Classic Film Review: Genevieve (1953)

Genevieve stars John Gregson as Alan McKim, the owner of the classic car of the title. He and his wife, Wendy (Dinah Sheridan), travel in Genevieve from London to Brighton for the antique car rally every year. This year she really doesn't want to go but relents to make him happy. Also going to the rally is Ambrose Claverhouse (Kenneth More), their brash friend and a man Wendy dated briefly before she married Alan. Ambrose brings along trumpet-playing Rosalind Peters (Kay Kendall) for company. Once they get to Brighton, though, relations turn sour and the trip back to London becomes a race where anything goes...

This is an enjoyable little British film that doesn't take itself too seriously and doesn't rely on stunts to enhance the race aspect. The situations that the two drivers get themselves into on the way back from Brighton stem from character and a desire to win. It's a gentle film but an amusing one. Although John Gregson plays the lead, I found him to be a little overshadowed by the other characters. Kenneth More's larger-than-life persona takes up a lot of screen time but the surprise of the film is Kay Kendall (I was shocked to learn she died six years after this film was made aged only 33). As Rosalind she's an excellent foil to Ambrose - along with her dog, that is. Dinah Sheridan also outshines Gregson in a quiet, undemanding way.

There are a couple of things to look out for with this one. Firstly, there's a small appearance by Joyce Grenfell as a hotel owner. Secondly, watch out for the band scene where Kay Kendall's character suddenly takes centre-stage. Finally, listen out for the incidental music which was played by the wonderful Larry Adler and fits the mood of the film perfectly.

Genevieve does meander a bit but it's not supposed to be a rip-roaring comedy. It's a nice and gentle film which had me vocally rooting for Alan and Wendy by the final ten minutes. Having said that, the ending's also a bit of a surprise. This is a perfect film for a lazy Saturday afternoon and worth it for the hotel scenes alone.

Classic Film Review: Scott of the Antarctic (1948)

An Ealing Studios production, Scott of the Antarctic focuses on the famous story of Captain Scott's final ill-fated expedition to the South Pole. It stars John Mills as the title character with able support from the likes of  Harold Warrender, James Robertson Justice and Kenneth More. It also boasts a score by Vaughn Williams and remarkable colour visuals - there is very little this film does wrong.

Since this was made in 1948 there has been a lot of revision over Scott's legacy. The man portrayed in this film is valiant, a gentleman and a victim of circumstance more than anything else. That depiction has been challenged since but, taken in the context of post-WWII patriotism, the positive portrayal is hardly surprising and can probably be excused. It doesn't detract from the story itself, which is as heroic as it is heartbreaking, and it was trading on the legend of Scott as it stood in popular opinion. It doesn't attempt to analyse Scott's decisions too much, reproducing mostly what is written in the diaries as his only kind of internal conflict. In this way it's closer to documentary than drama and the main players aren't really explained much more than is necessary to watch them on their journey.

The first half of the film is necessarily choppy as the narrative focuses on a number of things in rapid succession: Scott's first expeditions, deciding he wants to conquer the South Pole, gaining funding for that, the various legs of the journey. While there are good moments in these sections it does feel a little laboured, as though they are inserted for the sake of completeness but without real conviction. Once the five men break from the rest of the crew, though, the tension picks up: the final third of the film is engaging and compelling as they reach the South Pole, discover they've been beaten and start the lonely trek back to civilisation. Mills and the other four refrain from over-acting but the inner-emotions of the men are still hinted at. The final moments of the journey are described with subtlety and are all the more hard-hitting for that.

Arguably, the star of this film is the landscape which, I believe, was actually Norway. Thanks to excellent direction, the ice is the villain, the humongous obstacle in the way of the goal. The idea of man versus nature has never seemed so stark.

Scott of the Antarctic is an excellent film but is very pro-Scott. However, don't allow that to put you off; it's worth a watch for the spectacular filming alone, even if the tale wasn't as compelling now as it was just over a hundred years ago.

Classic Film Review: Doctor in the House (1954)

Perhaps the most important flag to wave about Doctor in the House is that it is very British. Of course, I don't mean that as an insult but just as a warning to those who prefer their humour with more oomph. This is funny, yes, but there are few moments of physical humour.

Simon Sparrow (Dirk Bogarde) is starting medical school. He falls into an already-established group of men who have been there some time: Richard (Kenneth More), Tony (Donald Sinden) and Taffy (Donald Houston). Richard is easily the most vivid of these three - he was given an allowance in his grandmother's will as long as he remained a medical student so, naturally, he's not keen to graduate. Unfortunately, his girlfriend has issues being the wife of a perpetual student and threatens to leave if he doesn't knuckle down. As the years of their training progress, the group get into scrapes and are faced with real-life patients, not to mention the nursing staff. Lothario Tony gets himself into a little trouble and they all get into a lot of trouble when they pursue their stolen mascot in a stolen ambulance.

There were some genuinely funny moments in this, many brought about by the incomparable Kenneth More. In addition, Sir Lancelot Spratt played by James Robertson Justice is a wonderful character, given some of the best lines and the memorable moments in the film and brought by him and More. That isn't to say that the rest of the cast is inferior - Bogarde and the rest gelled perfectly as a team. However, my main problem with this one was the fragmentation. While it fits neatly with the premise (potential doctors have a lot to learn), it does mean that scenes often come to nothing and they can feel rushed and incomplete. For example, the title comes from a comment made by Sparrow's landlady but he only lives there for a very short time before moving with the group. Also, while Sparrow's false starts with two women were amusing to watch, I would've liked to have seen more of the interactions but maybe that's just me.

This is a good film to while away an afternoon with. I think my ambivalence can be summed up in one sentence: I enjoyed it but I won't be rushing to watch the numerous sequels.

Classic Film Review: The Admirable Crichton (1957)

When I was reading Up and Down Stairs by Jeremy Musson recently (review here), I came across a reference to a J.M Barrie play that I hadn't heard of before which sounded excellent. The Admirable Crichton follows a family shipwrecked with some servants, showing how the servants become the masters in deference to the fact they can actually survive. This 1957 adaptation stars Kenneth More as Crichton with Diane Cilento as Tweeny, his fellow servant, Cecil Parker as Lord Loam and Sally Ann Howes as Lady Mary. I was particularly excited to see Howes in the cast, having adored her from the first time I ever watched Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968).

I'm not sure how closely the adaptation follows the original Barrie script but it's an enjoyable film regardless. At the beginning, Lord Loam is keen to try out equality for his servants by inviting them to tea with his daughters. Crichton is alarmed at this blatant disregard of protocol but gets on with it. When one of Loam's daughters is arrested for hitting a policeman at a suffragette march, Crichton subtly suggests they escape the country on the family yacht. Unfortunately, the boat is shipwrecked and Crichton and Tweeny find themselves in the family boat with the father, three daughters and two potential suitors for the daughters. They wash up on a desert island where Crichton's initial attempts to take control are rebuffed by Lady Mary (who has always had something of a crush on him) and he and Tweeney leave for the other side of the island. However, the family are tempted over when they smell pork roasting, although Lady Mary is a little more stubborn than everyone else.

Fast forward two years and the roles on the island have completely changed. Crichton is now known as 'Guv' and, in a complete reversal, it's now Lord Loam bringing his former butler breakfast in bed. Traditional class barriers have broken down - Tweeny is coveted by both her employer and the two suitors intended for her employer's daughters. She, though, is in love with Crichton while he and Lady Mary have seemingly spent two years flirting with each other. This love triangle is actually very compelling and the audience is kept guessing until the end of the film about who Crichton will end up with, especially when the prospect of rescue emerges.

All the performances in this were superb. More's comedic talents are delightfully underplayed while Tweeny was wonderfully overplayed by Cilento. Set in 1905, the film pokes fun at the traditional class distinctions while still creating characters the audience is invested in. It's amusing and certainly a pleasant way to while away a few hours.