This wartime film feels the need to preface its entirely frivolous Victorian comedy of manners with a little introduction explaining that, given the state of the world today, both because of the war and because modern mores leave nothing to the imagination
a contrast is a pleasant break. As indeed it is. "Very Wildean" I thought to myself, shortly followed by "why is the voice of the second male lead (Richard) so familiar?" And the answer was that it was Roland Culver, whom I must have listened to at least 100 times playing Algernon Moncrieff in this. Anyway, the basic plot is that Richard agrees with the object of his affection, a rich 41-year-old called Maria (pronounced to rhyme with pariah, and played by a legendary Canadian stage comedienne, who made far fewer films than her fans would have liked, Beatrice Lillie, who was actually 50 at the time but doesn't look it) to go through a sort of audition process whereby they go off on holiday for a month as if they were married, and if she still likes him at the end, then she will consent to the union. Tagging along (against Maria's wishes, but putatively to help the meek and mild Richard along) is George, played by the writer and director, Clive Brook (quite the Noel Coward knock-off), who is the Duke of Bristol, so penurious that the film begins (well, after the introduction) with him attending a party thrown at his own house, that he has had to rent out to a rich American woman (played by the English actress Googie Withers
- is nobody in this film played by the right nationality?) Helen. George loves Helen and Helen loves George, but George is leery of marriage even though this one would definitely get him out of his financial difficulties. Anyway, Maria's plan is to decamp to a house she owns on a small island off the Scottish coast (that's two "one house on an island" films in a row), but that every night Richard is to row to the mainland. Richard isn't too happy about this, but is too milquetoast to do anything about it, but while getting drunk in the servants (who are much happier in Helen's employ because she actually pays them) quarters,
George and Richard hatch a plot to book up the only inn in the village under the fake name of the whisky they happen to be getting drunk on. However, Helen discovers the note George leaves to himself and decides that she's going to get in on the act. When Maria and Richard and George show up to the inn to discover that it is indeed full up (and that the two men will have to stay on the island) Helen suddenly appears and says she knows that family and they've agreed to let everyone use their rooms, making Richard and George momentarily sad, until the grumpy old Scottish innkeeper announces that the inn was booked up anyway, so it's off to the island for all four. They find very quickly that the main Scottish housekeeper is outraged by Maria's progressive "On Approval" plan and she marches out in protest, taking the rest of the servants with her.
However, everyone pitches in, and the four manage to survive the month.
Well, almost everyone. George continues to be a wastrel, quite content to have Helen wait on him hand and foot, and to complain about the service when she does. In fact, he is such an ass that the gentle, loving Helen sours on him completely (especially when she turns away from him and asks him to name the color of her eyes and he gets it wrong (he says blue, Richard, when given the same test, instantly gets it right with Green)). Meanwhile, Richard is distraught because he thinks Maria hates him, because she's been so horrible to him. He is momentarily greatly relieved when she says that she likes him even more than she thought, but then he works out that she wasn't just being horrible to him as a test, that's just how she is, and he, likewise, recoils. He and Helen then hatch a plan to strand George and Maria on the island by themselves as punishment and sneak off just as George and Maria are trying to play nice to convince their intendeds that they have reformed. What will happen? Well, possibly not what you think (certainly Jami was wrong about what was coming).
Overall, not laugh out loud, and not quite Wilde or Shaw quality of quips, but some nice zingers and amusing enough shenanigans that I'm surprised it's not more well-known (to me, anyway).
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