This is mislabelled as a comedy whereas it's a sensitive drama with similar themes to A STAR IS BORN and PYGMALIAN.
It's a lovely gentle picture about being happy by accepting your lot in life. It's about what makes us contented. Charles Laughton gives a fabulous portrayal of a down and out London busker living on a few bob a day. He's one of life's sweet, good natured nobodies but he's happy. When he meets Vivien Leigh's Liberty, a not particularly pleasant but ambitious young woman he wonders whether he should have done something more with his life.
Although unrealistic, Liberty the young beggar girl subsequently attracts the attention of wealthy Rex Harrison and before you know it, she's one of the in-crowd. This is England in the 1930s so her acceptance as one of their own by the caviar eating, champagne quaffing set is about as likely as a black girl marrying the leading man in a 1930s American picture.
One thing maybe in her favour is her inexplicably upper class accent. Didn't they have dialect coaches back then? She's meant to be living rough on the streets but sounds like she's just graduated from RADA. I don't think Vivien Leigh's heart was in this because she didn't even try. At least Charles Laughton did some sort of working class accent - no idea what on earth it was meant to be but it sounded sort of authentic.
Vivien Leigh did not become a superstar because of her astonishing beauty - she was a magnificent actress. She doesn't however seem that committed to this film so consequently her character, Liberty doesn't feel that genuine. Perhaps it was because she and Charles Laughton really didn't like each other. Neither of them were known for their easy going nature so it was never going to be the happiest of productions. Even when she was young she was considered to be very temperamental and petulant so just like in the plot of this film itself, when she found herself working for a chubby, unattractive gruff Yorkshireman (this film was made by Laughton's company so he was her boss), she resented him. A case of life mirroring art?
She's still ten times better than a lot of actresses in films then so unless you're expecting 'exceptional' you won't mind. ...But anyway, despite her mediocre performance, an unrealistic rose tinted glossing over of class discrimination, Rex Harrison being blander than bland, the picture is actually completely engrossing and a joy to watch. It leaves you with a lovely warm feeling afterwards! The reason for this is one hundred percent down to Laughton's utterly delightful and believable performance which is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. This is not just one his own greatest performances, it one of the best performances by anyone of the whole decade.
It's a lovely gentle picture about being happy by accepting your lot in life. It's about what makes us contented. Charles Laughton gives a fabulous portrayal of a down and out London busker living on a few bob a day. He's one of life's sweet, good natured nobodies but he's happy. When he meets Vivien Leigh's Liberty, a not particularly pleasant but ambitious young woman he wonders whether he should have done something more with his life.
Although unrealistic, Liberty the young beggar girl subsequently attracts the attention of wealthy Rex Harrison and before you know it, she's one of the in-crowd. This is England in the 1930s so her acceptance as one of their own by the caviar eating, champagne quaffing set is about as likely as a black girl marrying the leading man in a 1930s American picture.
One thing maybe in her favour is her inexplicably upper class accent. Didn't they have dialect coaches back then? She's meant to be living rough on the streets but sounds like she's just graduated from RADA. I don't think Vivien Leigh's heart was in this because she didn't even try. At least Charles Laughton did some sort of working class accent - no idea what on earth it was meant to be but it sounded sort of authentic.
Vivien Leigh did not become a superstar because of her astonishing beauty - she was a magnificent actress. She doesn't however seem that committed to this film so consequently her character, Liberty doesn't feel that genuine. Perhaps it was because she and Charles Laughton really didn't like each other. Neither of them were known for their easy going nature so it was never going to be the happiest of productions. Even when she was young she was considered to be very temperamental and petulant so just like in the plot of this film itself, when she found herself working for a chubby, unattractive gruff Yorkshireman (this film was made by Laughton's company so he was her boss), she resented him. A case of life mirroring art?
She's still ten times better than a lot of actresses in films then so unless you're expecting 'exceptional' you won't mind. ...But anyway, despite her mediocre performance, an unrealistic rose tinted glossing over of class discrimination, Rex Harrison being blander than bland, the picture is actually completely engrossing and a joy to watch. It leaves you with a lovely warm feeling afterwards! The reason for this is one hundred percent down to Laughton's utterly delightful and believable performance which is both heartbreaking and heartwarming. This is not just one his own greatest performances, it one of the best performances by anyone of the whole decade.