Nell Gwyn

(Herbert Wilcox, UK 1926, 80 min., 35mm)

Silent Tuesday | Period Dramas. Dorothy Gish (Lillian Gish’s younger sister) gives her all in this tale of the orange-seller who became one of the iconic figures of 17th-century English theatre, a favorite mistress of Charles II, and a beloved public figure in her country. Producer-director Herbert Wilcox went to great lengths to secure Gish from the US and make this the most lavishly decorated British film of its time, intending to market the film internationally. Gish’s performance is witty, sexy, endearing, and poignant. Live piano by Philip C. Carli.

Special support provided by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.