Sadly Over-hyped

Boring

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

First of all, the pictorial quality of the print on this 1943 comedy is amazingly good; the diction of the actors speaking the King's English is also impeccable, and on that level alone this film is watchable--but much more for me; it's a wartime English film, obviously done on the cheap--but done very well and featuring top quality stage actors who delight in the clever quip and character-driven drollery.A wee bit of story: a demanding woman decides to take her prospective hubby to an island retreat to see if they can properly relate before they marry--two friends tag along. Now largely forgotten actor Clive Brook (a lead in Dietrich's Shanghai Express) directed and stars as an effete snob who has lessons to learn, and the impeccably hilarious, viper-tongued Beatrice Lille, who made far too few movies, is showcased at her raised-eyebrow best. This is an old-fashioned drawing room comedy, adult in nature, literate in approach, and short, sweet and delightful.

This is a send up about British society people set in the 1890's that not only keeps your interest but gets progressively funnier with time. Beatrice Lillie plays Maria and Googie Withers plays Helen, with Maria deciding to go for a trial marriage for a month's holiday in Scotland with Richard. George, a Duke, tags along and through a series of planned misadventures, all four of them end up in the same castle on an island they have to row to to reach. This film must have been a breath of fresh air in 1943, as the war was still going on. Sixty five years later, it is still fresh. I had a great time watching it, it is a well made farce, and the acting is terrific. If you like British comedy at all, this is absolutely essential.

Wow....what a surprise....I bought this on DVD sight unseen, due to the fact that it stars Beatrice Lillie in one of the very few films she ever made.She's absolutely wonderful playing a rather unpleasant, grumpy women. Similarly, Clive Brook, who capped his long film career by writing, directing and starring in this outrageous farce.I won't give away the plot, but I can't imagine a better example of how well a well known play can be adapted for the screen.If you can't live without the Criterion DVD of "The Importance Of Being Earnest", then this movie should also be on your shelf.Get it....before it disappears....

Thanks to Blackhawk Films and Image Entertainment for the release of this rarely seen British gem. It is refreshing to see a comedy based on language and characters. Only in Britain would Beatrice Lillie have been given a starring role (along with Googie Withers in a wise supporting role) in a film like this. Like George Cukor's THE WOMEN and Mankiewicz's ALL ABOUT EVE, this is a comedy you can return to time and again and pick up something new every time. Hats off to Clive Brook!