The Battle of the Sexes – 1959 | 84mins | Comedy | B&W

Plot Synopsis

Based on “The Catbird Seat”, a short story by the American humourist James Thurber, Charles Crichton’s arch comic fable relocates the action to Edinburgh and features an eminent cast, most notably Peter Sellers in one of his more subtly drawn pre-Hollywood roles. Crichton reunites with his former Ealing associates Monja Danischewsky and Seth Holt for a scenario the Ealing team would have relished; resisting modernity and mass production versus traditional craftsmanship. In Crichton’s hands the film is entertaining, but a more restrained atmosphere means it never quite reaches the hilarious heights of several of the director’s other efforts.

Mr. Martin (Sellers) is the head clerk of an Edinburgh tweed company spurred into uncharacteristic hostile resistance when pompous Robert MacPherson (Robert Morley) inherits the family business, The House of MacPherson, and employs a brash American efficiency expert, Angela Barrows (Constance Cummings). Initially the conservative accountant attempts to sabotage her newly introduced labour-saving devices, but then goes to further extremes after discovering her intention to convert the factory to synthetic fibres. After viewing a whodunit film he resolves to murder her, but Martin’s half-hearted attempt is a dismal failure of slapstick magnitude, however, it does give him the inspiration for a more subtle approach to dealing with Mrs. Barrows – driving her to assumed insanity.