That Hamilton Woman

The love affair between Lady Emma Hamilton and Lord Horatio Nelson serves as the passion behind the patriotism of this 1941 real-life drama directed by Alexander Korda (reportedly at the request of Winston Churchill). The historic, illicit romance is treated as a grand triumph of love with the obligatory tragic end (as the opening scene clearly reveals), yet there is little flag waving or nationalistic speechmaking, merely the stoic sacrifice of personal happiness for patriotic duty. That Hamilton Woman is one of Korda's most gracefully directed and dramatically engaging works, thanks in large part to the performances (and great chemistry) of the astoundingly beautiful Vivien Leigh and the intense, broodingly handsome Laurence Olivier, who had married just a month before shooting began (after a rather notorious affair). Like all of Korda's directorial efforts, this one is episodic, but he creates an elegance and rhythm that keeps the story flowing over the temporal leaps, while the evocative cinematography by Rudolph Maté and production design by Korda's brother, Vincent, set it off like a jewel. A fine companion to the recent Eclipse boxed set of Alexander Korda's Private Lives (VL Online-8/09), DVD extras on this sparkling Criterion edition include informative audio commentary by film historian Ian Christie, a new video interview with Michael Korda (nephew of Alexander), a 1941 promotional radio spot, and a booklet. Highly recommended. (S. Axmaker)