A Royal Divorce is a 1938 British historical drama film directed by Jack Raymond and starring Ruth Chatterton, Pierre Blanchar and Frank Cellier. The film portrays the complex relationship between Napoleon I of France and his wife, Josephine Bonaparte from their first meeting until their divorce more than a decade later. It was shot at Denham Studios in Buckinghamshire.Wood p. 99 The film's sets were designed by the art director David Rawnsley.
Cast Ruth Chatterton as Josephine de Beauharnais Pierre Blanchar as Napoleon Bonaparte Frank Cellier as Talleyrand Carol Goodner as Mme. Tallien Auriol Lee as Napoleon's Mother George Curzon as Barras Laurence Hanray as Klemens von Metternich John Laurie as Joseph Bonaparte Jack Hawkins as Captain Charles Rosalyn Boulter as Hortense Allan Jeayes as Marat Moran Caplat as Eugene Romilly Lunge as Junot Hubert Harben as DeTracy David Farrar as Louis Bonaparte Julian Somers as Lucien Bonaparte Sonia Carol as Eliza Tamara d'Etter as Pauline Ivy Shannon as Caroline
Critical reception TV Guide called the film a "mediocre adaptation", while Allmovie wrote, "in terms of costumes and settings, A Royal Divorce is authentic to a fault; in terms of adherence to the facts, it's a bit shaky, though undeniably dramatic.
See also A Royal Divorce (1923) Cultural depictions of Napoleon I of France
References
Bibliography Low, Rachael. Filmmaking in 1930s Britain. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. Wood, Linda. British Films, 1927-1939. British Film Institute, 1986.
External links