Bequest to the Nation (film)

Bequest to the Nation (U.S. title The Nelson Affair^[1]) is a 1973 British historical drama film directed by James Cellan Jones and starring Glenda Jackson, Peter Finch, Michael Jayston and Margaret Leighton.^[2][3] It is based on Terence Rattigan's 1970 play A Bequest to the Nation.^[1]

Bequest to the Nation
Directed by	James Cellan Jones
Written by	Terence Rattigan
Produced by	Hal B. Wallis
Starring	Glenda Jackson Peter Finch Michael Jayston Anthony Quayle
Cinematography	Gerry Fisher
Edited by	Anne V. Coates
Music by	Michel Legrand
Production company	Hal Wallis Productions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	18 April 1973 (1973-04-18) (New York City) 25 April 1973 (1973-04-25) (London, UK)
Running time	118 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Plot summary

The film depicts the relationship between Admiral Lord Nelson and his mistress, Lady Hamilton, during the Napoleonic Wars plus others they would meet, including Nelson's nephew, George Matcham Jr.

Much of the story takes place at Merton Place, Nelson & Hamilton's estate, before Nelson's heading out to sea for the 1805 Battle of Trafalgar.

Cast

• Glenda Jackson as Lady Hamilton
• Peter Finch as Lord Nelson
• Michael Jayston as Captain Hardy
• Anthony Quayle as Lord Minto
• Margaret Leighton as Lady Nelson
• Dominic Guard as George Matcham Jnr, Nelson's nephew
• Nigel Stock as George Matcham Snr, Nelson's brother-in-law
• Roland Culver as Lord Barham
• Barbara Leigh-Hunt as Catherine Matcham, Nelson's sister
• Pat Heywood as Emily
• Clelia Matania as Francesca
• John Nolan as Captain Blackwood

Critical reception

The New York Times found the film "thoroughly genteel", and wrote that Rattigan's dialogue was written "in the manner of someone regurgitating the cadences of a 19th-century schoolgirl's diary... Peter Finch plays Lord Nelson with a reserved passion that seems intelligently thought out but is not terribly interesting to watch, while Glenda Jackson seems to go at Lady Hamilton from the opposite direction."^[1]

Sky Cinema found the film "remarkable for the handsome Technicolor photography of Gerry Fisher and the brilliant production design of Carmen Dillon. There are some touching moments, notably those involving Margaret Leighton as Lady Nelson, and vivid climactic battle scenes. However, the two principals are not very well cast, and while Peter Finch struggles gamely to erase memories of Olivier's version of the role, Miss Jackson responds by stridently over-playing her hand as a sluttish Emma".^[4]

Time Out wrote, "Histrionics apart, you come out wondering whether it really matters."^[5]

Locations

Lansdown Crescent, Bath