DB7

Genevieve (1953)

Sukhdev Sandhu reviews a classic that every film-lover will want to own

It's often observed, with sadness and regret, that the English don't make road movies: our island is too small and its roads too congested. Still, at least we have Genevieve. This is a film in the tradition of Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat, all about amateurs having larks in the summertime.


Delightful: Genevieve
John Gregson and Dinah Sheridan play a married couple who decide to go head-to-head against their best friends Kenneth More and Kay Kendall in the annual London-to-Brighton antique car rally. They huff and puff almost as much as their wheezing bangers, trying every trick in the book of gamesmanship. It's a sharply observed romantic comedy on wheels, and a very fine set of wheels at that: a twin-cylinder Darracq 1904 that's arguably the real star of the film.

Gregson and the delicious Sheridan are always squabbling. He's jealous of her previous partners. She thinks he cares more about his car than about her. More and Kendall make a gleefully odd couple: he's bluff and hearty; she's a fashion goddess whose ability to play the bugle won her the name "glam strumpet voluntary" from the film crew.

Director Henry Cornelius does marvellously well to recreate a car rally on the roads near Uxbridge. How empty they look in that distant Coronation year. And what a funny place England was then: Joyce Grenfell has a winning cameo as a boarding-house keeper who announces that there's no hot water except in the afternoons. Sheridan storms out in a huff, leaving Grenfell to ask: "Is she American?" The whole delightful confection, which feels as fresh today as it did when it was made, is accompanied by a wonderful Oscar-nominated score by harmonica player Larry Adler.

samkydd

Veteren or vintage car rally please, I don't think you get antique cars!

I always thought a cameo role was when someone played themselves ie. Joyce Grenfell playing Joyce Grenfell! In this film she played a guest house landlady!

Larry came over here to escape the HUAC (House Unamerican Activities Committee) debacle which blighted so many talented writers and directors. America's loss was our gain!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Steve Crook

See Wikipedia.
A cameo role or cameo appearance is a brief and usually uncredited appearance.
They don't have to be playing themselves.

Steve

Marky B

I enjoyed the film immensely,but I found the music annoying - but then again I couldn't stand Larry Adler. Does anyone know who played the piano to Larry Adler's harmonica.
Ta Ta
Marky B [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

I am special. The heavens always open for me.

Harbottle

Glad I'm not alone, the "music" [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbdown.gif[/img] really gets on my nerves and spoils what is otherwise a charming picture

clearview

clearview

This film is a gentle characature of England and the (albeit upper class) English. Its an easy to watch film and its fascinating to see a glimpse of England in the early 1950's. I can watch this again and again although I do agree, the wailing of Larry Adlers harmonica is very irritating. Having said that I think we have to appreciate that Larry was a very popular 'artiste' of that period and no doubt the public and the makers of the film were more than happy to listen to his music.

samkydd

Well I was being overly kind to the great Larry Adler because of his HUAC victimisation. Personally I think that harmonica music accompanying other instruments in songs like Little Red Rooster and a few Bob Dylan ones, with the odd short solo is great, but as a lead instrument it is almost like a fairground steam organ with its ability to drive you barmy after a while!

When it is played over and over in the film it reminds me of the Hancock radio episode The East Cheam Drama Festival when the piano player starts playing every few minutes, and Hancock eventually loses his rag and shouts "Get him out of here!"

But having said all that the harminica did feature quite a lot in British film and incidental music and The Navy Lark theme on the radio springs to mind.

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Rennie

http://www.donbrockway.com/genevieve.htm

Harbottle

Wonderful web site, many thanks for the pointer Rennie [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/clapping.gif[/img]

samkydd

I watched it last night and worse than the harmonica playing was the awful fake laughter of Kenneth More and John Gregson! With More it was every five minutes "Ha ha ha ha harh!". The best thing about the film was the fantastic film colour that is so unlike real life colour, and seeing wonderful shots of Brighton in the days when the streets were clean and tidy, many years before the scankers and pissheads moved in!

"...the chairman of Littlewoods stores made a Keynote speech!"

Jackdaw

As a result of Kay Kendall's albeit unconvincing trumpet-playing mime,many people truly believed that she was a virtuoso on the instrument.Possibly the same people who believed that Bob holness played sax on "Baker Street" and that Mariella Frostrup is Honor Blackman's daughter.

Cheers

Jacky

Furnisher Steele

Watched it last night as well and enjoyed it immensely. Why is it so better when you chance on a film being broadcast rather than picking out the DVD from the shelf?

Like Samkydd mentions the unnatural colour is just right for it. But the casting is spot on too with Gregson and More lovely playing characters not so much in their second childhood as never having left their first. Sheridan and Kendall are gorgeous and.. well thats pretty much enough really. No problem with the music for me. Its all part of the feel of the movie. Its one of those time capsule films that connect with you and suggest a very specific period in history.

Its not flawless of course and it does feature one of the worst continuity errors in mainstream cinema; the one where during Kays trumpet solo Michael Balfour hands her the trumpet. Because he sits down in a different place behind her in different takes he seems to jump around the stage. At one point I thought he might be playing twins. [img]style_emoticons/<#EMO_DIR#>/thumbsup.gif[/img]

julian_craster

And the trumpet was played by Kenny Baker (as readers of the 2nd edition of the Encyclopedia of British Film will know !) (see Music- Jazz in BF)

dadsarmy

This site is truely amazeing,i never knew so many other people would like the same kinds of films as me,thanks to all for provideing links to more information of my fav films.