tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post7191725328826538407..comments2024-03-16T10:03:59.180-07:00Comments on The Movie Projector: Vacation from Marriage (1945)R. D. Finchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-80402458962581517002012-08-16T11:32:21.062-07:002012-08-16T11:32:21.062-07:00John, glad to hear you enjoyed it. It's imposs...John, glad to hear you enjoyed it. It's impossible to predict how someone else will react to a movie, but I try to give enough of an idea that readers can judge whether it would appeal to them. Yes, there is a discernible three-act structure. The original British print apparently runs about ten minutes longer. I can't imagine that the cuts came from the last third, so if what came before that was reduced I think it was a good idea because it would have given that third act--to me the best part of the movie--more emphasis. <br /><br />Thanks for letting me know you liked the film!<br />R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-82916928534587152772012-08-15T13:36:02.411-07:002012-08-15T13:36:02.411-07:00R.D.,
What a fantastic film! I just reread your r...R.D.,<br /><br />What a fantastic film! I just reread your review and appreciate it even more. The film is divided into three acts as we watch this dull bored couple, separated by the war, grow and come to believe they cannot go back to each other after a three and half year separation not realizing that their other half has changed and grown also. As you say, the final half hour where we get to watch Donat and Kerr play off each other is a true highlight but just watching these two characters grow throughout the film is a treasure in itself. The film is both funny and touching and I am glad you brought it to our attention.John/24Frameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14719659042858962026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-55392302788131013862012-08-10T14:54:53.981-07:002012-08-10T14:54:53.981-07:00Sam, if you haven't seen this film, then it is...Sam, if you haven't seen this film, then it is a rarity indeed. Actually, it was just released on DVD by Warner Home Video as part of the Warner Archive series last month. When I first thought of writing on it for the SUTS Blogathon, I was surprised to find it on DVD and available for rent from one of the DVD rental services I use. I'm always looking for films I haven't seen but that sound appealing at the sites of other bloggers and have found some gems this way. Probably the best example of this was the decade countdowns at Wonders in the Dark a couple of years ago! Anyway, I hope that those like you who've read about the film in this post enjoy it.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-33621158151258187092012-08-10T14:12:12.246-07:002012-08-10T14:12:12.246-07:00R.D.:
I'm afraid like several others on this ...R.D.:<br /><br />I'm afraid like several others on this thread that this is a film I have not yet seen, but after reading that it features Donat, Kerr, Gylnnis Johns, was directed by Korda and shot by Perinal, well, I am rather ashamed as these things go. I know of the film, but never was able to see it, what with its long-running absence on DVD and laserdisc before that. It's great news to hear it is making the rounds on TCM, though and better news still R.D. that you were able to negotiate it. Donat's work is so precious and relatively limited that only one his appearance alone the film with be worth it. Interesting background information too centering around the artistic split between Kerr and Powell. I will certainly keep my eyes open, and will at some later point revisit this superlative assessment and welcome feature.Sam Julianonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-35635911527769475602012-08-08T17:16:26.694-07:002012-08-08T17:16:26.694-07:00Rick, thanks. Michael Powell mentions in his autob...Rick, thanks. Michael Powell mentions in his autobiography that he was supposed to direct this film. It seems odd that he wasn't preparing a project for the Archers with Emeric Pressburger, but I do recall he wrote that they were working on "A Matter of Life and Death" but didn't want to start it until the war was over because there wouldn't be any Technicolor film stock available until then. So maybe he saw this as a stopgap. Of course, he had worked with and for Korda, who was already the film's producer, and he was involved with Deborah Kerr, so perhaps that explains why he was temporarily attached to the film. I've also read that the American director Wesley Ruggles was hired to direct it but Korda didn't like his ideas and took over direction himself.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-90924293793400570452012-08-08T16:32:45.193-07:002012-08-08T16:32:45.193-07:00R.D., like some others, I was only familiar with t...R.D., like some others, I was only familiar with this film by title (and will be recording it). It's funny...as I was reading your description of the film, I thought it sounded like a Powell & Pressberger picture--so it was interesting to read that MP was almost the director. As you know, I love Deborah Kerr and am a Robert Donat fan as well (my favorite of his films isn't a typical choice because he has a small part in THE WINSLOW BOY). You know, I always get good movie recommendations at THE MOVIE PROJECTOR. Glad you don't charge a finder's fee.Rick29https://www.blogger.com/profile/08358116647815569722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-59791557037471442422012-08-08T11:54:35.847-07:002012-08-08T11:54:35.847-07:00John, until a couple of years ago I knew Donat onl...John, until a couple of years ago I knew Donat only from "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" and "The 39 Steps" but then started catching up with him as TCM showed his movies. He was a unique actor whose talent seems to me all the more precious for being on display in so few films. I've liked him in everything I've seen him in. If you ever come across "The Winslow Boy" or "The Magic Box," try to catch Donat in those. Absolutely agree with you about the appeal of Kerr--ladylike and sensuous at the same time, and her best films exploit this quality.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-89948523005924174632012-08-08T11:46:44.626-07:002012-08-08T11:46:44.626-07:00Kevin, I came late to an appreciation of Donat, bu...Kevin, I came late to an appreciation of Donat, but now I understand why he's so highly regarded even though he made so few movies. He was one of those actors who always seemed to be the character and himself at the same time, yet he was a very accomplished film performer. I've not only admired but liked every performance of his I've seen. He had a way of projecting inner conflict that never made it seem melodramatic. <br /><br />I've read that Hitchcock wanted him to play Maxim de Winter in "Rebecca" but his health wasn't up to it, probably because it meant traveling to Hollywood. I've always thought Olivier was a bit too surly in the role and can imagine that Donat might have brought a quieter torment to the character that would have suited it well.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-6581914558656005622012-08-08T11:26:03.948-07:002012-08-08T11:26:03.948-07:00Judy, I've never seen either of the movies you...Judy, I've never seen either of the movies your mention--although I have seen a few clips from "Divorcement"--so will keep an eye out for them. Michael Redgrave is another one of the great British leading men of the time (just saw him in "The Captive Heart," a great movie and performance), along with John Mills and James Mason and of course Olivier. There are others I'm sure, but those are the first who come to mind and I adore every one of them.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-8764862783635023142012-08-08T09:01:20.032-07:002012-08-08T09:01:20.032-07:00Count me as another who will tape tape it this mon...Count me as another who will tape tape it this month. Sounds marvelous, and Caftan Woman also recommended it. I remember William K. Everson devoted a chapter to this film in his "Love in the Film" book. <br /><br />Robert Donat was a very special, unique talent, somewhat bridging the gap between movie star charsima (and it's there believe me, though it's a quiet charisma) and the more "naturalistic" acting that would emerge in the 1950s. In a way, I've always thought he was rather ahead of his time. <br /><br />His Mr. Chips is heartbreaking, and fully deserving of the Oscar that year (sorry Gable fans).Kevin Deanyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07697597405552599370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-79343541859069941682012-08-08T07:57:47.782-07:002012-08-08T07:57:47.782-07:00Totally unfamiliar with this film but like Eve and...Totally unfamiliar with this film but like Eve and CFB I too will have my DVR set to record it. Other than THE 39 STEPS, I cannot think of another film I have seen with Robert Donate. He seems to be exceedingly charming and as for Kerr, well a talented actress for sure and in possession of an undetstated yet sophisticated sexiness.John/24Frameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14719659042858962026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-88004822473571286122012-08-08T02:30:49.631-07:002012-08-08T02:30:49.631-07:00R.D., I haven't seen this one (as usual, it...R.D., I haven't seen this one (as usual, it's not available in the UK, though I hope it may turn up on TV here some time) but would be very interested to do so after reading your review. I've seen some of both Donat and Kerr's films recently and been very impressed. It's an added attraction that Clemence Dane wrote the screenplay, as she also wrote the original play for 'A Bill of Divorcement', which was filmed starring John Barrymore and a very young Katharine Hepburn, and which also includes a powerful portrayal of a couple who have been separated for years and grown apart. It seems to be a theme which she returned to.<br /><br />I have seen another good British film on a similar theme, 'The Years Between' (1946), based on a play by Daphne du Maurier, with Michael Redgrave as a husband returning from war and Valerie Hobson as the wife who doesn't want to go back to her old life - Hobson has taken over her husband's seat as an MP and isn't keen to give it up again and go back to being a housewife!Judyhttp://movieclassics.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-6308261485796527032012-08-07T21:55:26.599-07:002012-08-07T21:55:26.599-07:00Filmboy, thank you. I think you'll be pleased ...Filmboy, thank you. I think you'll be pleased with the fine British cast of this one. Maybe it's their stage training, but the British actors of this time seemed to excel at delivering well-written dialogue.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-58696403248217918952012-08-07T21:51:46.746-07:002012-08-07T21:51:46.746-07:00Silverscreenings, TCM is showing some great Debora...Silverscreenings, TCM is showing some great Deborah Kerr movies on the 13th including some of her best known films. I would say this one and the one called "Please Believe Me" (which I'd never heard of before) are surely the most obscure.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-21699943730393448822012-08-07T16:59:24.049-07:002012-08-07T16:59:24.049-07:00Always a pleasure reading your insightful views on...Always a pleasure reading your insightful views on film. I must see this one and I'll have to set the DVR to do so!Classicfilmboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01278928051994100842noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-10137156848226990992012-08-07T15:35:10.555-07:002012-08-07T15:35:10.555-07:00WOW - this looks terrific! I'm setting my DVR ...WOW - this looks terrific! I'm setting my DVR too.Silver Screeningshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04955048716754142299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-192567128738717592012-08-06T22:28:49.134-07:002012-08-06T22:28:49.134-07:00Eve, I was just thinking the same thing about Robe...Eve, I was just thinking the same thing about Robert Donat deserving a TCM salute. I have seen several of his movies on TCM (it's where I first saw this one a couple of years ago), most recently "The Count of Monte Cristo." Because of his chronic asthma he didn't make many movies, but I thought he was excellent in everything I've seen him in and had such a unique personality and way of delivering his lines. He was clearly a hugely talented actor but always projected an endearing sense of modesty that served him well in lighter roles and kept him from being ponderous in the more serious ones.<br /><br />Deborah Kerr replaced Wendy Hiller in "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp" when Hiller got pregnant. So it's an interesting turnabout that Hiller played the part in "I Know Where I'm Going" that was originally conceived with Deborah Kerr in mind.R. D. Finchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05045080274131718843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6125194422306151768.post-17159043302286325382012-08-06T21:19:38.668-07:002012-08-06T21:19:38.668-07:00R.D., I was completely unfamiliar with "Vacat...R.D., I was completely unfamiliar with "Vacation From Marriage" but now have my DVR set for 3am PDT on the 13th. One of the things I most enjoy most about "Summer Under the Stars" is discovering films of admired actors and actresses that are new to me. This one sounds like an overlooked gem.<br /><br />I am hoping TCM might consider a SUTS day for Robert Donat next year - I don't think he's been given that honor yet. He certainly deserves it, with several fine films among the not very many that he made.<br /><br />And, much as I absolutely adore Wendy Hiller in "I Know Where I'm Going!", the thought of Deborah Kerr in her role is intriguing.The Lady Evehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11963115499930520653noreply@blogger.com