Tweet Genevieve (1953)

LOVE.

I loved it too. Kay Kendall sparkles like a diamond.

I loved it too. Kay Kendall sparkles like a diamond.

I've never seen her in anything before, but now I must see her entire oeuvre. Must. The whole film is a delight.

A total delight. Love the old cars, the English countryside, and the perfect cast: Kenneth More, Dinah Sheridan, John Gregson, and Kay Kendall.

[Christopher Jacobs]

And it looks very nice indeed on VCI's Blu-ray edition, despite occascional 3-strip color fringing issues near the beginning and a few softish shots. The British use of Technicolor has a lovely natural, often modern look, perhaps partly to the director forcing them to shoot on overcast days over the objections of the cinematographer! Then there's that catchy harmonica score. Great movie!

And it looks very nice indeed on VCI's Blu-ray edition, despite occascional 3-strip color fringing issues near the beginning and a few softish shots. The British use of Technicolor has a lovely natural, often modern look, perhaps partly to the director forcing them to shoot on overcast days over the objections of the cinematographer! Then there's that catchy harmonica score. Great movie!

On the dvd I watched there were points where skin tones were decidedly orange, but it wasn't too distracting. It had the inevitable "Making of Genevieve" extra, interviews with Clive Donner, Larry Adler, Christopher Challis, and Dinah Sheridan--is Sheridan still with us? She was also extremely charming (both in the film and on the interview). Kenneth More in any film is a decided plus. Not to mention that hilarious scene with Joyce Grenfell and her teeth. I think "LOVE" about covers it.

Oh I had forgotten about Joyce Grenfell.... what a treasure she was! From Hitchcock's Stage Fright as "Lovely Ducks" to the tepid remake of The Old Dark House where she's knitting "miles." Love those eccentric British actors....

Joyce Grenfell's eccentric socialite Mother was American, and mother's sister was Nancy Astor. Married to the same man, until she died of cancer, 1929-1979.

One of my favorite films. I bought the restored PAL version through amazon.uk last year, and it's in wonderful condition. My cheapie $17 player is region free, so it plays it just ducky[ly].

One of my favorite films. I bought the restored PAL version through amazon.uk last year, and it's in wonderful condition. My cheapie $17 player is region free, so it plays it just ducky[ly].

I might well purchase the dvd myself, if I can sneak it past Zen Master.

I've grown to like it fairly recently....I didn't always, as I grew up in the motorcycling-equivalent scene here, and there were too many false notes about the whole thing. I'm more relaxed about that side now, so I can just sit back and enjoy it.
Yes, the lovely Dinah Sheridan is still with us, one of the last of the pre-war British stars left now that Googie Withers has passed on. Recently deceased though, just a few weeks ago, is the cinematographer responsible for the lovely soft Technicolor, Chris Challis, the ex-Powell and Pressburger cameraman/DP.
Kay Kendall was great; died tragically young....this is probably her finest moment, but she had many great ones. I always look forward to her jazz band scene.....if only for a classic blooper in the editing. The stalwart character actor Michael Balfour, when Kay starts swinging the horn, nods and winks at another band member....played by the stalwart Michael Balfour. Oops.
Check out the credits, by the way; if it credits Larry Adler it's a UK print; the US prints didn't....he was blacklisted. Yet he got an Oscar Nom. Good for Oscar.....but Tiomkin won for High And The Mighty.

I'm quite certain this was the film that introduced me to British films and British humour! I love this film too, but think it plays better in a theatre with an audience; last time I saw it was at The Stanford, and it got plenty of full belly laughs (not just titters). Of course, these lines just brought down the house - "No one's EVER complained before" "Are they Americans?"

Maybe Penfold can give some insight; every time I see this I can't help but think of what a teenie, pokey little row house they reside in - I would imagine if he is a barrister, couldn't they afford a better neighborhood?


Fred - I'd strongly suggest you see Kay's performance in LES GIRLS - she totaly makes that film!

KK.jpg (6.9 KiB) Viewed 556 times

Even in Les Girls (1957), she shines as a talent in an unsympathetic part in what is a vehicle for Gene Kelly.

KK.jpg

Even in Les Girls (1957), she shines as a talent in an unsympathetic part that is essentially a vehicle for Gene Kelly.

She struck me as an unusually elegant screwball comedienne, Carole Lombard without the shrieking. Died wayyy too young, what a shame.

Maybe Penfold can give some insight; every time I see this I can't help but think of what a teenie, pokey little row house they reside in - I would imagine if he is a barrister, couldn't they afford a better neighborhood?

Going from memory, I think they're in a mews property; what had once been stables or carriage-houses for extremely grand London properties; converted into residential properties these became incredibly sought after and expensive because you were 1) By definition living in the very best areas and 2) in a practical and modern small home rather than a barn which needed a small army to run.
In the sixties, Roger Moore's Simon Templar and Diana Rigg's Mrs Peel were both in mew properties.....so it would go still further upmarket. In the fifties, John and Dinah;s newlyweds - who are comfortably off but not exactly wealthy in the film, would be about right.

Kendall is also good in Doctor in the House.

A little research later; on imdb one of the listed locations for Genevieve is Rutland Mews. There is a property available there now. Nice little three bedroom converted coachhouse, or a newer build designed to resemble one.... Yours for $2,400,000......... http://www.globrix.com/property-details/37739078-rutland_mews-london-nw8-3_bed-house

A little research later; on imdb one of the listed locations for Genevieve is Rutland Mews. There is a property available there now. Nice little three bedroom converted coachhouse. Yours for $2,400,000......... http://www.globrix.com/property-details/37739078-rutland_mews-london-nw8-3_bed-house

Such a deal and it's close to the George Eliot Infant School!

Maybe Penfold can give some insight; every time I see this I can't help but think of what a teenie, pokey little row house they reside in - I would imagine if he is a barrister, couldn't they afford a better neighborhood?

Going from memory, I think they're in a mews property; what had once been stables or carriage-houses for extremely grand London properties; converted into residential properties these became incredibly sought after and expensive because you were 1) By definition living in the very best areas and 2) in a practical and modern small home rather than a barn which needed a small army to run.
In the sixties, Roger Moore's Simon Templar and Diana Rigg's Mrs Peel were both in mew properties.....so it would go still further upmarket. In the fifties, John and Dinah;s newlyweds - who are comfortably off but not exactly wealthy in the film, would be about right.

Thanks for the info! In the film it sure looks like an alley way with garages opposite, where he works on Genevieve. I feel so sorry for Dinah trying to fix dinner in that cramped tiny kitchen with a fridge the size of a suitcase.

BTW, I am watching Roger Moore as Simon Templar these days on a Retro TV channel - I like the B&W episodes best.

[Mike Gebert]

In other words, 1953's version of the loft in the meatpacking district?

Love, love, love.

Somebody on another board posted a link to one of the more hilariously misguided amazon customer reviews I've seen:

0 of 54 people found the following review helpful
1.0 out of 5 stars NOT a family film!, 31 Oct 2010
By Yaffa "The Bookworm" (Devon, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Genevieve -- Special Edition [DVD] (DVD)
I may be a complete kill-joy, but I could have used this review before purchasing this film, so here it is for others to profit by:

It is rated a "U", but if my family were younger I would not want them to soak up the marriage and moral values portrayed by this so-called family film. The married couple spend the first half of the film bickering and back-biting in a distressing, not amusing way; the character of Ambrose (Kenneth Moore) is a "ladies man" in the worst sense, being proud of his numerous sexual conquests and not particularly discreet about his intentions towards his current "fling". We turned it off half-way through because the married couple were attempting to revisit the past behaviour of the wife and Ambrose (which the viewer has already been told wasn't sexual) and the wife is not only stringing her husband along, provoking him to jealousy, while demanding that he make love to her ...

A "family" film? Not if you want your children to grow up with any sense of decent and moral behaviour. If they soak up this film then they will also soak up a very warped idea of what a good marriage CAN be like.

A bad example? YES!

Humourous? Not really - rather black.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/cdp/member-reviews/A3CN04LC0ZC7MJ/ref=cm_cr_pr_auth_rev?ie=UTF8&sort_by=MostRecentReview

[Christopher Jacobs]

Can you imagine what he'd say about CAPTAIN'S PARADISE? I expect that person didn't think much of THE LADY KILLERS, KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS, or any of the "Carry On" films either. He probably didn't even realize that NATURAL BORN KILLERS is a comedy, as is much of BLUE VELVET (in a rather blacker -and bluer- sort of black humor than that in GENEVIEVE which he's unable to find humorous).

The reviewer does have good words for another British comedy of the period: Time, Gentlemen, Please (1952) - "It is clean, free of any swearing, sexual innuendo or violence."

Then there's a glowing, five-star review of a book titled "Billings Method: Controlling Fertility without Drugs or Devices."

I assume that Sunnyside Up (1929) would be switched off right in the opening scene, when a suffragette-ish looking lady walks through the neighborhood spreading pamphlets advocating "BIRTH CONTROL" in big letters.

[Christopher Jacobs]

The reviewer does have good words for another British comedy of the period: Time, Gentlemen, Please (1952) - "It is clean, free of any swearing, sexual innuendo or violence."

I can't recall having seen that film, but the title implies that it has to do with drinking at a pub. Surprising he'd find that suitable for impressionable young minds, or maybe he'd already mellowed out after a couple pints of Guinness or Newcastle and just forgot that part. Wonder if he's watched the Adelphi comedies like SONG OF PARIS and IS YOUR HONEYMOON REALLY NECESSARY?

A companion piece to "Genevieve" is the equally engaging "The Titfield Thunderbolt"

Frankly, all you have to do is get the Ealing Studios list of films, both comedy and/or all else and you'll have possibly the best entertainment package in the universe. I've bought close to fifty titles in the last year alone. Not a dud in the bunch!

But please, everyone, do not, repeat, do not, waste your hard-earned dollars on Time Gentlemen Please. It isn't Ealing, but ersatz Ealing, and lacks absolutely all of Ealing's charm, humour, intelligence and compassion. I hated it. Does it show ??
If you would like to see some off-the beaten track Ealing, try some pre-War Formby (Turned Out Nice Again, or No Limit) some proto-Ealing with political satire Cheers Boys Cheer, or the best kids film ever made, Hue And Cry. If an Ealing Drama, none better than Went The Day Well.
I'm off to Italy for Cinema Ritrovata in five minutes; keep the thread warm in my absence....

I definitely agree about pre-War Formby: he's off-the-wall to Americans (I'm American, but I'm off-the-wall, too), but he's absolutely hilarious - and can play the uke as well as Cliff "Ukelele Ike" Edwards ever did...

Just watched "Hue and Cry" about two months ago. Great show. But, then, anything with Alastair Sim in it is good, even when he's only in it in small cameos, like this one.

Thanks for the heads-up about Genevieve, I haven't seen this for years, and even then on an old VHS copy that I think was a PAL -> NTSC transfer. The VCI blu-ray is available from Amazon.ca for around $15, a steal!

Frankly, all you have to do is get the Ealing Studios list of films, both comedy and/or all else and you'll have possibly the best entertainment package in the universe. I've bought close to fifty titles in the last year alone. Not a dud in the bunch!

I have quite a few of the Ealings, but Genevieve isn't an Ealing...is it? It's listed as "A Sirius Production, Released by the Rank Organisation." Ealing isn't listed on the imdb entry, nor is it listed among the other Ealing classics at BFI's site here, http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/445526/" target="_blank

Oh lookie, the film has it's very own website.
http://www.donbrockway.com/genevieve.htm" target="_blank