The First Gentleman
| The First Gentleman | |
|---|---|
.jpg) UK theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Alberto Cavalcanti |
| Produced by | Joseph Friedman |
| Written by |
Reginald Long Nicholas Phipps play by Norman Ginsbury |
| Starring |
Jean-Pierre Aumont Joan Hopkins Cecil Parker |
| Music by | Lennox Berkeley |
| Cinematography | Jack Hildyard |
| Edited by | Margery Saunders |
Production company |
Columbia British Productions |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release dates |
March 15, 1948 (UK) February 17, 1949 (USA) |
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The First Gentleman is a 1948 British historical drama film directed by Alberto Cavalcanti and starring Jean-Pierre Aumont, Joan Hopkins and Cecil Parker.[1] It portrays the relationships and marriage of George, Prince Regent and his tense dealings with other members of his family such as his only child Princess Charlotte and his younger brother Frederick, Duke of York. It was also released as Affairs of a Rogue.The film is based on a play, "The First Gentleman" by Norman Ginsbury, which was staged in London in 1945, starring Robert Morley as the Prince Regent and Wendy Hiller as Princess Charlotte.[2]
Plot
The film traces the reign of the Prince Regent following the Napoleonic wars, and the Prince's attempts to marry off his unruly daughter Charlotte to a number of acceptable nobles, but to no avail because she falls for Leopold, a poverty-stricken German prince. Charlotte's marriage to Leopold is a happy one until the birth of their child.
Cast
- Jean-Pierre Aumont - Prince Leopold
- Joan Hopkins - Princess Charlotte
- Cecil Parker - Prince Regent
- Margaretta Scott - Lady Hartford, mistress of the Regent
- Jack Livesey - Edward, one of the Regent's younger brothers
- Ronald Squire - Brougham, advisor to the Regent's estranged wife
- Athene Seyler - Miss Knight, friend of the Regent
- Anthony Hawtrey - Sir Richard Croft, Princess Charlotte's physician
- Hugh Griffith - Bishop of Salisbury
- Gerard Heinz - Doctor Stockmar
- George Curzon - Duke of York, one of the Regent's younger brothers
- Betty Huntley-Wright - Princess Elizabeth, one of the Regent's younger sisters
- Tom Gill - Prince William, one of the Regent's younger brothers
- Lydia Sherwood - Princess Augusta, one of the Regent's younger sisters
- Frances Waring - Queen Charlotte, the Regent's mother
Critical reception
- TV Guide called it "a poorly mounted costume drama with a complicated script that moves at a snail's pace."[3]
- Allmovie wrote, "swamped in period costumes and decor, Affairs of a Rogue is consistently good to look at, even when the plotline begins to drag."[4]
References
- ↑ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0040358/
- ↑ "The First Gentleman | Jane Austen's World". Janeaustensworld.wordpress.com. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
- ↑ "The Affairs Of A Rogue Review". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 2014-03-12.
- ↑ "The First Gentleman (1948) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 2014-03-12.