leethomas-11621
My favourite scenes? At their Brighton hotel (Joyce Grenfell is wonderful) and when Rosalind plays her two numbers on the trumpet! One solitary scene adds so much to this movie, and that is towards the end when the elderly man who loves Darracqs speaks to Alan (without first having been introduced!).
bkoganbing
Most people in the United Kingdom would probably know second leads Kenneth More and Kay Kendall today than they would John Gregson and Dinah Sheridan. But all four pitch in and make Genevieve as delightful and refreshing a comedy today as it was in 1953 when it came out.The married Gregson and free spirit More are best of friends with a shared interest in antique cars. But every year that friendship goes under an extreme strain when there's an antique car rally and people with those old vehicles. Sheridan who is married to Gregson surrenders a bit unwillingly every year to the obsession that overtakes her husband.If this film had been made in America, Jack Carson would have been perfect casting for More's role. He's an amiable blowhard with a different woman every few months and this month's flavor is Kay Kendall.The rally is not a race it's just a bunch of folks who own these cars and drive them en masse from London to Brighton and back. But Gregson and More make it a race between themselves and there's a bet on as well. In America we would say racing for pink slips and in Gregson's case what's at stake is his beloved vehicle Genevieve.The trip with both of them and what happens to these antique cars has loads of laughs in it. That's ratcheted up exponentially during the climax as both cars are just returning to London and shall we say showing their age.Kay Kendall's best moment is at a nightclub where she's totally blotto and wants to play the trumpet. I'm sure it was dubbed, but sure enough a swinging version of the old ballad Genevieve is blown by Kendall. She's her usual marvelous self.It's over 60 years since Genevieve came out. I wonder if that rally is still held and what is considered an antique now. This film certainly isn't.
lasttimeisaw
An Ealing Studio comedy in 1953, about a annual vintage car rally from London to Brighton and back in two days on a sunny weekend, which is the most exciting activity for lawyer Alan(Gregson) and his best friend Ambrose (More), but for ladies, Alan's wife Wendy (Sheridan) and Ambrose's new date Rosalind (Kendall), they are less psyched, a gesture of support means they cannot renege their full participation.Genevieve, a 1904 Darracq, is Alan's beloved treasure, doesn't function too well en route, slapstick antics and lively squabbles are befitting companies between him and the apathetic Wendy, while Ambrose's harmless teasing of Genevieve (driving his equally unstable 1905 Spyker with the grand Rosalind) comes as handy and formulaic. During their short stay in Brighton, Alan and Wendy scrape in a crummy hotel room (Joyce Grenfell is the high point as the proprietress in a cameo appearance), and there is long-lasting jealousy simmering in Alan's heart, since it is Ambrose, who introduced Wendy to him, he is quite sulky to see Wendy intimately dances with Ambrose, and is intrigued by Rosalind to know what exactly had happened between them before their 3-years-old marriage, especially once Wendy was Ambrose's date in the annual rally. As expected, the topic turns sour quickly, on their way back to London, Alan and Ambrose have a wager on 100 pounds to be the first to reach Westminster Bridge. So the second half is a comical contest, the two teams encounter malfunctions of the cars, patrol officers, road accidents, uninvited interlopers, even skulduggery and a strategic lie to buy their time. At the same time, the hiccup is soft-pedaled among the jovial hullabaloo, we never have another chance to know the history between Wendy and Ambrose. But in the very end, if a man is willing to give up his most treasured thing for a woman, she is the real winner. The quartet performers are sterling and enjoyable, John Gregson brings about a touch of suaveness which reminiscent of James Stewart and Sheridan is a dexterous player exemplifies what a perfect wife should be, they are the immaculate pair on screen; More is outstanding in his carefree mannerism while Kendall neatly nails the face-contorting trumpet mimicking and it is not an easy piece of cake for trophy girlfriends.GENEVIEVE is a light-hearted laughter-generator full of beans, its relatable skits encapsulate Britain's national spirit and character with intuitive zest, at least for its native audience, it is the all-time guilty pleasure.
TheLittleSongbird
Genevieve may be a little too short, but for me it is one of the best British films of the 50s. It is just a charming, delightful and re-watchable little film. The film looks beautiful, the photography is lovely and the scenery and colours are just as pleasing to the eye. The script has its fair share of funny, poignant and charming spots, the direction is spot on and the story is always engaging with the misfortunes and calamities never less than entertaining. The soundtrack by the harmonica maestro Larry Sadler is unforgettable, and the film is blessed with wonderful performances. I loved John Gregson, Kenneth More and Dinah Sheridan, but it was Kay Kendall who was the real joy. All in all, just a delight from start to finish. 9/10 Bethany Cox
