“The Divine Lady”

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 786, 5 October 1929, Page 29

“The Divine Lady”

LORD NELSON’S ROMANCE Corinne Griffith At the Plaza NOTHING but praise lias come the way of Corinne Griffith since the initial screening of her work as Lady Hamilton in '‘The Divine Lady,” now booked by the Plaza. Made by First National, the production is the star’s g’reatest success. From every viewpoint this adaptation of Nelson’s romance is too good to be missed. Its story is told artistically, dramatically, and on a sumptuous scale.

One of the reasons for the selection of Corinne Griffiths as Lady Hamilton was her strange resemblance to Romney’s famous picture. Before me is a reproduction of the painting, and a photograph of thg actress in a copied pose. The two are wonderfully alike.

However, this little touch of realism is by the way. The fact that counts is that Corinne Griffiths gives

a magnificent performance, poised yet vital, restrained yet brilliant. And she looks slieerly beautiful. Supporting her are two excellent actors. Victor Varconi gives a studied portrait of Lord Nelson, emphasising liis

human qualities and touching on his historic characteristics without burlesquing them as many actors have been prone to do. H. B. Warner as Lord Hamilton is as suave and interesting as ever. The story dwells on the life of Lady Hamilton from her obscure upbringing as the daughter of a blacksmith

to her triumph as the wife of Lord Hamilton and beloved of Lord Nelson. There are a host of magnificent scenes ashore and afloat, but the climax of the picture comes with a reproduction of the Battle of Trafalgar, on which the director, Frank Lloyd, has brought to hear First National’s heaviest financial resources. Frankly, the success of such sequences is governed largely by the amount of money a producing company is prepared to spend in extending scope and achieving realism. Therefore when it is explained that most of the 1,000,000 dollars spent on making “The Divine Lady” went in wreckage and gunfire on the “locale” of the film battle, little more need be said. Colourful and fascinating, the story as a whole is a faithful adaptation of the historical facts. The' closing scene is that of the death of Nelson on the ’tween deck of the Victory at the moment when the tide of battle, having turned in his favour, is at its flood. With talking and sound effects, “The Divine Lady” ranks as one of the foremost films of the year. Undoubtedly it will prove a Plaza attraction extraordinary.