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Post by topbilled on Oct 26, 2022 17:49:25 GMT
Reviews for British films will be placed here.
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Post by topbilled on Nov 16, 2022 15:36:53 GMT
This neglected film is from 1948.
Managing a household
Dirk Bogarde made his motion picture debut in this British melodrama based on George Moore’s classic novel. He had replaced Stewart Granger who bowed out at the last minute. Bogarde won over critics and audiences with his performance as a rascal gambler who causes hardship for the title character (Kathleen Ryan).
This is really Miss Ryan’s film, a starring vehicle for her after earning plaudits for her work a year earlier in ODD MAN OUT, supporting James Mason. Here she is a young servant whose religion and steady hand make her an ideal gentlewoman helping manage a nouveau riche household.
One thing that probably comes across better in the novel than it does on screen is how limited her opportunities in life seem to be. The movie starts with her arriving at the Barfield estate, but the source material details the death of her father and her illiteracy before going into service.
Another interesting aspect of the character and her story, which is somewhat glossed over by the filmmakers, is the connection she has with a supervisor who happens to be Bogarde’s mother. The two form a strong bond, when Bogarde is one of the first members of the staff to show kindness towards Ryan.
At the same time Ryan also develops a strong bond with their female employer, Mrs. Barfield (Fay Compton), who practices the same religion.
Most of the film focuses on the troubled relationship between Ryan and Bogarde, who plays a footman that helps with the family’s horses. Bogarde is prone to betting, and he intends to make a fortune his own way. He runs off with a rich relative of the Barfields’, but not before getting Ryan pregnant and leaving her to fend for herself.
There is a sense of family among the servants, and they want what’s best for her and the unborn child. However, when her pregnancy becomes apparent and she is without the benefit of marriage, she must leave the estate. She ends up giving birth at a workhouse infirmary. The middle portion of the story is straight out of Dickens. After the workhouse, she goes back into service as a wet nurse for a wealthy woman who doesn’t want to breastfeed her own newborn.
Meanwhile the crooked couple watching Ryan’s son offer to kill him and save her the responsibility of childrearing…for a fee. These horrors pass, and Ryan eventually finds regular employment as well as romance with an evangelist (Cyril Cusack). But this stability is short-lived when Bogarde boomerangs back on to the scene.
While I don’t think Bogarde and Ryan exhibit any real chemistry together, their moments as a couple on screen are well-acted. Marriage occurs on a festive Derby Day, one of the film’s best sequences. Bogarde is now a bookie who also runs a pub, which Ryan oversees. I thought Bogarde’s character would be unfaithful again, but luckily that doesn’t happen. Yet there’s considerable drama when police shut down his betting operation.
As if this were not enough, he develops a bad cough. And in a tale like this, it’s only going to mean one thing– tuberculosis. Soon Bogarde is dying in hospital, with plans to place one more bet with all their savings…which he loses, before taking his last breath. A memorable death scene.
I especially like how everything comes full circle. After Bogarde’s death, Ryan goes back into service– at– you guessed it, the Barfield estate. The last scene has her serving tea to her old employer while receiving a visit from her now adult son.
This is a very good movie that leaves the viewer with something to think about when it’s all over…and those feelings linger for quite some time.
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Post by topbilled on Nov 28, 2022 16:41:16 GMT
This neglected film is from 1943.
Overcoming adversity
The voice-over narration, provided by director Leslie Howard, tells us the ladies in the story are ‘gentle women.’ And 90 minutes later, as the film ends, they have become indispensable to the war effort. While developing skills, they’ve turned gentle into something less fragile (and much stronger) in order to survive.
It all starts with seven women from different walks of life on their way to a training camp. They have volunteered to join a branch of the British Army known as the Auxiliary Territorial Service. The women speak with regional dialects, representing various parts of Great Britain. One gal is from Scotland; and another is of French origin, who fled her native country when the Nazis killed her family. Gradually their differences are downplayed as they become a team. Despite individual quirks, they are all united in a common goal and singular outcome– victory.
The film has a sort of historical value other studio pictures lack. For instance, there are several sequences where we watch the women undergo rigorous military exercises. These seem to be recreations of actual drills and have a semidocumentary feel.
After the women have finished their training, the next portion of the story shows them driving trucks and using aircraft that takes them right into combat. Those scenes of the film are much more interesting and also have a non-fictional feel. There’s a great sequence where some of the main characters talk to an elderly woman who describes her duties during WWI, claiming she was shot in the shoulder during the first war.
Six weeks after THE GENTLE SEX premiered its director Leslie Howard was killed. He was only 50 years old. There are various theories about the cause of his death. Whatever the reason for Mr. Howard’s untimely demise, it’s clear his last film is a testament to his belief in a free world.
Also, the film reflects the ways in which he appreciates women. In this regard, the whole picture is a declaration of love to the ladies on the battlefront as well as those in the audience who might be watching. They believe working together is what enables them to overcome adversity.
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Post by Fading Fast on Nov 28, 2022 16:58:37 GMT
Howard was a loss - a very talented actor and filmmaker. Plus, while a bit of a rapscallion with the ladies, he seems like a good guy otherwise. He's one of the few actors for whom I will watch a movie simply because he's in it.
There is a similar sounding movie, "Millions Like Us" (comments here: "Millions Like Us" ), that was produced the same year.
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Post by Fading Fast on Nov 28, 2022 20:14:54 GMT
Just a FYI, TCM will be showing a 2016 Leslie Howard documentary, "Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn" on 12/11 at 2am.
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Post by topbilled on Nov 28, 2022 21:07:13 GMT
Just a FYI, TCM will be showing a 2016 Leslie Howard documentary, "Leslie Howard: The Man Who Gave a Damn" on 12/11 at 2am.
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Post by topbilled on Dec 1, 2022 14:22:32 GMT
This neglected film is from 1949.
The apple of his eye
The film is notable as a collaboration between Jean Simmons and Stewart Granger. The couple were wed the following year and went on to make two more films together. Though Mr. Granger has plenty of screen time, this was Miss Simmons’ chance to shine. Up to this point, she had only appeared in supporting roles. But after an Oscar nomination as Ophelia in HAMLET, she was ready for a starring role.
Due to the success of this picture, Granger and Simmons caught the eye of Hollywood moguls. A short time later, they would leave their native England and move to southern California. Both were able to maintain star status for decades and had more hits in America than they did in Europe.
As for ADAM AND EVELYNE, the plot is a clever reworking of the old literary classic DADDY LONG-LEGS. Simmons plays an orphan who goes to live with a handsome benefactor, played by Granger.
The twist is that she thinks he’s her father (Granger was 16 years older than Simmons in real life). However, we learn that her actual father died and had been writing letters to her at the orphanage, pretending to be Granger.
Added to this waif-and-daddy plot– a bunch of innocent “incestuous” feelings. They develop these feelings for each other, even though it takes a while for her to learn the truth that he’s not really her papa.
At the same time, Granger has a jealous girlfriend (Helen Cherry) and a roguish kid brother (Raymond Young) that wants Simmons. It’s a complicated set-up, though there’s never any doubt what the true outcome will be.
A secondary subplot involves Granger’s profession. He’s a gambler running an illegal operation inside Cherry’s home. Simmons has been led to believe he trades on the stock market. The gambling scenes are amusing, featuring shady characters who would otherwise be respectable members of society.
Of course, Simmons eventually finds out the truth about all of this. Granger’s brother, realizing Simmons won’t marry him because she’s in love with you-know-who, spills the beans. Simmons is prudish about what’s been going on and tells the police.
Granger will go to court and plead guilty, then pay an enormous fine. Afterward he will reunite with Simmons and be free to marry her…because she’s still the apple of his eye.
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Post by topbilled on Dec 13, 2022 15:51:39 GMT
This neglected film is from 1945.
A cathartic unveiling
This British psychological drama was both a domestic favorite in England and an international hit abroad. It’s one of those smartly assembled tales of woe that draw the viewer in and leave him a bit spellbound. Stars Ann Todd and James Mason work their magic to create a memorable motion picture. Both Todd and Mason would appear in Hollywood productions after this, Mason much more successfully than Todd.
The story begins with Todd in a nursing home slash mental hospital. She doesn’t talk but suffers immensely. We see her escape the confines of the facility, make her way through a stretch of town to a nearby bridge, then jump off. It’s a very exciting way to start the film.
Of course, she’s fished out and taken back. But she remains as non-responsive as ever. So a doctor (Herbert Lom) who practices hypnosis on patients is allowed to put her under and learn what the devil is troubling her. Lom’s character compares her situation to Salome’s– with a series of layers, and he intends to unveil her. He insists that once he pulls off the seventh and final veil covering her mind, he’ll be able to cure her.
Some of the psychobabble is a bit much, but this is an effective way to set up the flashbacks that follow. I didn’t particularly believe Miss Todd, who was 38 when the picture was made, as the fourteen year old version of herself in the first flashback. A teenaged girl should have been used for these scenes. But we do learn how she was orphaned and sent to live with a disabled bachelor (Mason).
The second sequence involves her studies in music. Mason realizes she has talent playing the piano. And as her personal Svengali, he will push this naive Trilby towards greatness. At the same time Todd falls for a brash American (Hugh McDermott, using a most unconvincing accent). This dalliance is not acceptable to Mason, who discourages his protege from pursuing such a preposterous romance with a foreigner.
The next part has Todd failing to marry the American and becoming a concert pianist. Mason asserts considerable influence over her until she’s 21 (again Miss Todd looks much older). After reaching legal age, she remains under his watchful eye and “care.” It’s interesting to see how they become thoroughly dependent on each other, though the situation is fraught with complexity.
During these scenes she develops a sort of malady related to the use of her hands. Is it a psychosomatic condition? Some of the drama is hysterical to say the least. We continue to cut back to the present day, where she is still under hypnosis reliving these experiences, which are both exhilarating and devastating.
There is another boyfriend (Albert Lieven) in a subsequent sequence. He paints Todd’s portrait and intends to whisk her off to Italy. Not surprisingly, the Henry Higgins in Mason’s character doesn’t want to lose his polished Eliza and tries several tactics to get her to stay. When she won’t listen, he nearly cripples her hand with his cane.
Our mercurial Pygmalion has tried to prevent her from leaving, but she goes off anyway…and ends up in a terrible accident which is how she came to be where she is now. As part of her ongoing therapy after the hypnosis, she is coaxed by doctor Lom into playing the piano again.
The film’s story won’t end here. She has to decide which man she truly wants most, and that will happen only when the seventh veil is finally lifted. The last scene, when she makes her cathartic choice, is very emotional…and in my not so humble view, this is one of the best endings I’ve seen in a love story of this type.
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Post by Fading Fast on Dec 14, 2022 17:55:11 GMT
The Seventh Veil from 1945 with Ann Todd, James Mason and Herbert Lom
The Seventh Veil is a bit slow in places, but overall it is an enjoyable if odd psychological melodrama that smartly uses the arrestingly beautiful Ann Todd to patch over any weaknesses.
She plays the orphaned young teenage ward of an aloof non-blood uncle, played by James Mason, who recognizes and promotes her incipient talent as a pianist.
As her talent emerges - through her hard work and his smart and relentless coaching efforts - Mason emphasizes to her the value of her hands as the tools of her art. This all happens, unfortunately, inside a prickly relationship where Todd all but begs for affection, which Mason all but can't give.
This working dysfunction is challenged when seventeen-year-old Todd falls in love with a popular local band leader. Mason, though, kiboshes that as he, her legal guardian until she is 21, won't consent to the marriage.
From there, Todd and Mason's relationship, not surprisingly, becomes somewhat embittered, but her career takes off, which somewhat papers over the tension.
Years later, even after she is legally free, Todd stays with Mason as an odd bond holds these two together - love, hate, respect, habit - who knows. This is why the movie is a "psychological melodrama."
Todd then falls in love again; Mason tries to thwart her new relationship, but he fails this time. However, as the young couple escapes, they have a car accident resulting in Todd's all-important hands getting burned.
Todd suffers some sort of mental breakdown, even though the injury to her hands is minor and temporary. She tries to commit suicide and winds up under the care of a modern-thinking-for-1945 psychiatrist (Freud, dreams, repressed fears, etc.)
The movie opens on that development with most of the story told through flashbacks that Todd has while under hypnosis (it's 1945 and this is what smart psychiatrists did and, in movies, hypnosis works).
From here, it's Todd struggling with her mind, Mason trying to dismiss the psychiatrist, the fiancee hanging around waiting for Todd to "come back to him" and a lot of Todd's angst and repressed feelings coming out.
Finally, Todd has an emotional breakthrough resulting in her being able to play the piano again.
To complete her recovery, though, she must choose which of the men she truly loves: Mason, the fiancee or the old-flame bandleader (whom the psychiatrist finds to help Todd). Her choice is surprising.
The Seventh Veil is kind of a poor-man's Spellbound (also a psychological melodrama from the same year - movie themes do have a vogue). It helps that the The Seventh Veil gets over its slow part owing to Todd's prepossessing beauty and acting talent.
Considering that her beauty is a combination of blondeness, chiseled features, haunting eyes, glowing skin and aloofness, one wonders why Hitchcock, a connoisseur of icy-cold blondes, only worked with Ann Todd one time, in The Paradine Case.
The Seventh Veil, a reasonably well-done psychological melodrama, could actually have used a little help from the master director to speed it along in spots and add some oomph in others.
Ironically, Hitchcock was tied up making The Seventh Veil's movie cognate Spellbound at the time Veil was being made. That's The Seventh Veil's loss, but still, the movie is well worth the watch for its story and for Todd. |
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Post by topbilled on Dec 15, 2022 15:16:06 GMT
Interesting comparison with SPELLBOUND.
I read that the original ending, at least how the script was originally written, had Todd's character choosing the American bandleader. But supposedly Mason and his wife Pamela Kellino petitioned the producers and pitched the ending we have now. They both felt that it was too boring a choice for Todd to choose the safe American, and that underneath everything, she truly desired Mason's character.
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Post by Fading Fast on Dec 15, 2022 16:06:44 GMT
Interesting comparison with SPELLBOUND.
I read that the original ending, at least how the script was originally written, had Todd's character choosing the American bandleader. But supposedly Mason and his wife Pamela Kellino petitioned the producers and pitched the ending we have now. They both felt that it was too boring a choice for Todd to choose the safe American, and that underneath everything, she truly desired Mason's character.
The "Spellbound" comparison is, of course, not in the plot, but in the Freudian/psychoanalysis overtones. As an aside, there must be something going on with "Spellbound's" rights as it never shows up on TCM or anywhere that I see anymore. |
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Post by topbilled on Dec 15, 2022 17:09:45 GMT
Interesting comparison with SPELLBOUND.
I read that the original ending, at least how the script was originally written, had Todd's character choosing the American bandleader. But supposedly Mason and his wife Pamela Kellino petitioned the producers and pitched the ending we have now. They both felt that it was too boring a choice for Todd to choose the safe American, and that underneath everything, she truly desired Mason's character.
The "Spellbound" comparison is, of course, not in the plot, but in the Freudian/psychoanalysis overtones. As an aside, there must be something going on with "Spellbound's" rights as it never shows up on TCM or anywhere that I see anymore. |
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Post by topbilled on Jan 9, 2023 2:15:03 GMT
This neglected film is from 1949.
His failings and successes
This is mostly a character study about a an army scientist played by David Farrar. It is admittedly slow moving in spots, but don’t assume nothing much happens. Plenty does.
The backstory of Farrar’s character is rather interesting. Britain’s still in the throes of World War II, and Farrar has had part of his leg blown off. He is an amputee who uses a prosthetic leg that causes great discomfort. Some of his pain, of course, is psychological. He is drinking to numb the physical discomfort of his new leg as well as to forgot what’s happened.
While we see him working in a research lab (the titular back room) with other scientists, we get to know the military bureaucrats that are attempting to push out his old mentor (Milton Rosmer). They’d push Farrar out too if his knowledge of bomb detonation wasn’t so vital.
At the same time we meet a secretary (Kathleen Byron) in the main office and learn she’s romantically involved with Farrar. But their relationship, while passionate and loving, is fraught with a great deal of insecurity. What will they both sacrifice or compromise to make it all work? His drinking is also an impediment to their happiness.
There are two worthwhile sequences in the film.The first is a Dali-esque bit of surrealism involving time and his inability to conquer the bottle. The second one concerns a long and tense detonation scene along a beach, where he is able to thwart the danger of a Nazi explosive device.
This is not a spectacular movie. But it’s a very good one about the failings and successes of a man.
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Post by topbilled on Jan 15, 2023 20:51:37 GMT
This neglected film is from 1950.
Fascinating character study
This British gem plays a bit like CITIZEN KANE and RASHOMON with its use of a meticulously plotted flashback structure. It accomplishes two things– helping us unravel the mystery of who killed Agnes Huston (Jean Kent); and filling in considerable chunks of her backstory.
Statements made by members of her local community suggest she was both aloof and friendly; glamorous yet seedy; as well as kind and vicious.
She was a woman that affected a lot of lives in her immediate orbit. Some of these folks have been positively impacted, while others had a more adverse relationship with Agnes, who sometimes went by the professional name of Astra. A few of the supporting characters mourn her untimely death, but the rest seem delighted that she’ll no longer be around.
Several of the suspects give unflattering accounts of her life to the police. Including the neighbor lady Mrs. Finch (Hermione Baddeley), who for the most part liked Agnes and often sipped afternoon tea with her. But Mrs. Finch witnessed a lot of strange comings and goings at Agnes’ flat, and she mentions these occurrences to the inspectors.
Meanwhile, the actual culprit has nothing but nice things to say about Agnes/Astra, which I find rather interesting. It is clear the killer loved her but just snapped in a moment of rage. Basically, he committed a crime of passion.
I like how Asquith and his writers connect all the main characters in the flashbacks. The woman’s acquaintances are not just repeating the same story from their respective vantage points. Yes, there is a bit of that since the police do ask some of the same questions to establish a basic timeline of events and verify alibis. But each person is also allowed to add new information, and their individual recollections facilitate the introduction of other outside characters that only they know.
As a result, we see how Agnes had a direct effect on those close to her, as well as an indirect effect on a second group of locals that she may not have had much contact with or really even knew.
Also, some recounted events precede the generally accepted course of events, which lengthens the timeline constructed by the cops. Thereby adding previously unknown backstory and details.
Sometimes filmmakers get too clever with these types of narratives. But in this case, it’s all logically assembled. While we still probably don’t have the full picture of who Agnes Huston was and the life she led, we do have a sense of tragedy…a life that ended too soon. In that regard, it’s a fascinating character study that leaves us wanting more.
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Post by topbilled on Jan 22, 2023 5:03:27 GMT
This neglected film is from 1950.
Existence and meaning
The whole thing’s success hinges on Alec Guinness who is in almost every scene until close to the end. He plays a typical working class bloke who visits the doctor one fateful day and is told some bad news. It seems he has contracted something called Lampington’s and doesn’t have much time to live.
Since it is a fictional disease, devised by the scenarist, we don’t have to concern ourselves with the ghastly details of his impending demise (and neither does he). The doctor just says he has a few weeks left and will go quietly in his sleep.
Needless to say the news is a game changer. Guinness’ character promptly quits his job. Then he cashes in his life’s savings and heads off to an idyllic seaside resort to enjoy what time remains.
While he’s living out his last days at the resort, he becomes involved in the problems of others. This includes the guests who are mostly leisure class, as well as the hotel’s staff, which is of course comprised of the working class.
Most of the subplots are engaging, and the individual story threads come together to form an impressive tapestry. Each person gets to know our main character who ultimately functions as a pseudo Christ to them.
This is not a serious film, despite the fact he is going to die. Much of the dialogue is cheeky and the situations are occasionally irreverent. However, there’s a sense that they are all heading towards a grand solution, with closure.
There are two twists I won’t reveal here. Suffice it to say there is a ‘will he or he won’t he really die’ aspect to the plot in the final sequence. This creates a bit of tension and uncertainty.
LAST HOLIDAY is not a perfect film, but it is a very good one. It helps viewers deal with the unexpected and to appreciate the overlapping of human lives. Especially in how we can better serve one another and unite when the chips are down. That’s when we find meaning in our shared existence.
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