''That Lady'' is a 1955 British-Spanish

historical History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

romantic drama film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion (emotion), passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their ...

directed by Terence Young and produced by Sy Bartlett and Ray Kinnoch. It stars

Olivia de Havilland Dame Olivia Mary de Havilland (; July 1, 1916July 26, 2020) was a British and American actress. The major works of her cinematic career spanned from 1935 to 1988. She appeared in 49 feature films and was one of the leading actresses of her tim ...

, Gilbert Roland, and Paul Scofield. It was written by Bartlett based on the 1946 historical novel by Kate O'Brien, which was published in North America under the title ''For One Sweet Grape.''

Plot

The film is the story of Ana de Mendoza, a swashbuckling, sword-toting princess. She lost an eye in a duel defending the honour of her king Philip II of Spain, (played by Paul Scofield in his film debut, who earned a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

award for best newcomer). Philip later jilted Ana to marry Mary I, the Queen of England, marrying her off to an aging noble, who died, leaving her a widow. Subsequently, he asks Ana de Mendoza to assist him in tutoring commoner Antonio Perez as his first secretary, but when they fall in love his popularity starts to drop, helped along by Philip II's jealous minister Mateo Vasquez.

Cast

as Ana de Mendoza * Gilbert Roland as Antonio Perez * Paul Scofield as King

Philip II of Spain Philip II (21 May 152713 September 1598), sometimes known in Spain as Philip the Prudent (), was King of Spain from 1556, King of Portugal from 1580, and King of Naples and List of Sicilian monarchs, Sicily from 1554 until his death in 1598. He ...

* Françoise Rosay as Bernardine * Dennis Price as Mateo Vasquez * Anthony Dawson as Don Inigo * Robert Harris as Cardinal *

Peter Illing Peter Illing (4 March 1899 – 29 October 1966) was an Austrian-born British film and television actor. Selected TV series * '' The Four Just Men'' (1959) as Dr Mozek * '' Deadline Midnight'' (1961) as Captain Dnieprovsky * '' The Saint'' (1962 ...

as Diego * José Nieto as Don Juan de Escobedo * Christopher Lee as Captain * Ángel Peralta as Rejoneador * Fernando Sancho as Diego *Andy Shine as Little Fernando

Production

Shot in England and on location in Spain, the film features Cinemascope footage of the Spanish countryside and renaissance castles. ''That Lady'' was an early directorial effort by Terence Young, who went on to direct three

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

films: '' Dr. No'', '' From Russia With Love'', and '' Thunderball''. Christopher Lee appears in a minor role as the Captain of the Guard. Director Terence Young had tried to interest Greta Garbo in starring in this film, without success. Vivien Leigh was interested, but due to her declining health and

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, it was impossible to insure her.

was the third choice for the film. Much of the film was shot on location in

Segovia Segovia ( , , ) is a city in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Castile and León, Spain. It is the capital and most populated municipality of the Province of Segovia. Segovia is located in the Meseta central, Inner Pl ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

Reception

'' The Monthly Film Bulletin'' wrote: "''That Lady'' not only lacks imagination, but remains tied to its literary origins all through, and sustains a remarkable amount of purposelessness and indecision; from the long early scene between Ana and the King (in which the dialogue is no more than an exchange of chunks of complicated plot detail) a pedestrian narrative note is struck, and a commentator has even to intervene from time to time to explain what exactly is or has been going on. The slowness seems exaggerated by Olivia de Havilland's performance; as the long-suffering Ana, she acts with changeless emphasis in a self-approving vacuum. The rest of the cast is markedly ill at ease, with the exception of Paul Scofield – who, as the film progresses, creates a believable physical image out of the trite situations. The magnificence of the Escorial and other Spanish locations provides impressive but sometimes over-emphatic backgrounds to this lifeless film. Somehow, somewhere, one feels, something went very wrong."

Other adaptations of the same novel

The novel was also produced as a play in 1949, starring Katharine Cornell as Ana, Henry Daniell as Philip II, and Torin Thatcher as Antonio.

References

External links

* {{Terence Young 1955 films Spanish drama films English-language Spanish films 1950s English-language films 1955 romantic drama films CinemaScope films Films set in the 16th century Films directed by Terence Young British romantic drama films 1950s historical romance films British historical romance films Cultural depictions of Ana de Mendoza y de Silva, Princess of Éboli 1950s British films Cultural depictions of Philip II of Spain English-language romantic drama films English-language historical romance films