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The international success of Oscar winner The Private Life of Henry VIII (d.
Alexander Korda, 1933) persuaded British producers that lively stories about past royals were just the ticket. Herbert Wilcox had directed an earlier silent
Nell Gwynne (1926) starring Dorothy Gish, and 1934 seemed an opportune moment to
remake Nell's story starring his new protégée Anna Neagle. Released in August
1934, Nell Gwyn was one of several 1930s Wilcox 'royal' films, (others being Victoria the Great (1937) and Sixty Glorious Years (1938), all popular with
audiences. Nell Gwyn also connects with popular 1930s 'shopgirl' romances, such
as Sunshine Susie (d. Victor Saville 1931), which portray how a girl of humble
origins can win the heart of a wealthy man.
The real-life Nell was much less innocent than depicted here, and the film avoids questions of moral
judgement, providing a whitewashed view of Nell mainly through comedy, both
visual (a comic dog, Nell seductively wiggling her toes in bed), and mildly
bawdy dialogue. It was censored by the US Hays Office, both for its
non-condemnation of 'immorality' and for Nell's cleavage. Critic Graham Greene
wrote "I have seen few things more attractive than Miss Neagle in breeches". She
performs a song (more like an Edwardian music hall number) at Drury Lane and a
lively dance to a 'Merrie England' tune by Edward German (composed 1902).
Neither have any period authenticity.
But Wilcox's direction is unsure: there is a clumsy insert of Nell's 'vision'
of the Chelsea Pensioners (fast forward to 1934), which would have been better
placed as an epilogue, and technical deficiencies include muffled sound
recording (when the Duchess is described as a 'foreign whore', the sound is
indistinct, so it sounds more like 'foreigner', perhaps to circumvent
censorship). Wilcox is clearly reluctant to abandon silent film techniques -
exterior shots (of horses arriving) are wholly silent, and the concluding scene
could be lifted from any silent melodrama. For its subtle use of light and
shadow credit must be due to cinematographer Freddie Young.
Nell Gwyn was an early hit for the gamine young Neagle. She performs with
gusto in a nudge/wink manner throughout, in a performance as ripe as Nell's
oranges. Nell became one of her signature roles (along with Queen Victoria and
Florence Nightingale) and was revived again in the 1953 stage production 'The
Glorious Days', filmed as Lilacs in the Spring (d. Wilcox, 1954).
Roger Philip Mellor
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1. At Drury Lane (5:03)
Production stills
