Tuesday 3 March 2020

The Divorce of Lady X (1938 Tim Whelan)

A good looking film, made by Korda's London Films, shot in Technicolor by Harry Stradling Sr, with colour assistance from William Skall - Jack Hildyard is the operator.

In fog bound London, a young and bouncy Laurence Olivier is tricked into sharing his suite with manipulative Merle Oberon. Naturally he falls for her, but she makes out she's the wife of Ralph Richardson, who engages LO to divorce her, with logical complications. From a Gilbert Wakefield story, adapted by Lajos Biro, with dialogue and scenario by Ian Dalrymple and Arthur Wimperis.

Various butlers, legal clerks etc. display a certain lack of respect for their betters, which is nice and refreshing...The score's by Miklos Rozsa. William Hornbeck is the supervising editor. It's enjoyable.

The inclusion of the cimbalom, manufactured in Budapest, was perhaps there as a nod to Korda's (and Rozsa's) home country, Austria-Hungary.



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