Lady Hamilton (1921)

Synopsis
This epic German production was said to have had a cast of 100,000. Whether there was any truth to this claim is extremely questionable, and there were but three really important roles in the film: Conrad Veidt as Lord Nelson, Werner Kraus as Sir William Hamilton, and Liane Haid in the role of a lifetime as Lady Hamilton. The film covers Lady Hamilton's life, including her beginnings as Emma Lyon, a blacksmith's daughter. Young Emma learns how to fend for herself by becoming the mistress to many men before marrying Sir William Hamilton, the uncle of her lover, Charles Greville. Then she meets and falls for Lord Nelson, the famed English Admiral. She helps Nelson achieve his first great naval victory, along with becoming his lover and bearing his child out of wedlock. Although both Hamilton and Nelson's wife appear to accept the scandalous relationship, when Hamilton dies, Emma is virtually cut out of his will. Emma lives a poverty-stricken life that is only brightened by the knowledge that Nelson will return -- but he doesn't. Nelson dies in the Battle of Trafalgar. ~ Janiss Garza, All Movie Guide