A British historical drama; A story set in England in 1811 following the Napoleonic wars. The Prince Regent (the future King George IV of England) attempts to marry off his unruly daughter Princess Charlotte to Prince William of Orange who is heir apparent to the Dutch throne, but it is to no avail because she has other ideas. This attractively staged and lusciously costumed drama about star-crossed lovers is based on a play, The First Gentleman by Norman Ginsbury. Humorous touches raise it above the stuffiness of some of the busier scenes though it generally moves at a slow pace and the plotline drags in parts. Cecil Parker is not ideally cast as George, but he carries off humour, vain and excess effectively. Jean-Pierre Aumont as the German heads the cast and is charming, casting his romantic spell. Tom Gill as the boorish prince is outstanding. The third act culminates in stirring romance and startling tragedy.
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shakercoola28 January 2020
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This broadly factual account of part of the life of the Prince Regent, detailing his relationship with his strong-minded young daughter Princess Charlotte, has many strong points but cries out for a colour re-make that would address its flaws. It's elegantly mounted, both in the studio and on location, by the reliable and underestimated Cavalcanti, and it offers Cecil Parker, almost always a supporting actor, a chance to shine in a leading role. The script is based on a play that ran for over a year in London and much later and less successfully on Broadway. Judging by author Norman Ginsbury's other credits, my guess is that the sharp, witty dialogue is mostly that of comic screenwriter Nicholas Phipps. The problem is that the tone is overly comical, given that the focus shifts dramatically to the tragedy of Charlotte, only briefly able to find happiness with her chosen husband, Prince Leopold, before dying in childbirth. Then we return to Prinny being pompous and silly again. There is a lot of historical information here and much of it (references to Regent's Street, the Brighton Pavilion and so on) is given in a throwaway style with which fans of present-day historical TV drama will be familiar. Although "The First Gentleman" can't compare with "The Madness of King George", Alan Bennett's acclaimed take on Prinny's father, George III, mentioned but not seen, there is still enough here to recommend. The version currently on British TV, "Affairs of a Rogue", is the American cut, reduced by 20 minutes allegedly because of concerns about the Prince Regent's adultery. On a couple of occasions abrupt edits are noticeable. But the film seems quite long enough and it's hard to imagine what the missing footage would add. Interestingly a 1961 TV version of the play, with Charles Gray as the Prince Regent, also runs 90 minutes. It was one of 65 British TV plays discovered in the Library of Congress and it's been shown at London's BFI Southbank.
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malcolmgsw26 March 2020Columbia British had been making George Formby comedies and Vera Lynn musicals.So this was a big departure for them.Costume pictures were in vogue.So that must have been part of the reason.It is an interesting film in that it follows the actual story acurately.Good performance from Cecil Parker.
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CinemaSerf5 January 2023Cecil Parker steals each scene in this flamboyant British Regency romance. He is the Prince Regent, elder son of King George III, whose daughter Princess Charlotte (Jean Hopkins) is enamoured of Prince Leopold (Jean-Pierre Aumont). Cavlacanti manages to keep the whole thing moving along in a jolly sort of fashion, with some jolly, period-style, scoring and some nice character parts from the likes of Margaretta Scott and the always reliable Hugh Griffith (this time as a Bishop!). A factual depiction? Well apart from the fact that the young couple really did exist, I can't say, but that doesn't really matter - it is an opportunity for a bit of a theatrical romp through early 19th Century British society that I found mildly entertaining - if perhaps twenty minutes too long.
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richardchatten8 June 2020Unlike the rather severe melodramatic fare being churned out by Gainsborough, this is a much more light-hearted business until the bittersweet ending; lavishly produced and stylishly directed by Cavalcanti from a witty script drawn from Norman Ginsbury's popular play.
Among a large supporting cast Cecil Parker's comical Prince Regent naturally stands out, along with Margaretta Scott and a young Melissa Stribling as two of his mistresses ("Come Isabella, sit on my knee!") and Athene Seyler as the heroine's good-hearted aunt.