davidvmcgillivray-24-905811 Review of Affairs of a Rogue

Affairs of a Rogue (1948)

British costume drama is uneven but good to look at

[7/10 · 29 January 2020]

This broadly factual account of part of the life of the Prince Regent, detailing his relationship with his strong-minded young daughter Princess Charlotte, has many strong points but cries out for a colour re-make that would address its flaws. It's elegantly mounted, both in the studio and on location, by the reliable and underestimated Cavalcanti, and it offers Cecil Parker, almost always a supporting actor, a chance to shine in a leading role. The script is based on a play that ran for over a year in London and much later and less successfully on Broadway. Judging by author Norman Ginsbury's other credits, my guess is that the sharp, witty dialogue is mostly that of comic screenwriter Nicholas Phipps. The problem is that the tone is overly comical, given that the focus shifts dramatically to the tragedy of Charlotte, only briefly able to find happiness with her chosen husband, Prince Leopold, before dying in childbirth. Then we return to Prinny being pompous and silly again. There is a lot of historical information here and much of it (references to Regent's Street, the Brighton Pavilion and so on) is given in a throwaway style with which fans of present-day historical TV drama will be familiar. Although "The First Gentleman" can't compare with "The Madness of King George", Alan Bennett's acclaimed take on Prinny's father, George III, mentioned but not seen, there is still enough here to recommend. The version currently on British TV, "Affairs of a Rogue", is the American cut, reduced by 20 minutes allegedly because of concerns about the Prince Regent's adultery. On a couple of occasions abrupt edits are noticeable. But the film seems quite long enough and it's hard to imagine what the missing footage would add. Interestingly a 1961 TV version of the play, with Charles Gray as the Prince Regent, also runs 90 minutes. It was one of 65 British TV plays discovered in the Library of Congress and it's been shown at London's BFI Southbank.