Wedding Rehearsal

Korda had gone from Hungary to the US before landing on these shores.In this first film we see the early London Films logo and much of the trademark signs of Kordas films.It is no surprise that this his first British film is concerned with manners of the British aristocracy much the same as his penultimate film as a director "An Ideal Gentleman".The most impressive part of the film though is the beginning where the news of Vesuvius erupting and killing thousands of people is displaced from the front page by news of social happenings with the undercurrent of a chorus.It feels like Korda is digging with sly humour at the aristocracy.This is really a rather amusing film and at 76 minutes was clearly designed to qualify for the quota requirements.

Roland Young stars in "Wedding Rehearsal," a 1932 British film with Wendy Barrie, Joan Gardner, and Merle Oberon. Young plays the Marquis of Buckminster who has to get married or get cut out of a will which would enable him to inherit quite a lot of money. Plus, his mother wants grandchildren. She gives him a list of suitable women, and the Marquis manages to get them married off so he doesn't have to marry one of them himself. Then he realizes he's in love with someone who didn't make the list.

Several of these actors went to Hollywood - most notably, Roland Young, Wendy Barrie, and Merle Oberon. Oberon is gorgeous and hardly in the film. Barrie and Gardner play twins Lady Mary Rose and Lady Rose Mary. Gardner was married to Alexander Korda's brother Zoltan until his death in 1961; she eventually retired to raise a family.

This is a charming film, very light, with a sweet ending. It doesn't have a lot of substance, though, and it drags. Still, it has its charms.

Although the basic plot is straight out of P. G. Wodehouse -- wealthy relative threatens to cut off playboy's allowance if he doesn't get married to one of the "acceptable" girls on her list, so he sets out to preemptively marry them off to someone else -- along with its leisurely pacing, "Wedding Rehearsal" is something of a hit-and-miss affair. This is more a pleasant comedy of manners in the British mode, with a dollop of social commentary, than a romantic farce. If you approach it as such, it has its small rewards, some nice comic characterizations and occasionally witty dialog.

You certainly can't fault the quality of the actors, or the production values, not to mention the location shots of London in the early 30s. There are some great moments, such as when the dowager steels herself to give her twin daughters the "what to expect on your wedding night" speech on the eve of their double wedding, while the twins try their best to look innocent.

I wouldn't recommend "Wedding Rehearsal" to most modern viewers, but if you're a fan of actors like Roland Young and Merle Oberon, and like that between-the-wars British aristocratic milieu, you might find yourself enjoying the film. I did.

Roland Young ( will be oscar nominated for Topper, but that was still five years away.) is the Marquis of Buckminster. His famiily wants him to get married, but he's been avoiding this condition as long as he can. Love blooms where we least epecct it. Even if his family doesn't like it. Co-stars the big names of the day: John Loder, Wendy Barrie, Merle Oberon. Pretty light plot. And we didn't need to spend so much time watching what the cats and dogs are doing, but I guess it helps the plot line along. And they worked the changing of the guard into the plot... probably not a lot of americans were familiar with that. Nor were those living away from the palace, so it was an interesting scene at the time. Some rally odd editing cuts and jumps about eight minutes in. But this IS about ninety years old! To introduce some of the scenes, they play the public opinion chanting over and over. Kind of short cut... i guess it saves on script and filming. It's okay. Moves a bit slow. Some slow, subtle humor... we can see that humor is Young's strong card. And a bit risque. England was always less prudish about these topics in films. Directed by hungarian Alexander Korda; had been making movies for YEARS, in austria and england. One interesting connection -- Korda was married to the co-star Oberon from 1939 - 1945.

Minor London Films comedy, chiefly interesting now because of the number of British actors it features who later went on to greater things. The plot concerns the Marquis of Buckminster (Roland Young), who must marry or be cut out of a rich relative's will. Instead he sets about marrying off all his friends to the eligible girls on his relative's hit-list in an attempt to save himself from such a ghastly fate. Only as the moon sets on the day of his friends' weddings does he finally find himself smitten...

Not as witty nor as farcical as it pretends to be, Young (later Mr Topper) gives a marvellous performance that makes it sort of worthwhile. Other notables include John Loder, Wendy Barrie (of The Saint, Falcon and Sherlock Holmes films), Joan Gardner (later Mrs Zoltan Korda), Maurice Evans (later Dr Zaius in Planet of the Apes) and a stunning Merle Oberon. Something perhaps for an older generation - or those deeply in love with early cinema - to savour, but an acquired taste for everybody else.