The First Gentleman

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]

The First Gentleman
UK theatrical poster
Directed byAlberto Cavalcanti
Produced byJoseph Friedman
Written byReginald Long
Nicholas Phipps
Based onThe First Gentleman
by Norman Ginsbury
StarringJean-Pierre Aumont
Joan Hopkins
Cecil Parker
Music byLennox Berkeley
CinematographyJack Hildyard
Edited byMargery Saunders
Production
company
Columbia British Productions
Distributed byColumbia Pictures
Release date
15 March 1948 (UK)
17 February 1949 (USA)
Running time
111 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The film title is taken from the Prince Regent's nickname, the First Gentleman of Europe.

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.

The film begins in Windsor Castle in 1810, with physicians telling the queen that King George III will not recover his sanity. They inform Prince George that he is to be Regent.

The Prince Regent plans to marry his daughter Charlotte to Prince William of Orange. However, Charlotte shows more interest in Prince Leopold. The Orince Regent tries to force his opinion upon her.

He himself is having an affair with Isabella.

Charlotte leaves without permission to see her mother at Connaught House. The Bishop of Salisbury is sent to retrieve her. Henry Brougham is also sent to find her in a similsar role, representing the government. They all persuade her to go to Windsor Castle and stay with her grandmother, Queen Charlotte, for at least 18 months.

Meanwhile on the continent, Prince Leopold meets Prince William of Orange, who informs him that his engagement to Charlotte was broken a long time before. Prince Leopold therefore returns to England.

The Prince Regent is hosting a dinner at the newly completed Brighton Pavilion when a crowd begins to gather and cheer Princess Charlotte when she goes to the window to look at the fireworks but boo the Prince when he appears. His advisors tell him that if he let Charlotte marry Leopold he would be cheered. The Prince regent says that as the state would have to support Prince Leopold he is best placed as ruler of Hanover: but Charlotte insists that she and Leopold live in England. It is revealed that Leopold is waiting in the wings.

Leopold and Charlotte marry and the Prince regent buys them Claremont House as a wedding present. Charlotte becomes pregnant. However, their son is stillborn. Moreover, Charlotte becomes desperately ill. She dies shortly before her father arrives. He is devastated: "two generations gone in a moment". He organises a funeral fit for a queen.

18 months later he is at the christening of his nephew Prince Edward's daughter, they debate calling her either Alexandrina or Charlotte, but fix upon Victoria.

Cast

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]
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References
  1. "The First Gentleman (1948)". BFI.
  2. "The First Gentleman | Jane Austen's World". Janeaustensworld.wordpress.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  3. ."The Affairs Of A Rogue Review". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  4. "The First Gentleman (1948) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 12 March 2014.


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