Called "That Hamilton Woman" in the United States and "Lady Hamilton" in Great Britain, the film was Leigh's third film to be made in Hollywood, and her third (and final) film with her very new husband Laurence Olivier; their respective spouses having belatedly agreed to divorces, the two were married on 30 August 1940 and filming took place in September and October. Produced on a tight budget, shooting was completed in a rushed five weeks, and only a few months later the couple returned home to an England at war with Germany. Their film, based on the lives of Lord Horatio Nelson, the great naval foe of Napoléon, and his mistress, Lady Emma Hamilton, was produced and directed by Alexander Korda during his enforced stay in Hollywood and, with its historical parallels, was a not so subtle call of support for the beleaguered British. (The United States wouldn't enter the war until after the attack on Pearl Harbor at the end of 1941.) Someone who would have had exactly no problem with the distinct whiff of propaganda was British Prime Minister Winston Churchill; it's been widely reported that this was his very favorite film, and that he eventually viewed it more than eighty times.
The gorgeous "Lord Nelson" gown. Lady Hamilton has been performing at a celebration for Nelson, hence the "N" on her necklace...
... and in her hair.
The "N" pendant of her necklace is matched by those of her earrings.
Happily, it appears that the original gown has survived.
Wearing the Nelson gown, Leigh posed for a slightly satirical take on the intense working conditions of the "Hollywood Machine".
The wonderful scene of the ravishing Leigh/Emma running to meet Olivier/Nelson; the wildly romantic glamour of the thing more than a little dulled by my sadly blurry capture.
The UNTOLD GAZE is a large format fine art book - 11x11 inches hardbound, 160 pages, full color - a collection of almost ninety of Stephen's paintings paired with short fiction and poetry inspired by his work. Included among the thirty-three authors are Lidia Yuknavitch, Tom Spanbauer, Monica Drake, Sam Roxas-Chua, and Whitney Otto. Click on the image above if you'd like more information on how to purchase the book.
Stephen O’Donnell is a mid-career fine artist, writer, and singer/performer. His paintings are widely collected, both in this country and abroad. Entirely self-taught, he is best known for his self-portraits, paintings which typically employ gender ambiguity and a lot of droll humor. His work most often exemplifies what is known as a portrait historié, in which a recognizable subject is portrayed in period costume or mythological guise, to dramatic or comic effect. He is also known for his small paintings of animals. His work – both literary and visual – has appeared in the literary magazines/journals Nailed, Menacing Hedge, and Gertrude. He is married to writer and graphic designer Gigi Little, with whom he sometimes performs. Their book, The Untold Gaze – a collection of Stephen’s paintings paired with short fiction by 33 authors – was published in October of 2018. They live in Portland, Oregon with their dog Nicholas.
