And that so far usually means down. Margaret Lockwood is the beautiful but conniving cousin of Patricia Loc who is engaged to wealthy landowner Griffith Jones, but not for long. Once Lockwood is married to him, she turns her eyes on wealthy Michael Rennie, a wedding guest, revealing boredom no sooner than the cutting of the wedding cake. The stage becomes set for Lockwood to turn Jezebel as she becomes bored as a country wife and becomes a "Highwayman" (masked bandit), beginning an affair with an already notorious bandit (James Mason) but destroying herself in the process by continuing her lust for Rennie right under the nose of the entire household.
An artistic triumph perfect under the Gainsborough trademark, this is costume comedy/drama with class, morality lessons, some witty bitchy dialog (especially between Lockwood and wise-cracking Enid Stamp-Taylor as Jones' suspicious sister) and an ingenious ending you won't see coming. Felix Aylmer is excellent as the extremely religious butler to the manor who takes Lockwood under his wing to reform her but ends up paying for it dearly. Mason is suave and romantic as the bandit who reveals scruples while Lockwood reveals none. Everything about the movie is exquisite, whether being the breathtaking art direction, the ultra-modern crisp photography, or the wonderful leading lady you won't be able to take your eyes off of.
An artistic triumph perfect under the Gainsborough trademark, this is costume comedy/drama with class, morality lessons, some witty bitchy dialog (especially between Lockwood and wise-cracking Enid Stamp-Taylor as Jones' suspicious sister) and an ingenious ending you won't see coming. Felix Aylmer is excellent as the extremely religious butler to the manor who takes Lockwood under his wing to reform her but ends up paying for it dearly. Mason is suave and romantic as the bandit who reveals scruples while Lockwood reveals none. Everything about the movie is exquisite, whether being the breathtaking art direction, the ultra-modern crisp photography, or the wonderful leading lady you won't be able to take your eyes off of.