The transitivity of costume in That Lady (Terence Young, 1955)

Released during the heyday of the costume drama, La princesa de Éboli (That Lady) (Young, 1955) is an Anglo-Spanish co-production about Ana de Mendoza, Princess of Éboli (1540–92), a prominent figure at Philip II’s court who was accused of treason. Based on Kate O’Brien’s novel, the film adaptation was eventually made into two different films for Spanish- and English-speaking audiences owing to the restrictions of Spanish censorship. Modifications to the script, film-edit and ending of the film offered a reversed interpretation of the fate of the protagonist in the Spanish version. Focusing on the costumes of the Princess of Éboli (played by Olivia de Havilland), we explore the shifting meanings that are brought to bear between the Spanish and the English versions. In contrast to costume films of nationalistic glorification in which the heroine sacrifices her personal desires for the more noble cause of patriotic ambitions, the English version disturbed official views of the past by celebrating female pleasure.