Released here by Gaumont, but barely, as Three
On A Weekend, and if ever a title needed change,here was it. Early
directorial effort by Carol Reed thatleft no doubt as to talent developing.
Bank Holiday'smoniker was restored for distributing MGM's print that TCM uses, being showcase for British-Lioness Margaret Lockwood in appealing mode to develop further with her next,The Lady Vanishes.Three On
A Weekend was actually a misleading title, as plenty more than three are addressed, Lockwood and mis-matched companion Hugh Williams a most
prominent among good-sized ensemble. Romance aborning is between she and a
bereaved husband met in sympathetic nursing capacity. They're separated for
virtual whole of running time, suspense derived from whether they'll get
together for the fade. Bank Holiday is well made and engaging, its mix
of seaside classes (mostly lower) a nice, and I assume authentic, glimpse of
Brit vacation ritual. This all would seem remote to US patronage in 1938, and reason for the film's near-invisibility stateside. Good, then, to have
Bank Holiday turn up at TCM, in addition to inclusion on a Region Two box set
of Margaret Lockwoods. VCI also offers a DVD.
VCI has a lot of British comedy. Whole packs of Jessie Matthews (30s, mostly romcoms with wildly variable scripts), Will Hay (Michael Redgrave does an impression of him in "The Lady Vanishes"), Norman Wisdom (sort of a British Jerry Lewis, not classic but likable), and the Carry Ons from the mid-60s on (Benny Hill naughtiness by a loose ensemble), and Terry-Thomas (He's a good guy in "Make Mine Mink", and a complete cad in "Too Many Crooks"). Most of these feel like they were never intended to cross the pond, aimed at village cinemas and just possibly big city screens for matinees.
While many of the above register as B, "Genevieve" is a light classic (as much charm as comedy) and "Miranda" should be (Glynis Johns as a sexy mermaid who wants to see London).
A few departures from formula in the Jessie Matthews sets: "The Good Companions" begins gritty, with various characters up and fleeing dead-end lives. They connect with a stranded concert party (a musical troupe that specializes in seaside resorts), and things eventually get sunnier. John Gielgud is a flippant, newly unemployed schoolmaster paired with hotter-than-usual Jessie. "Friday the Thirteenth" is darker throughout. We open with a bus accident and hear there are fatalities. The film then flashes back on the recent activities of various passengers, waiting to the end to reveal who lived and died. This time Jessie is a struggling chorus girl and her boyfriend is Ralph Richardson, another schoolmaster. "First, A Girl" is based on the same German comedy as "Victor Victoria". Cute but extremely mild by modern lights.
Released here by Gaumont, but barely, as Three
On A Weekend, and if ever a title needed change, here was it. Early
directorial effort by Carol Reed that left no doubt as to talent developing.
Bank Holiday's moniker was restored for distributing MGM's print that TCM uses, being showcase for British-Lioness Margaret Lockwood in appealing mode to develop further with her next, The Lady Vanishes. Three On
A Weekend was actually a misleading title, as plenty more than three are addressed, Lockwood and mis-matched companion Hugh Williams a most
prominent among good-sized ensemble. Romance aborning is between she and a
bereaved husband met in sympathetic nursing capacity. They're separated for
virtual whole of running time, suspense derived from whether they'll get
together for the fade. Bank Holiday is well made and engaging, its mix
of seaside classes (mostly lower) a nice, and I assume authentic, glimpse of
Brit vacation ritual. This all would seem remote to US patronage in 1938, and reason for the film's near-invisibility stateside. Good, then, to have
Bank Holiday turn up at TCM, in addition to inclusion on a Region Two box set
of Margaret Lockwoods. VCI also offers a DVD.
1 Comments:
VCI has a lot of British comedy. Whole packs of Jessie Matthews (30s, mostly romcoms with wildly variable scripts), Will Hay (Michael Redgrave does an impression of him in "The Lady Vanishes"), Norman Wisdom (sort of a British Jerry Lewis, not classic but likable), and the Carry Ons from the mid-60s on (Benny Hill naughtiness by a loose ensemble), and Terry-Thomas (He's a good guy in "Make Mine Mink", and a complete cad in "Too Many Crooks"). Most of these feel like they were never intended to cross the pond, aimed at village cinemas and just possibly big city screens for matinees.
While many of the above register as B, "Genevieve" is a light classic (as much charm as comedy) and "Miranda" should be (Glynis Johns as a sexy mermaid who wants to see London).
A few departures from formula in the Jessie Matthews sets: "The Good Companions" begins gritty, with various characters up and fleeing dead-end lives. They connect with a stranded concert party (a musical troupe that specializes in seaside resorts), and things eventually get sunnier. John Gielgud is a flippant, newly unemployed schoolmaster paired with hotter-than-usual Jessie. "Friday the Thirteenth" is darker throughout. We open with a bus accident and hear there are fatalities. The film then flashes back on the recent activities of various passengers, waiting to the end to reveal who lived and died. This time Jessie is a struggling chorus girl and her boyfriend is Ralph Richardson, another schoolmaster. "First, A Girl" is based on the same German comedy as "Victor Victoria". Cute but extremely mild by modern lights.
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