Hearts Divided

Hearts Divided is a 1936 American musical film about the real-life marriage between American Elizabeth 'Betsy' Patterson and Jérôme Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon. It stars Marion Davies and Dick Powell as the couple. The film was a remake of the 1928 silent film Glorious Betsy, which was in turn based on the play Glorious Betsy by Rida Johnson Young. In real life, they were married in Baltimore, before sailing for Europe. Napoleon annulled the marriage, in spite of the existence of a child, and forced Jerome to marry Catharina of Württemberg, making him king of Westphalia. “Luckily, Hollywood treats the lovers Betsy and Jerome with a little more compassion. The couple is even granted a second chance at happiness by Claude Rains' Napoleon.”^[2]

In 1803, Napoleon Bonaparte wants to sell a huge swathe of land (which would become the Louisiana Territory) to the United States for $20 million. He gives his younger brother Jérôme a choice between a “goodwill” tour of the United States to assist this effort or a mission to visit Princess Catharina of Württemberg, daughter of the King of Württemberg, with marriage in mind. Jéröme chooses the United States. He meets Elizabeth Patterson, the daughter of a Baltimore banker, and woos her as M. Giroux, a French tutor, without identifying himself to her or her family. Elizabeth is also being courted by two senators and a visiting English aristocrat. The trio provides comic relief.

They fall in love and talk about becoming M. and Mrs. Giroux. He reveals himself at a ball, to everyone's shock, but quickly assures Betsy that he still wants to marry her.

The couple sail to France, planning to marry there. On shipboard, Napoleon confronts Betsy with the importance of an alliance with Württemberg to the fate of France and the idea that Jerome will grow to hate himself if he abandons his duty. Betsy agrees to sail back to America that night without telling Jerome anything about it. Her father and her suitors welcome her home. In France, Jerome is furious with Napoleon. Their mother intervenes and asks Napoleon to let his brother have his life to live as he pleases.

Betsy weeps in a gazebo. The three suitors approach and ask her to choose among them. She declines and walks into the garden. She hears Jerome singing on the other side of the wall. They run to the garden gate and into each other's arms.

• Marion Davies as Elizabeth Patterson
• Dick Powell como el capitán Jerónimo Bonaparte
• Charles Ruggles como el senador Henry Ruggles
• Claude Rains como Napoleón Bonaparte
• Edward Everett Horton como el senador John Hathaway
• Arthur Treacher como Sir Harry
• Henry Stephenson como Charles Patterson
• Clara Blandick como la tía Ellen Patterson
• John Larkin como Isham
• Walter Kingsford como Monsieur Pichon
• Etienne Girardot como Monsieur Du Fresne
• Halliwell Hobbes como Cambaceres
• George Irving como el presidente Thomas Jefferson
• Beulah Bondi como Madame Letizia Bonaparte
• Philip Hurlic como Pippin
• John Elliott como James Monroe (sin acreditar)
• Sam McDaniel como Zacarías (sin acreditar)

Los créditos del reparto concluyen mencionando al Coro Hall Johnson .

• "Mi reino por un beso (Pour Un Baiser)" - música de Harry Warren , letra de Al Dubin
• "Dos corazones divididos (Deux Coeurs Navrés)" - música de Harry Warren, letra de Al Dubin
• "Nadie conoce los problemas que he visto"
• "Levántense, niños, y brillen" (eliminada de la versión final)

• Corazones divididos en IMDb
• Corazones divididos en el catálogo de largometrajes del AFI.
• Corazones divididos en la base de datos de películas de TCM (archivado)