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Emma Hamilton (Lady Hamilton - Zwischen Schmach und Liebe)

Emma Hamilton (Lady Hamilton - Zwischen Schmach und Liebe)

Movie · 1968 · 15 people

Christian-Jaque directed Emma Hamilton in 1968, a historical and costume drama that blends romance with a biographical frame. A co-production between Italy, West Germany and France (the United States is sometimes named as a production country too), it tells the love story of two real figures, Lord Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton, and is partly based on Alexandre Dumas's 1864 novel La Sanfelice. Made in English, it runs about 98 minutes. Its German title is Lady Hamilton – Zwischen Schmach und Liebe, the French one Les Amours de Lady Hamilton and the Italian one Le calde notti di Lady Hamilton.

Michèle Mercier plays Emma and Richard Johnson plays Nelson. The cast also includes John Mills, Mario Pisu, Nadja Tiller, Venantino Venantini, Gabriella Giorgelli, Mirko Ellis, Gigi Ballista, Robert Hundar and Howard Ross. The story follows Emma, known for her beauty in Naples, and the celebrated admiral of the British fleet, a liaison counted among the great scandals of its day, and the turbulent times in which the two lived.

Werner P. Zibaso wrote the screenplay and Produzioni Europee Associati made the film, with Alberto Grimaldi credited as producer. Riz Ortolani composed the music.

DirectorChristian-Jaque
Production companyProduzioni Europee Associati

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Venantino Venantini Venantino Venantini Actor · died at 88 Prince Carraciola Gabriella Giorgelli Gabriella Giorgelli Actor · 85 years old Laurie Strong John Mills Mario Pisu Nadja Tiller Michèle Mercier Richard Johnson Mirko Ellis Gigi Ballista Gisela Uhlen Dieter Borsche Harald Leipnitz Boy Gobert Robert Hundar Howard Ross

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History & Society Lens Asks about the period, the social background and what the work reflects.

The film portrays two people who really lived, Lord Horatio Nelson and Emma Hamilton, but its partial basis in Alexandre Dumas's novel La Sanfelice signals from the start that history and literature are intertwined here. It is better watched as a period romance than as a history lesson. What is interesting is that a national hero's private life counted among the great scandals of its age: the tension between public fame and privacy is still familiar today. The titles that change from country to country, especially the 'hot nights' of the Italian one, also reveal which side of the story was being sold.

Cinephile Looks at script, editing and directing choices; keeps a distance from formula films.

The typical equation of sixties European co-productions is here too: Italian, West German and French money, an English-language shoot and a cast gathered from several countries. That formula often puts market calculations ahead of style, and in my view the real test for Emma Hamilton is whether such a multinational structure can produce a single cinematic voice. At about 98 minutes, the running time is also tight for carrying a love story, a biographical frame and a turbulent era at once; one strand is almost bound to be sacrificed to another. The tendency of costume and decor to upstage the drama in productions like this should be factored in as well.

These are not reader reviews: they are short editorial takes written from different viewer perspectives with AI assistance. Reader reviews are below.

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