User reviews

"The Man in Grey" was the first of the "Gainsborough melodramas", a series of films made by Gainsborough Pictures; they generally had a period setting and a highly dramatic plot. They can be considered as "women's pictures" in that they were primarily aimed at a female audience. (During the war, with so many men serving in the Armed Forces, women made up the greater part of cinema audiences). Unlike many Hollywood "women's pictures" which revolved around a central female character, however, they often featured strong male characters in prominent leading roles.

The main action takes place during the Regency period, although this is set within the framework of a story set in 1943 and involving a romance between the modern descendants of the families featured in the Regency story. The "man in grey" of the title is Lord Rohan, a man notorious both for his debauched lifestyle and for his savage temper. (He has killed several men in duels). He marries Clarissa, a beautiful heiress, but theirs is a loveless marriage from the start. (He marries her partly for her fortune, partly to provide an heir to his family estates). They lead separate lives, and Clarissa falls in love with a handsome young actor named Rokeby. Rohan begins an affair with a scheming young woman named Hesther, who was a former school friend of Clarissa and an actress in the same troupe as Rokeby.

Some have drawn parallels between the four main characters in this drama with Ashley, Melanie, Scarlett and Rhett in "Gone with the Wind", who like Rokeby, Clarissa, Hesther and Rohan can be divided into "two good and two bad". It seemed to me, in fact, that the main influence on Eleanor Smith, the author of the novel on which the film is based, was Thackeray's "Vanity Fair". Apart from the Regency setting there are parallels between Hesther and Thackeray's Becky Sharp and between Clarissa and Becky's friend Amelia. One similarity with "Gone with the Wind" is that the "bad" characters are more memorable than the "good". We remember "Gone with the Wind" for Vivien Leigh and Clark Gable rather than Leslie Howard and Olivia de Havilland, and here it is James Mason and Margaret Lockwood who stand out more than Phyllis Calvert and Stewart Granger. (Of the four it was Lockwood who was the biggest star when the film was made; Mason and Granger, later to become big names in both Britain and Hollywood were young actors in the early part of heir career)'

Mason and Lockwood were later to star together in another Gainsborough melodrama, "The Wicked Lady", probably the best remembered of the series. In that film too, Lockwood played a beautiful but ruthless and amoral woman with a more innocent friend, and Mason played her lover. Her Hesther, like Becky Sharp, is from a lower social station than her friend and an ambitious social climber, although she is more evil than Becky, or for that matter Scarlett, ever knew how to be. Lockwood, however, did not only play villainesses; she was to play the heroine in "Jassy", a third Gainsborough melodrama.

Mason's Rohan is a particularly well-drawn character- a drinker, gambler, womaniser and brawler, an arrogant, cynical, dissolute libertine who never does an honourable thing and yet remains very touchy about his honour, so touchy that he is prepared to kill anyone whom he believes has dishonoured him. His family motto is "Who Dishonours Us, Dies." Lady Caroline Lamb's famous description of Lord Byron as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" could apply to Rohan- perhaps even better than it did to Byron.

Today, Gainsborough melodramas like this one and "The Wicked Lady" can come across as very dated and more than a little camp, with their exaggerated emotion, their exaggeratedly black-and-white view of the world and their exaggerated style of acting. Our tastes in Regency drama today tend more to quiet, well-mannered adaptations of that quiet, well-mannered author Jane Austen, someone whom the British cinema ignored altogether in the forties. (The only screen adaptation of her work from the period was the American-made "Pride and Prejudice"). Yet, if we can make allowances for lurid, blood-and-thunder plots and stylised, non-naturalistic acting, they can still yield plenty of entertainment. 7/10

A film which has a lot to answer for, since it started both a trend for Gothic romantic melodramas in British cinema which proved ideal escapist fare for a country at war, as well as starting off various star careers (notably James Mason and Stewart Granger). The former, in particular, cornered the market for a while in brooding anti-heroes whose sadistic streak women seemed to find perversely attractive; incidentally, his part here was smaller than I had anticipated – since the protagonists were really the two ladies who suffered at his hands i.e. Margaret Lockwood and Phyllis Calvert (both of whom would likewise become fixtures in this type of film). Still, this being the prototype, its makers utilized modern-day book-ends – with the conveniently look-alike descendants of the 'good' couple, Calvert and Granger, having better luck coming together – as a safety-pin (not to mention adopting such anachronistic devices as having Calvert's "nigger" servant-boy played by a white child in black-face!). With this in mind, the film is somewhat halting as entertainment when viewed today, but it nevertheless yields pictorial felicities aplenty (courtesy of cinematographer Arthur Crabtree, who would almost immediately graduate to director and dabble in the costume genre for himself), as well as considerable interest throughout. For the record, the latter arrives by way of the occasional powerful scene (Mason and Granger's night-time scuffle in a public garden, Lockwood's come-uppance at the hands of the doting but honor-bound Mason) or humorous incident (a stock-company performance of Shakespeare's "Othello" in which Granger and Lockwood discuss attending aristocrat Calvert, a mutual acquaintance, during the all-important murder scene of Desdemona). Among the film's more notable (and commercially successful) follow-ups, then, were FANNY BY GASLIGHT (1944; which re-united Mason, Calvert and Granger) and THE WICKED LADY (1945; again directed by Arliss and featuring both Lockwood and Mason).

JAMES MASON: THE STAR THEY LOVED TO HATE (TV) (Mike Healey, 1984) **1/2

This adequate, if hardly comprehensive, look at one of the most revered actors of the 20th century (one I greatly admire myself) probably amounted to his last ever interview – since the versatile British thespian would die before the program had even aired! With a career spanning some 50 years, it necessarily skimps over score of titles (even some very good ones) and, given the title, tends towards discussion of his sinister roles (which is actually how he rose to stardom: see my review of THE MAN IN GREY [1943] elsewhere and on whose R2 DVD this documentary was included, albeit in abridged form) rather than being a broad overview of his entire body of work – though, curiously enough, there is no mention at all of Alfred Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) in which the actor did play villainous and is possibly the best film he was ever associated with! Mason, graceful as ever, is quite candid in his recollections – from the peculiar circumstances surrounding his first marriage (actress/writer Pamela Kellino would leave her cinematographer/director husband Roy for him, yet the three would form a lasting if not very successful film-making alliance!), his famous criticism of the British movie industry in a series of articles (what was seen as career suicide at a time when it had basically peaked did lead to a move to Hollywood, though his beginnings there were inauspicious) and when it came to choosing the three pictures he was least fond of, namely LADY POSSESSED (1952; one of the Kellino collaborations), FOREVER DARLING (1956; in which he appeared as an angel alongside Lucille Ball) and KILL! (1971; Romain Gary's bizarre thriller about drug-smuggling). In direct counterpoint, then, the two roles he had singled out over the years as his favorites – ODD MAN OUT (1947) and LOLITA (1962) – are likewise given their due. All in all, a nice record of one of filmdom's most compelling and intelligent presences in rare self-appraisal mode.

A good old-fashioned bodice-ripper, it was the first big success for Britain's Gainsborough Studios which decided to take on the big costume dramas of Hollywood with home-grown talent. Introducing to the masses soon-to-be-familiar names like Mason, Granger, Lockwood and Calvert, it set the template for succeeding and ever more successful variations on this particular formula, often employing different combinations of this same quartet of acting talent.

High art it isn't, based as it is on a popular novel of the day, but it's easy to imagine its populist and escapist appeal to a wartime audience. James Mason, for one, hated the film and his own acting in it but the fact of the matter is that it's his presence in the titular role, as the misogynistic, sadistic and decadent Lord Rohan, who despite his despised and feared personal characteristics has the fabulous wealth and high status which make him the most desirable bachelor of the day. This is how he meets the pretty, sparky, trusting debutante Clarissa Marr, played by Phyllis Calvert, whose mother offers her to Rohan at what can only be described as a female cattle market, indeed just like all the other mothers and daughters of the day in attendance.

However it's not long before the young bride comes to her senses after she does her wifely duty in siring him a son and heir at which opportune moment just when she feels doomed to a loveless marriage, into her life enters Granger's Peter Rokesby, an adventurer fallen on hard times but otherwise dashing, handsome and sincere in his feelings for her which she soon reciprocates.

Soon she gets him a place as librarian, of all things, at Rohan Hall but there's a viper in this new love-nest in the shape of the darkly beautiful Hesther Shaw, played with relish by Lockwood. Of low birth but with high ambitions, she uses Clarissa's desire for one good friend in her life to also enter the household and usurp her position as Rohan's woman of choice, becoming effectively his live-in mistress. This ABBA-esque set-up with all four new and ex-lovers under the one roof of course can't last with machinations on all sides of the quadrangle leading up to not one but two murders, one of them infamous for its brutality as Rohan gets the whip-hand over his wife's murderer.

Maybe I shouldn't have, but I really enjoyed this Regency romp. I found the "two-good, two-bad" interplay of the four main characters added a degree of psychological intrigue as the plot developed in sometimes surprising ways. It's not perfect, the young black boy (in obvious blackface, and why did he have to be black anyway?) who plays an important part in the denouement seems to be reading his lines off-screen, the background music is far too intrusive and I disliked the present-day framing device which threw together the descendants of Calvert and Granger to sweeten the ending.

But with its handsome and pretty leads, whirlwind action and impressive sets, it's easy to see why it was so successful in its day.

...and director Leslie Arliss. Clarissa Marr (Phyllis Calvert) is a young woman from a prominent family who is married off to Lord Rohan (James Mason). The cruel Lord only wants her to produce an heir, and otherwise leaves her to her own devices, especially once their son is born. Clarissa reconnects with a school acquaintance, Hesther Shaw (Margaret Lockwood), who had created a scandal with the way she had left. Hesther is now an itinerant actress, but Clarissa insists that she move in with her and become her companion. Hesther longs for the wealth and respectability that the Rohan name could give her, so she sets out to manipulate Clarissa's affections for an actor named Rokeby (Stewart Granger) in order to get her own hands on Lord Rohan. Also featuring Martita Hunt, Antony Scott, Helen Haye, Beatrice Varley, Raymond Lovell, and Nora Swinburne.

Released during the height of WW2, this period piece romantic melodrama became a surprise hit. The costumes and settings are finely wrought, particularly during a time of privation such as the war. Three of the lead performers are exceptionally good: Granger as the swaggering bon vivant Rokeby, Lockwood as the amoral scheming Hesther, and James Mason as the mercurial Rohan, who is at times detestable in every way, but rises to the ultimate occasion. Phyllis Calvert isn't bad either, but she's merely called on to be the innocent center around whom these other, showier, characters orbit. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, especially the great ending crescendo, but there was one odious aspect that keeps my score lower. There's a character named Tobey, a black servant boy played by a white kid for no discernible reason. I'm also not even sure if he's supposed to be a kid or not, since he never changes, always looking like a 12 year old, despite years passing in the story. This character proves to be important to the plot, so he doesn't fade into the background as many insensitive characters do in films of the 30's and 40's. There's also some unfortunate dialogue related to this character. Yeah, it was a different time, but that doesn't make it anymore palatable. This is listed as one of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die.

Lord Rohan isn't to be blamed for wanting to marry a healthy young woman who will produce a male heir for him, nor is Clarissa to blame for so quickly accepting his proposal, after all her prospects weren't all that great. Nor can I blame Hester for wanting all the things she could never have growing up. No, this is just how it was in those days. I enjoyed Margaret Lockwood's performance the most; it's hard to show remorse in a cold, calculating character and she brings it off well. Calvert, Mason and Granger give her excellent support.

The Man in Grey was the first and probably the most successful of the Gainsborough melodramas. The lavish regency tale centres around the aristocratic Clarissa Richmond (Phyllis Calvert) who dutifully enters into an loveless arranged marriage with the cold hearted Lord Rohan (James Mason)- the Man in Grey of the title.

Love and intrigue are to enter Clarissa's life when a chance meeting with an old school friend, the scheming Hester (Margaret Lockwood), leads her to the dashing Rokeby (Stewart Granger).

The story reaches its dramatic conclusion through twists and turns of plot and excellent performances from who can be called the four cornerstones of the war time British cinema - Stewart Granger, James Mason, Phyllis Calvert and Margaret Lockwood.

The Man in Grey is my personal favorite of all the Gainsborough films, it is high drama and escapism. The Man in Grey is definitely worth another look.

I'll explain the subject of my review later.

I won't lie and say I enjoyed this film, though I certainly loved seeing all the actors so young, and their acting was marvelous.

"The Man in Grey" begins at a modern-day auction where Phyllis Calvert and Stewart Granger meet. Granger is hoping to pick up something from the Rohan family - one of his ancestors was involved with a Roham. Calvert actually is a Rohan.

As they look over the various small items available, the film dissolves to an earlier time period. We see how these items were connected to the various people in the story.

The lovely Clarissa (Calvert) marries the wealthy, arrogant Lord Rohan (James Mason) not for love, but so he can have an heir while he continues with his hedonistic life. While in school, Clarissa befriended a poor girl, Hester (Margaret Lockwood). One night she sees that Hester, who had run off to get married, is in a play, and makes contact with her.

It's not long before Hester is living in the manse with Clarissa and Lord Rohan and decides that three's a crowd. The unhappy Clarissa meets Rokeby (Granger), and they fall in love. He wants her to leave Rohan. What will happen to the lives of these four?

Apparently this film was a huge hit and really established these stars. For me it was problematic. The first complete turn-off was a discussion of a disgusting dogfight. Thank God it was just a discussion. I nearly stopped watching then but soldiered on. It solidified Lord Rohan for me as a revolting human being.

And then we have little Toby (Antony Scott). You're kidding, right? He plays a boy slave who is devoted to Clarissa. He's a white kid in blackface. Stupefying. Or was he? Supposedly he is the son of Harry Scott, part of the minstrel team of Scott and Whaley. Scott and Whaley supposedly actually were black. But boy this kid looked like he had on blackface. A little mystery that I couldn't solve.

The Man in Grey is a story where good is good and evil is evil, no in betweens. Hester and Lord Rohan are nasty pieces of work.

See it for the fine actors and as an example of Gainsborough films - this is probably the most successful one.

My mom always wonders why James Mason got typecast as bad guys when he was handsome, had a lovely speaking voice, and sometimes got the chance to play leading men. Well, folks, it wasn't just North by Northwest that did it; even back in 1943, he played bad guys.

In The Man in Gray, he may look handsome with his wavy hair and period-piece costumes, but he's not a nice man. He sweeps Phyllis Calvert off her feet and whisks her away to his castle, but he's far from an ideal husband. Phyllis has a friend from school, Margaret Lockwood, who's more daring and sultry, and when she visits the married couple, she catches James's eye. Soon, Margaret has moved into the castle with them. Poor Phyllis has to endure an awful lot: not only the loss of her childhood friend, but the knowledge that that friend has become her husband's mistress!

This is a classic "bodice heaver" period piece, akin to Rebecca. If you like those sorts of mysteries, with castles on top of cliffs and angry men in ascots, you'll like this one. It's very melodramatic and very British, though, so know what you're getting into.

'The Man In Grey' was the first film in the cycle of Gainsborough costume melodramas (which ended in 1948 with 'The Bad Lord Byron') and it's easily one of the very best. At the time, it was the pairing of a superstar (Lockwood), a star (Mason), a rising star (Calvert) and a newcomer (Granger), a combination which catapulted all four to the top of their profession, and made them the four names most associated with the costume. It's a pity that the four never made another movie all together!

Margaret Lockwood as Hesther was just pure evil - a cold, calculating woman. One does get the idea that there is a small glimmer of kindness inside her, but she squashes it pretty quickly. Phyllis Calvert was as sweet as honey, as usual the beloved heroine. Her Clarissa is the main character of the tale - married off to Lord Rohan (Mason) because he desires an heir, she soon tires of his indifference and falls for traveling player Rokeby (Granger). Hesther (Lockwood) in turn falls for Rohan and he for her. And of course you know that's set for trouble. A hint of how much trouble? THIS is the film with the infamous horse-whip thrashing scene.

What's also interesting is the whole story is told in flashback, when Calvert and Granger, descendents of the Rohan and Rokeby families, meet at an auction of the Rohan estate. Nice to see a bit of modern dress for a change!

An entertaining watch, but definitely of it's time. A word of warning to those who might possibly be triggered by some jarring racial elements - young actor Antony Scott plays a young African servant in blackface, and unfortunately also attempts to speak in the caricature of one. Lead actor Stewart Granger also plays Othello in blackface, and later refers to an African in his employ as "his n****r".

Other than these understandably distasteful moments, it's well-acted.

Two girls at boarding school get off on the wrong foot. Hesther is poor and dour, while clarissa is bright, rich, and bubbly. They agree to be friends, but a gypsy fortune teller has predicted sadness ahead for them. Clarissa marries lord rohan (james mason ), a nasty nobleman who likes to start fights. But he needs an heir. Later, while clarissa is distracted by a handsome stranger (granger), lord rohan gets cozy with hesther. None of these people are nice humans. Drama and scheming. The gypsy was right. Much sadness ahead. Stand back... they do use the N word, a sign of the times. Directed by les arliss. Written by lady eleanor smith, who died so young at 43. Wrote several novels. Harry scott, the young porter, also died young at 49. Castle intrigue. Good stuff, for the most part.

The four stars who were the cornerstone of the British Film Industries Gainsborough Pictures, James Mason, Phyllis Calvert, Margaret Lockwood, and Stewart Granger got to star in The Man In Grey. It's a brooding tale of unhappily married wife during the Regency Period, probably after the Napoleonic Wars. There certainly is no mention of the war in the plot.

Two people Phyllis Calvert and Stewart Granger meet during an auction sale during wartime Great Britain. An estate is being sold off as the last of the male heirs has died. Calvert is the last surviving woman who can't inherit and Granger is the descendant of a man who was involved with one of the ancestors and has an heirloom or two of his own. The camera focuses on a series of mundane antiques and then it dissolves to the Regency period where the story is told and we see the connection of all these objects to the lives of the four stars.

James Mason is in the title role and he's a titled Earl who is haughty and arrogant and revels in being an aristocrat. He has to take a wife to begat an heir, but he wants one who won't get too much in the way of the rakish lifestyle he has no intention of changing. Among Regency aristocrats even he's giving them a bad name, a fact that Raymond Lovell and Nora Swinburne as the Prince Regent and Mrs. Fitzherbert are quick to notice.

Who Mason has chosen for a bride is Phyllis Calvert, a pretty and somewhat naive young thing. Naive so much that she takes as a friend a young woman not of her class when they were both in Martita Hunt's finishing school.

Calvert's ill chosen friend is Margaret Lockwood who gets thrown out of the school for some indiscreet behavior. Years later when Calvert is married to Mason she finds Lockwood now with an acting troupe. Back then being an actor if you weren't William MacCready or Edwin Forrest you were not considered respectable. And note those two examples were men.

Calvert's like Melanie Hamilton who sees only the good in people. But Lockwood is one exponential Scarlett O'Hara. Imagine Scarlett on steroids and you have Lockwood's character. She wants Mason with all that the title and privileges will bring. And his mojo really gets going with her.

And Calvert's mojo gets going for the first time in years with likable gypsy Stewart Granger. This was Granger's first real big part in film and it brought him great critical notices and fulfilled promises of future stardom.

Good as Granger and Calvert are, they pale beside the evil characters that Mason and Lockwood essay. I would have to say Lockwood is the more evil mainly because she hides it so well until the end. Mason's a lot, but he isn't a hypocrite.

One curious piece of casting is young Harry Scott as the young black slave Toby is interesting. It could be the only case of blackface in the British cinema. Since this was the only credit young Mr. Scott had we don't know for sure, but I think this was a white kid in makeup.

The Man In Grey is one of the best films the British cinema turned out during World War II. Like the lead characters who wonder about the connection between them, the British movie-going public went to see this film and put themselves in the places of the leads and wondered about their ancestors and their doings during a postwar period of peace. It's got some of the best acting going by four very skilled players and a good cast in support. And it holds up very well today.

For those who enjoy films set in the Regency period, this may be right for you, though fair warning: this is NOT a Jane Austen type story! This is more in line with Emily Bronte, though Lord Rohan (James Mason) makes Heathcliff look like Mister Rogers!

Phyllis Calvert plays the part of Clarissa (Lady Rohan) very well.

She's a wealthy young society woman, who was told by a gypsy at a fair that she'd marry well, but not for love, that true love would come from across the sea, and that she must be wary of trusting a woman who claims to be a friend.

Clarissa, meanwhile, has lots of friends, being kind, friendly and good natured. She befriends Hester (Margaret Lockwood), a troubled young woman with a chip on her shoulder, a lot of ambition, and a ruthless streak. After Hester elopes with a navy ensign, Clarissa leaves school before completing her studies, because she can't bear to hear her friend's name trashed.

Typical of the era, as a young society woman, Hester's marriage to Rohan is arranged, with no love on either side, not even much liking. Rohan informs her that all she needs is to give him an heir, then she can live her own life, provided there are no scandals. After doing her duty, she meets Rokeby (Stewart Granger), an itinerant actor, who lost his Jamaican estate due to slave uprisings and political turmoil and is now performing alongside Hester, who's now a widow. Soon, Hester becomes Clarissa's companion, and then Rohan's mistress, (each recognizing a kindred spirit) while Clarissa realizes Rokeby is the man the gypsy told her about, and - with Hester's encouragement - they plan to run off together.

However, things do not work out as planned, leading to separation, heartbreak, crime, death and revenge!

Jane Austen would be shocked! (But not Emily, I'd bet!)

It's interesting how the story is told in flashbacks, with the movie beginning and ending in contemporary times, with Phyllis and Stewart playing a modern-day Clarissa and Rokeby, descendants of the originals, and with - hopefully - a better fate.

It's a good film and the story will hold your attention, but it can be brutal at times.

Posh girl Phyllis Calvert (Clarissa) gets roped into a loveless marriage with playboy Lord James Mason (Rohan). She bumps into an old schoolfriend, lowly actress Margaret Lockwood and brings her into the Rohan household. However, Lockwood has an agenda of her own.

The film is told in flashback as it starts with Calvert and Stewart Granger bidding at an auction for items on sale from the Rohan Estate which is now being sold off. The film takes us through the history of several items found in a box at the auction before returning to the present day for a happy conclusion. Calvert and Granger are descendants of the characters in the main story in which Mason is a bad ass and Lockwood is pure evil.

It's an entertaining film with sharp dialogue and the cast are excellent with the exception of the boy that never ages and is insultingly blacked up to be a black boy. He tries to affect a black man accent at times with black man dialogue and he fails miserably. Then, he attends the theatre and dresses like an Indian. Is he meant to be Indian? Whatever is going on, it is really insulting. He is rubbish. Back to the film, it's great except when he's in it. There is just one thing missing from that box of items that Granger is bidding for – the whip!

The basic story in "The Man in Grey" is quite good. However, the choices made for how to tell the story were a bit odd and really prevented a good movie from being exceptional. One problem is that instead of the viewer learning about the characters as the story takes place, there are MANY occasions when the twists in the story are told early on...so that there's little in the way of suspense. For example, Hester warns Clarissa that she's a no-goodnick (or something like that) AND the gypsy sees Hester and immediately knows she's evil...long, long before you see Hester behave abominably! Another problem is that there isn't a lot of suspense about the story...little comes as a surprise.

After a prologue that is both unnecessary AND foreshadows what will take place, the story switches to the early 19th century. Hester (Margaret Lockwood) arrives at a finishing school and soon is befriended by Clarissa (Phyllis Calvert). However, Hester, in a moment of frankness, tells Clarissa that she (Hester) is no good and will hurt anyone who gets in her way. A bit later, Hester runs away from the school and disappears.

So time later, Clarissa graduates and now it's time for her to find a husband. Without even knowing her, Lord Rohan (James Mason) marries her and soon she realizes he has zero interest in her and she is essentially a brood mare...otherwise, he lives his life and she lives hers quite separately. Naturally she's lonely and sad...that is until she happens upon Hester once again. She invites Hester to come live with her....and all sorts 'o bad stuff then happens. Exactly what, you can see for yourself.

As I mentioned above, the story is excellent...the way you KNOW what's going to happen long before it does is simply bad storytelling. Worth seeing but totally lacking in suspense. And the ending, while wild to watch, really seemed out of place considering the sort of man Rohan had been.

By the way, this is a very offensive film when it comes to black people. The language they use and having a white child in black makeup playing a servant is pretty shocking stuff in the 21st century.

Also, two years after this, Margaret Lockwood and James Mason starred in "The Wicked Lady" and they played very similar sorts of roles. However, this later film never telegraphed its moves like "The Man in Grey" and was a much, much better and very satisfying movie.

This is a tedious movie. The real villains are the clunky adaptation (it's embarrassingly easy to tell that the source material was a novel) and witless screenplay.

On the credit side, considering the budget was tight due to wartime austerity, the look of the film isn't at all bad. And the performances are, by and large, OK, except for Phyllis Calvert, who is terrific - a miracle considering the potential for winsomeness, a pit into which she most definitely does not fall. Ms Calvert, with a lot less to go on, is as accomplished as Olivia de Havilland in Gone With The Wind.

The one absolutely unbearable aspect of The Man in Grey is the dreadfully conceived depiction of a black serving boy. No matter that he's meant to be a sympathetic character. Played badly by a white boy in black-face make-up, it is impossible to by-pass this example of condescending racism.

Grim.

You can regard this movie as an '40's chick flick that has a story of a typical romantic-dramatic novel, women love to read. It has all of the ingredients you could expect, like true love, friendship and rivalry. It has not just a triangular love story but its even more complicated than that. It's all well constructed though but this nevertheless doesn't mean I can regard this movie as being something different than a chick flick.

The story truly saved this movie for me, or else it would had been a real dreadful one to watch. It has all of the typical clichés women seem to care about but as a man it just isn't all as compelling to watch. The story is solid and keeps you interested throughout. The love stories are original since it doesn't always picks the easiest road to walk on. Marriage and friendships turn bitter and characters are changing throughout. I like movies in which its characters are slowly but steadily changing into someone different.

It also is of course thanks to the acting that this all works out so well, even though the dialog and directing style are all extremely old fashioned. But oh well, this is of course consistent and normal for the genre. In the '40's director Leslie Arliss made several movies like this one, often with the same actors involved, without ever gaining real fame for it really.

Women will surely appreciate this movie even better than I did already.

7/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/