Happily surprised to see her appear in The Halfway House (1944-also reviewed) after having first seen her in the stunning Le Grand Jeu (1934-also reviewed),I was thrilled to find on Talking Pictures free online catch-up service, an Ealing movie that I've not heard of before, starring Francoise Rosay, which led to me going to meet Johnny.
View on the film:
Listening in on the radio to the fall of France taking place, the screenplay by Ealing regular T. E. B. Clarke travels to Cornwall for a culture clash Comedy, which places an emphasis on the shared bonds the locals gradually find they have with the French shipping crew, which includes being on the Allies side of WWII.
Greeting the French crew with the locals calling them "Froggy" whenever they get the chance, Clarke supplies the crew and the locals with hilarious dialogue in the hard shoulder of disagreement they give each other, which Clarke gradually grinds down, as both sides discover a level of respect for the other.
Filmed on location in the Cornish fishing port of Mevagissey , director Charles Frend & Michael Powell's The Phantom Light (1935-also reviewed) cinematographer Roy Kellino serve up a slice of Ealing class with a wonderful Comedy atmosphere of winding dolly and panning shots bringing a real sense of how tight-knitted the locals are, (a recurring theme in films from Ealing studios) and how brisk the French crew are, in throwing any insult they receive, right back at the locals.
Reuniting from The Halfway House the year before, Francoise Rosay and Tom Walls both give fantastic performances as Lanec and Nat, with the duo visible enjoying wrapping one-liners round each other, as they robustly argue like an old married couple, in the culture clash of Johnny and the Frenchman.
View on the film:
Listening in on the radio to the fall of France taking place, the screenplay by Ealing regular T. E. B. Clarke travels to Cornwall for a culture clash Comedy, which places an emphasis on the shared bonds the locals gradually find they have with the French shipping crew, which includes being on the Allies side of WWII.
Greeting the French crew with the locals calling them "Froggy" whenever they get the chance, Clarke supplies the crew and the locals with hilarious dialogue in the hard shoulder of disagreement they give each other, which Clarke gradually grinds down, as both sides discover a level of respect for the other.
Filmed on location in the Cornish fishing port of Mevagissey , director Charles Frend & Michael Powell's The Phantom Light (1935-also reviewed) cinematographer Roy Kellino serve up a slice of Ealing class with a wonderful Comedy atmosphere of winding dolly and panning shots bringing a real sense of how tight-knitted the locals are, (a recurring theme in films from Ealing studios) and how brisk the French crew are, in throwing any insult they receive, right back at the locals.
Reuniting from The Halfway House the year before, Francoise Rosay and Tom Walls both give fantastic performances as Lanec and Nat, with the duo visible enjoying wrapping one-liners round each other, as they robustly argue like an old married couple, in the culture clash of Johnny and the Frenchman.