159. The Man In Grey (1943)

Directed By Leslie Arliss

Synopsis

Close your eyes, think of a bodice-ripper, add all cliches. There! Oh and James Mason pokes a lady to death.

Review

There are some films on this list whose simple presence baffles me. and it is not just me, the book itself seems quite apologetic about putting this film in. It is crap in terms of plot, nothing else in the film is particularly bad, but the screenplay is so bad that you really can't pay any attention to anything else in the film.

Then it is a film that grates with out modern sensibilities, when Stewart Granger talks about his black prize-fighter as his "nigger sambo" you necessarily cringe, when one of the main characters is a child in obvious blackface you also go... "ohh this isn't right". These are, however minor quibble because no matter how abhorrent to us today this was the "thing" in the early 40's, but it just goes to show that it is not only Americans in the 40's who are devoid of racial tactfulness.

Ok this film is interesting in the sense that it is a complex costume drama with quite impressive sets being done in Britain during the War, it is a piece of WWII escapism and it was what people wanted to watch. Still, none of these are qualities intrinsic to the film, the film is a pile of wank which will give you the occasional laugh, because it is so bad. As my wife says, 2 hours of my life I'm not getting back.

Final Grade

4/10

Trivia

From Wikipedia:

The Man in Grey is generally considered the first of the "Gainsborough melodramas", a series of period costume films produced by Gainsborough Pictures. Although not very well received critically, it was a great commercial success and became one of the ten most successful British pictures of 1943. It caught the mood of the nation brilliantly as it fused elements of previously successful "women's pictures" with a distinctive formula of its own. It had great star appeal with a strong cast and an intricate plot with its counterpointing of good against evil, obedience against rebellion, male against female and class against class.

Man In Grey: