Over the Moon

1939 "The happiest, snappiness comedy in years"
5.5| 1h19m| en
Details

Young Jane Benson just about manages to make ends meet running the large family house in Yorkshire. In love with local doctor Freddie Jarvis, she suggests they marry, but almost at once finds she has inherited eighteen million pounds. He makes it clear he wants nothing to do with the money and what it can buy, and Jane sets off alone on a spree pursued by two ardent suitors. Jarvis finds he has gained notoriety for turning down such a catch and his plans for ernest research are soon compromised.

Director

Producted By

London Films Productions

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Reviews

Stellead Don't listen to the Hype. It's awful
Fairaher The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.
Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.
Gary The movie's not perfect, but it sticks the landing of its message. It was engaging - thrilling at times - and I personally thought it was a great time.
malcolmgsw For some reason all of the reviews for this film are from the state's.As this film was recently shown on London Live I can redress this.Firstly the colour is typical of pre war Technicolour and is quite beautiful.The sound was totally audible,at least to me.This was not the only London Film held up for release,21 Days being another.In any event since British film production had fallen to a low level due to bombing and requisition of studios,the release of these films would help British cinemas cope with their quota requirements.It is not a film which will rate highly in the careers of either stars.The plot must have hackneyed even at the time of production.Oberon inherits a lot of money and is then perused by a lot of aristocratic Chinese wonders who can offer a title in return for large wads of cash..Incidentally there is a really fine musical number by the immortal Elizabeth Welch which license up the proceedings.
wes-connors In a small Yorkshire village, girlish Merle Oberon (as Jane Benson) tends to her bedridden grandfather. His country doctor, young Rex Harrison (as Freddie Jarvis), seems more interested in checking Ms. Oberon's heartbeat. Their pulses rise and a marriage is considered. Suddenly, Oberon inherits 18,000,000 pounds, courtesy of her penny-pinching grandfather. That should be happy news, but Oberon reacts with a perplexed look. After the riches sink in, she decides to join high society in London, Monte Carlo and Nice. Initially along for the ride, Mr. Harrison becomes bored with fancy cars, parties and glitter. Harrison leaves. Oberon parties on, but something is missing...This film meanders along clumsily. It appears disjointed, and Oberon often looks less than her beautiful self. One reason for this is the fact that "Over the Moon" jumped around three production years. It was begun in 1937 and completed in 1939. Although Oberon had yet to appear in the classic "Wuthering Heights" (1939), she was already an established star, having received an "Academy Award" nomination for "The Dark Angel" (1935). Herein, it appears that filmmakers are still searching for the proper way to photograph Oberon. This may be due to the fact that "Over the Moon" was filmed in color. Some of the camera angles, lighting and takes used are not flattering.*** Over the Moon (2/12/39) Thornton Freeland ~ Merle Oberon, Rex Harrison, Ursula Jeans, Robert Douglas
MartinHafer "Over the Moon" is a decent enough film, but in its present form it's a bit tough to watch. This is because a lot of conservation work needs to be done on it--at least on the copy shown on Turner Classic Movies (and usually they show the best copy available). The problems are with the picture and sound. The film is in early Technicolor but the print is so muddy that it's actually pretty ugly. Additionally, the sound is a bit muddy--making it very hard for non-Brits like me to understand everything they are saying. Cleaning the sound and/or installing closed captions would be a HUGE boon to watching the film.The film also suffers from a bizarre problem--one that is even weirder than using Jean Harlow's double to finish "Saratoga" after she died part-way through filming. The star of the film, Merle Oberon, went through HUGE changes in her looks in the late 1930s--going from a somewhat unattractive lady to a more vivacious lady due to studio folks who saw her potential. Here is the problem with this--much of the film was made in 1937 and then the project was shelved. Then, two years later, she looked like a totally different lady--and that's when they filmed the rest!! So, in the '37 portions, she has shaved and penciled eyebrows (like Jean Harlow) and very unattractive hair that emphasized her large forehead. In the '39 portions, she has normal eyebrows and a much more becoming hairstyle--making it look like two different actresses played the role. And, since it was NOT filmed in sequence, it's very disconcerting--much like when Luis Buñuel DELIBERATELY used two different actresses to play the same role in "That Obscure Object of Desire". With Buñuel, it worked because he was a surrealist but in "Over the Moon" most viewers will just be left confused.As for the story itself, it's a decent tale of a poor girl (Oberon) who instantly becomes a very, very, very wealthy heiress and how this helps to mess up her life. Lots of selfish hangers on suddenly become her 'friends' and her fiancé (Rex Harrison) is driven off by her new lifestyle and nasty friends. But, no matter how much charm and magic the film has, all the factors listed above do a lot to undo the good--making the film a bit of a chore to watch.
ksf-2 SPOILERS Twenty-eight year old Merle Oberon is heiress Jane Benson in this British story. A young looking 30 year old Rex Harrison is the family doctor Fred Jarvis at the film open. When her father passes away, relatives come out of the woodwork, ready to advise her on what to do with her new bank account. And when Jane decides that she and the doctor are to be married, we see signs of discord between them, and Jarvis goes off to France to "explore". Another interesting character, the ever flaming Peter Haddon is the Lord Petcliffe, who shows every stereotype known at the time, even his fuzzy slippers and purple pants. Then Jane is off to Monte Carlo for her own adventures, where she meets a variety of guys. The sound quality and picture quality in the first half is pretty bad. It was filmed in spherical technicolor, but it looks like it has been restored, or maybe NEEDS to be restored. There are some memorable scenes to watch for... like the outdoor scenes of London and Monte Carlo, and the fashion show, with its comedic moment. Both Harrison and Oberon had been in films for almost ten years, so they both showed skill and style. The trivia section here discusses the filming delays and retakes, and it is quite evident in some scenes that much time has passed. While the actors appearances have changed a bit, the sound and picture quality improved greatly in those scenes. Made by London Film Productions, under the Cinematograph Films Act by British Parliament. It's quite entertaining, with several scenes of low-key comedy. Fun song "Red Hot Annabelle" by Elisabeth Welch about halfway through. Saw this on Turner Classics, although they must not show it very often -- as of today, only 67 votes.