wilcoxon Henry Wilcoxon (born Harry Frederick Wilcoxon; 8 September 1905 – 6 March 1984) was a British-American actor and film producer, born in the British West Indies. He was known as an actor in many of director Cecil B. DeMille's films, also ser ...

as Captain Hardy, Gladys Cooper as Lady Nelson, and

Alan Mowbray Alan Mowbray MM (born Alfred Ernest Allen; 18 August 1896 – 25 March 1969) was an English stage and film actor who found success in Hollywood. Early life Mowbray was born in London, England. He served with distinction in the British Army ...

as William Hamilton, Emma's husband, the British ambassador to

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

and a collector of

objets d'art In art history, the French term objet d'art (; ) describes an ornamental work of art, and the term objets d’art describes a range of works of art, usually small and three-dimensional, made of high-quality materials, and a finely-rendered finish ...

. During the filming a wad of flame fell from a torch directly on Olivier's head, setting his wig afire. Wilcoxon, standing right beside him, tried and failed to extinguish the blaze. Finally he wrested the wig from Olivier's head, but both his hands were badly burned, while Olivier's eyebrows were scorched. While ''That Hamilton Woman'' was marketed as historical romance, its subtext is war propaganda. In July 1941, the isolationist

America First Committee The America First Committee (AFC) was an American isolationist pressure group against the United States' entry into World War II. Launched in September 1940, it surpassed 800,000 members in 450 chapters at its peak. The AFC principally supporte ...

(AFC) targeted ''That Hamilton Woman'' and three other major Hollywood feature films (''

The Great Dictator ''The Great Dictator'' is a 1940 American political satire black comedy film written, directed, produced by, and starring Charlie Chaplin. Having been the only Hollywood filmmaker to continue to make silent films well into the period of sound f ...

'', Chaplin/United Artists, 1940; '' Foreign Correspondent'', Wanger/United Artists, 1940; '' The Mortal Storm'', MGM, 1940) as productions that "seemed to be preparing Americans for war". The AFC called on the American public to boycott theaters showing these movies.Chambers II, John Whiteclay. "The Movies and the Antiwar Debate in America, 1930-1941." ''Film & History'', Vol. 36, No. 1, 2006, p. 51. George Romney - Emma Hart in a Straw Hat

George Romney - Emma Hart in a Straw Hat

Reception

The movie premiered at the

Radio City Music Hall Radio City Music Hall (also known as Radio City) is an entertainment venue and Theater (structure), theater at 1260 Sixth Avenue (Manhattan), Avenue of the Americas, within Rockefeller Center, in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York C ...

, and in his review of ''That Hamilton Woman'' for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'',

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

said the film is "just a running account of a famous love affair, told with deep sympathy for the participants against a broad historic outline of the times... Perhaps if it had all been condensed and contrived with less manifest awe, the effect would have been more exciting and the love story would have had more poignancy. As it is, the little drama in the picture is dissipated over many expansive scenes; compassion is lost in marble halls." Of the two stars, Crowther wrote, "Vivien Leigh's entire performance as Lady Hamilton is delightful to behold. All of the charm and grace and spirit which Miss Leigh contains is beautifully put to use to capture the subtle spell which Emma most assuredly must have weaved. Laurence Olivier's Nelson is more studied and obviously contrived, and his appearance is very impressive, with the famous dead eye and empty sleeve." Critical sources usually mention that ''That Hamilton Woman'' was

Winston Churchill Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 1874 – 24 January 1965) was a British statesman, military officer, and writer who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1940 to 1945 (Winston Churchill in the Second World War, ...

's favorite film. During the Atlantic Conference of August 1941, Churchill and his party aboard HMS ''Prince of Wales'' screened the film again and again, and it brought Churchill to tears. In her research on the subject, film historian Professor Stacey Olster reveals that at the time the film was made, Alexander Korda's New York offices were "supplying cover to MI-5 agents gathering intelligence on both German activities in the United States and isolationist sentiments among makers of American foreign policy."Olster, Stacey. "Remakes, Outtakes, and Updates in Susan Sontag’s 'The Volcano Lover'." ''Modern Fiction Studies'', Vol. 41, no. 1, 1995, pp. 122–123. According to Olivier's biographer

Anthony Holden Anthony Ivan Holden (22 May 1947 – 7 October 2023) was an English writer, broadcaster and literary critic, particularly known as a biographer of artists including Shakespeare, Tchaikovsky, the essayist Leigh Hunt, the opera librettist Lorenzo ...

, ''That Hamilton Woman'' "became Exhibit A in a case brought against Korda by the

Senate Foreign Relations Committee The United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is a standing committee of the U.S. Senate charged with leading foreign-policy legislation and debate in the Senate. It is generally responsible for authorizing and overseeing foreign a ...

. The Committee had accused him of operating an espionage and propaganda center for Britain in the United States—a charge Korda only escaped by virtue of the fact that his scheduled appearance before the committee on December 12, 1941 was preempted by the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor five days earlier".

Box office

According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'', the film was the fifth most popular movie at the British box office in 1941, after '' 49th Parallel'', ''

'', '' Pimpernel Smith'' and '' All This, and Heaven Too''.

Cast

Awards and honors

At the

14th Academy Awards The 14th Academy Awards honored film achievements in 1941 and were held at the Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony was briefly cancelled due to the Pearl Harbor attack on December 7, 1941. The ceremony is now considered n ...

, ''That Hamilton Woman'' was nominated for four Oscars and won for Best Sound."The 14th Academy Awards (1942) Nominees and Winners."
''oscars.org''. Retrieved: 1 February 2015."Awards: 'That Hamilton Woman' (1941)."
''The New York Times''. Retrieved: 1 February 2015. ;Nominated * Best Art Direction (

Vincent Korda Vincent Korda (22 June 1897 – 4 January 1979) was a Hungarian-born artist and art director, born in Túrkeve in what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire. From 1918 to 1921 he lived and worked in the Nagybánya artists' colony, which was ...

, Julia Heron) * Best Cinematography (Rudolph Maté) * Best Effects, Special Effects ( Lawrence W. Butler, William A. Wilmarth) ;Won * Best Sound, Recording ( Jack Whitney)

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Balio, Tino. ''United Artists: The Company Built by the Stars''. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2009. . * Fraser, Flora. ''Emma, Lady Hamilton''. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1987. :. * Holden, Anthony. ''Olivier''. London: Sphere Books Limited, 1989. . * Lasky, Jr., Jesse. ''Love Scene: The Story of Laurence Olivier and Viven Leigh''. New York: Thomas Y. Cromwell, 1978. . * McFarlane, Brian, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of British Film''. London: BFI/Methuen, 2003. .

External links

* *
''That Hamilton Woman'' at AllMovie
* * *
''That Hamilton Woman: Real Love/Reel Love''
an essay by

Molly Haskell Molly Clark Haskell (born September 29, 1939)Aitken, Ian, ed. (2006)''Encyclopedia of Documentary Film, Volume 2'' New York: Routledge. p. 541. . is an American film critic and author. She contributed to '' The Village Voice''—first as a ...

at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films". A "sister company" of arthouse film distributo ...

Streaming audio

''Lady Hamilton''
on Theater of Romance: 23 August 1943
''Lady Hamilton''
on Theater of Romance: 8 August 1944

Miscellaneous

Mario Lanza Mario Lanza ( , ; born Alfredo Arnold Cocozza ; January 31, 1921 – October 7, 1959) was an American tenor and actor. He was a Hollywood film star popular in the late 1940s and the 1950s. Lanza began studying to be a professional singer a ...

sings {{R.C. Sherriff 1941 films 1940s biographical drama films American biographical drama films American black-and-white films British historical drama films Romantic period films Napoleonic Wars films French Revolutionary Wars films Films about adultery Films set in Calais Films set in England Films set in Naples Films set in the 1780s Films set in the 1790s Films set in the 1800s Films set in the 1810s Films that won the Best Sound Mixing Academy Award Films produced by Alexander Korda Films directed by Alexander Korda Films scored by Miklós Rózsa Cultural depictions of Horatio Nelson Cultural depictions of Emma, Lady Hamilton 1941 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language biographical drama films English-language historical drama films