Encore

This is another trio of Somerset Maugham's short stories. The first one has been wiped from my memory, it was exceedingly dull! The second one started off well, and ended splendidly, but started to drag in the middle. It's the 3rd and final tale that is the gem, centering on a daredevil girl who "dives from a height of 80 feet in 5 foot of flames" - her pool to land in is actually set alight! - and her boyfriend, who are trying to get some money together for a safe future, by her doing a most unsafe act. It will have you on the edge of your seat, guaranteed! Respectively, I give the three tales 3, 6, and 10 out of 10.

Overall I rate 'Encore' a 7, but the stories vary greatly. I liked the first one the best, as I thoroughly enjoyed Nigel Patrick's portrayal of a devil-may-care wastrel who sponges off his hard-working brother but always seems to land on his feet. As with all Maugham stories the dialogue is sophisticated and clever, so much so that you listen intently for the next juicy morsel so as not to miss any.

The second story is more subtle, the dialogue more droll and understated than the first, and I thought Kay Walsh was delightful as the gabby-guts spinster. The ship's crew becomes more desperate and exasperated and the circumstances funnier as the voyage drags on until the ambiguous ending. I thought this story captured the essence of Maugham's erudition and sense of humor better than the other two.

I disagree with other reviewers in that I thought the last story about the diving act was the weakest of the three, and it was the longest. It lacks credulity and is a humorless exercise in tedium, and I really couldn't imagine going to a fancy restaurant to watch a 30 second high diving act. The love-story angle is not really compelling but is brought to life by Glynis Johns, who did the best she could.

On the whole, it was well-done and with the added bonus of having Somerset Maugham himself introduce each segment. 'Encore' is well worth your time.

Sumerset Maughm has always been one of my favorite novelists. He has the ability to present human struggles among all classes, especially significant because of the rigid, British class system in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when he lived and wrote. All three of the stories told in "Encore," present completely different types of people facing compelling personal problems. I disagree with some of the other respondents who claim "Encore" is a flawed film. All three of the stories in this movie are equally compelling in that they manage to capture the humanity in even the most unlikely, odd characters. The dialog is witty, the acting superb. The audience grows fond of the characters, as they develop. Maughm weaves humor, tension, romance and irony together in a masterful way to create unique worlds alive with life lessons for us all. If you have the opportunity to watch "Encore," you won't be sorry you did.

The last of three films taking several Somerset Maugham short stories and getting them up on the screen (the other two were "Quartet" and "Trio"), this one again is a mixed bag, and there seems to be no agreement among commentators about which stories are superior. For me, I'll agree with most of the critics who say that the opener, "The Ant and the Grasshopper," is pretty slim pickins, especially as its ending is too absurd to be credible. But the next story, "Winter Cruise" is a remarkably beautiful effort. In some ways it shares a lot of the plot of "Mr. Know-All" in the second movie, "Trio." A passenger (this time female) makes everyone on board the ship uncomfortable and a little annoyed by her constant talking. And again, as in "Mr. Know-All," it's surprising how nicely the unlucky people who have to put up with her behave toward her -- very civilized, very polite. And finally, like "Mr. Know-All," there is a wonderful turn of events that puts the best light on everything and everyone. Only this time, the whole business is ratcheted up considerably. For me it was the gem of all three movies. The final story, "Gigolo and Gigolette," was less interesting to me, as the plot was so specific it was hard to generalize any moral from it. But it did allow the movie to go out with a bang. I also felt the actress playing the gigolette was sleepwalking through her part (and I've enjoyed her in other movies). With this movie the Maugham franchise was spent. The three movies, taken as a whole, were okay, but I wouldn't be upset if I had to leave this mortal coil without having seen them.

As the title implies, this follows "Quartet" and "Trio," the first two collections of Maugham stories. This one has three stories. The first story, "The Ant and the Grasshopper," has Patrick as a ne'er-do-well who mooches off his responsible brother. The second, "Winter Cruise," is the amusing tale of a few men caught on a long cruise with a Chatty Kathy (Walsh) who drives them crazy with her non-stop yapping. The final episode, "Gigolo and Gigolette," stars Johns as a performer whose act consists of jumping 80 feet into a pool of burning water, but she starts to lose her nerves; it is the longest and, for the most part, the least interesting of the three, although the ending is compelling.