After being very happy about the BBC showing rather obscure films over the weekends of 2016,I was disappointed to find 2017 kicking off with much more recent flicks being shown. Taking a look on BBC iPlayer,I was pleased to find that things appeared to be back on track with an obscure Dana Andrews title,which led to me indulging in some vices.
The plot:
Finding his dinner and newspaper to always be ready for him when he returns from work, Perry Ashwell feels blissful in the knowledge that his wife April will always be a good little housewife. Flirting with all the women at work,Perry decides that he can show off the perfect life he has. Wanting a physical image of their (his) perfect life,Perry hires artist Octavio Quaglini to paint his wife,who soon brushes against the flaking paint of the Ashwell's marriage.
View on the film:
Slithering round the Ashwell's marriage, Louis Jourdan gives a deliciously snappy performance as Quaglini,whose every acid exchange with Perry and sly nod to April are tightly coiled by Jourdan with eyes on the long game Quaglini is playing. Putting some of his own cash down on the project, (which did not get returned) Dana Andrews gives a wonderfully pompous performance as Perry,who Andrews hilariously keeps on a narrow path that blinds him from seeing Quaglini crossover into his life. Painted in-between the guys,the cute Lilli Palmer gives a sparkling performance as April,as April goes from silently following orders,to hitting the guys with sparks of sass.
Made to save the studio from going bust after Arch of Triumph bombed, director Lewis Milestone & cinematographer George Barnes keep the money issues off screen with a zestful Screwball Comedy atmosphere, bouncing from physical comedy exchanges between the guys,and an elegant use of shadows to give Quaqlini a sinister shine. Ordered by the studios to keep it simple,the screenplay by Arnold Manoff does very well at ruffling up the arrogance of Perry,with Manoff finding very funny set-pieces in Perry's high and mighty attitude. Hissing into their lives,Manoff makes Quaqlini's arrival one that sets off a Screwball Comedy storm lighting the deep rooted flaws in the marriage,as the Ashwell's discover their minor vices.
The plot:
Finding his dinner and newspaper to always be ready for him when he returns from work, Perry Ashwell feels blissful in the knowledge that his wife April will always be a good little housewife. Flirting with all the women at work,Perry decides that he can show off the perfect life he has. Wanting a physical image of their (his) perfect life,Perry hires artist Octavio Quaglini to paint his wife,who soon brushes against the flaking paint of the Ashwell's marriage.
View on the film:
Slithering round the Ashwell's marriage, Louis Jourdan gives a deliciously snappy performance as Quaglini,whose every acid exchange with Perry and sly nod to April are tightly coiled by Jourdan with eyes on the long game Quaglini is playing. Putting some of his own cash down on the project, (which did not get returned) Dana Andrews gives a wonderfully pompous performance as Perry,who Andrews hilariously keeps on a narrow path that blinds him from seeing Quaglini crossover into his life. Painted in-between the guys,the cute Lilli Palmer gives a sparkling performance as April,as April goes from silently following orders,to hitting the guys with sparks of sass.
Made to save the studio from going bust after Arch of Triumph bombed, director Lewis Milestone & cinematographer George Barnes keep the money issues off screen with a zestful Screwball Comedy atmosphere, bouncing from physical comedy exchanges between the guys,and an elegant use of shadows to give Quaqlini a sinister shine. Ordered by the studios to keep it simple,the screenplay by Arnold Manoff does very well at ruffling up the arrogance of Perry,with Manoff finding very funny set-pieces in Perry's high and mighty attitude. Hissing into their lives,Manoff makes Quaqlini's arrival one that sets off a Screwball Comedy storm lighting the deep rooted flaws in the marriage,as the Ashwell's discover their minor vices.