This Jessie Matthews picture has a particularly poor reputation - undeservedly in my opinion. It's a lovely and joyful romantic comedy. It's not the funniest of comedies but like those Fred and Ginger films it's got that certain magic sparkle which somehow makes you happy just by watching it.
It was made during the time when the mighty Gaumont-British studios had begun its nosedive towards bankruptcy. Although the bailiffs were at the studio gates, they were not going to let that stop them so they kept going until they were finally taken over by Rank in 1940. Their other top director Victor Saville (besides Hitchcock) had already jumped ship so Jessie's husband and sometimes co-star, Sonnie Hale had to step into the breach and have a go directing this one. He's no Victor Saville but he actually makes quite a good job of it. The film looks really good and sumptuous, the timing is spot on, he makes it visually interesting with some great camera tricks and his actors are all believable. Compared with some of the light comedies being made by some very established directors over in Hollywood, this is Citizen Kane!
Sonnie Hale's main objective here seems to be showing off to the world what an amazingly gorgeous and talented wife he has - and who can blame him! After an hour and a half of this, every man in the cinema must have acknowledged that Sonnie Hale was indeed the luckiest man in the world. What makes Jessie Matthews so special is that unlike so many stars of the 30s, she's not just a pretty face - whatever role, even with her peculiar accent (identical in every film) she inexplicably manages to be believable and also instantly engaging. There are a couple of problems for the modern audience - her singing voice isn't what most people now could describe as pleasant which is a slight handicap in a musical where she sings about a hundred times. Also, that infamously over-trained absurd cut glass accent - logic tells you it cannot possibly belong to every character she plays. It stretches credibility when your mind hears what sounds like a young Queen Elizabeth saying: One is so terribly, terribly poor and frightfully hungry. Somehow however by talent, by skill, by personality and by her utterly engaging likeability these don't matter - you totally believe in who she is, probably because she's just so nice!
Once you've got used to her silly posh accent you then have to cope with that of her co-star Robert Flemyng. He's even worse sounding like Edward VIII addressing the nation. It all adds to the fun though and that's what this film gives you. Just an afterthought.... Jessie Matthews came from VERY poor background and was a cockney and Robert Flemyng was actually a Scouser! Despite how they sound, this film is about poor, young people struggling to make ends meet. If this was made today they'd definitely talk in their original native accents but back then any traces of working class accents even for working class characters was unimaginable - what strange times!
