11 Nov That Hamilton Woman
That Hamilton Woman, movie starring Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier.
(1941) By all accounts, That Hamilton Woman was Winston Churchill’s favorite movie. The story doesn’t take place during World War II however. It’s all about British Admiral Horatio Nelson’s battles against Napoleon’s fleet.
According to this conversation between Turner Classic Movies host Robert Osborne and his guest programmer Gore Vidal, Churchill actually wrote the speech that Lord Nelson (played by Laurence Olivier) gave to the House of Lords.
“You cannot deal with dictators,” Nelson exclaimed, referring to Napoleon, the dictator who wanted to rule the world. The message came through loud and clear that the same would apply to Hitler. At the time, so many Americans were adamantly against going to war with the British that there was talk about the director Vincent Korda being deported!
That didn’t stop Churchill from having a private screening for a group that included President Roosevelt. He was desperate, of course, for FDR’s assistance in any way he could get it.
The “Hamilton woman” was Emma Hamilton, said to be the most beautiful woman in Europe. Even though she and Nelson were both married to others they had a long open affair that was talked about everywhere. They may have been as famous as the newly married couple that played them … Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier.
Vivien Leigh was just gorgeous. Laurence looked good too although once or twice I couldn’t help but think of Healthcliff.
The movie is a good little history lesson and had me googling for an hour afterward. From what I have read, it doesn’t stray that far from the truth.
That Hamilton Woman (1941) at amazon.com
No Comments