Encore – 1951 | 88 mins | Drama | B&W

Plot Synopsis

The third instalment in the trilogy of novelist Somerset Maugham portmanteaus following on from the earlier success of the writer’s vignettes Quartet (1948) and Trio (1950). The first story features the polished comic acting of Nigel Patrick and Roland Culver and sets a high standard with an engaging tale of sibling rivalry. The charming second story is dominated by the acting of Kay Walsh and a flawless script sustains the entertainment. The drama and suspense of the compilation is provided by the leaden third story, Glynis Johns makes a deep impression as the daring wife doubting her husband’s motivation.

Introduced by novelist Somerset Maugham whilst in the south of France, the first story, the Pat Jackson directed The Ant and The Grasshopper, concerns ne’er-do-well Tom Ramsey (Nigel Patrick) blackmailing his wealthy lawyer brother George (Roland Culver) for cash by taking jobs that will embarrass his prudent kin. After conning his brother out of cash once again, Tom falls on his feet in the south of France by telling a wealthy heiress he is a man without scruples and wishes to marry her.

In the Anthony Pelissier directed Winter Cruise, middle-aged garrulous spinster Miss Reid (Kay Walsh) takes a trip by cargo boat to Trinidad and drives the captain (Noel Purcell) and his crew to distraction with her incessant chattering. The ship’s doctor (Ronald Squire) prescribes romance as a method of quietening Miss Reid – and the young ship’s steward (Jacques François) is assigned to fulfil the task.

The Harold French directed Gigolo and Gigolette centres around a young vaudeville act at the Ritz Hotel in Monte Carlo whose specialty is diving from an 80-foot platform into a five-foot lake of flames. When Stella (Glynis Johns) begins to feel that her husband Syd (Terence Morgan) is persisting with the act because of the money that goes with it rather than love for her, she loses her nerve and refuses to perform. When Syd points out how much money they will lose Stella responds by gambling all their savings at the casino and losing. As a result she decides to perform her diving act that evening despite grave reservations and without her husband’s knowledge.