First a Girl

Having heard of this film years ago, I finally saw it the other night. It is a delightful showcase for the largely forgotten charms of Jessie Mathews, the queen of British musicals. The film compares favorably with Hollywood product, with good production values, pleasant songs, Busby Berkeley-like dance routines, and a lively and funny script. The storyline, adapted from the 1933 "Vicktor und Vicktoria", is remarkably close to the 1980's "Victor/Victoria", which was made so memorable by Julie Andrews great performance. Jessie Matthews, whom I was not familiar with proves to be a delightful singer, dancer and actress, and proves that Hollywood did not have a monopoly on talented leading ladies. Sonnie Hale is hilarious in the role played in the later film by Robert Preston. Because of the censorship restrictions so prevalent in 1935, I doubt that this film had an extensive run in this country at the time of it's release. The gay elements prevalent in the later film, while not directly addressed, are certainly strongly implied here. Anna Lee gives good support as "the Princess." I enjoyed this film far more than I thought I would.

As I am French it is a little difficult for me to write in English (please forgive me !). However I would like to say that this movie is my favorite among the musicals from the 30's. Jessie Matthews, as good singer as dancer, is charming and "piquant". Her partner, Sonnie Hale, is absolutely hilarious, especially when singing the lovely melody "everything's in rhythm in my heart". Besides, the romance between Elizabeth (J. Matthews) and Robert - quite smart ! - (Griffith Jones) is much more glamorous than the one in VICTOR VICTORIA by Blake Edwards. No need to say I highly recommend FIRST A GIRL as it is, according to me, a genuine gem ! Unfortunately, there is no DVD of this movie in my country :-(

this charming British musical, the first English version of ' victor victoria', can boast a swell cast,pungent lines and delightful musical routines. the story evolves around a showgirl pretending to be a boy and playing a girl on stage. Quite confusing, but that's where comes all the fun. Even if Jessie Matthews has star billing and the leading role, Sonnie Hale is outstanding and the credit for the enchantment is mainly all his. Their dance routines cannot compete with Fred and Ginger, but their facetiousness and buffoonery deserves our chortles. An old fashioned charm emanates from this movie, unfortunately not very well known.

The premise-a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman-is the same, but Blake Edwards considerably revised the particulars for his 1982 version of this 1935 Jessie Matthews musical, which was in turn taken from a 1933 German romp. Matthews is a stagestruck clerk who loses her job and fills in, in a rather contrived plot development, for female impersonator Sonnie Hale, a would-be Shakespearean actor who's putting on a dress to earn a guinea or two. She triumphs, and soon she's touring a surprisingly location-shot Europe as Victor. Matthews is, as ever, charming, a pleasing singer and a marvelous dancer. But with her constant lipstick and eye shadow and plucked eyebrows, the notion that she could fool all of Europe with her gender is absurd, and the screenplay has to go through some strenuous contortions to correctly match her with the dashing Griffith Jones, whose fiancee, a platinum-blonde Anna Lee, winds up with Hale, who wraps up the movie by doing an elaborate production number in drag, and isn't as hilarious as he thinks he is. It's pretty jolly, lavish by 1930s British musical standards, and a bright showcase for Matthews, but I think I prefer Victor/Victoria, and I think I buy Julie Andrews as a boy more than I do Matthews.

Coming between EVERGREEN (considered to be Jessie Matthews' best film) and IT'S LOVE AGAIN (my own favourite) and made by the same team, I thought this might be fantastic but it was just 'good' rather than 'very good.'

It is still a lovely, happy picture with some really spectacular dance numbers. It's stylishly directed as usual by the maestro, Victor Saville and as a big, flashy musical it's much more impressive than what Hollywood was doing at the time (with the obvious exception of what Zanuck had overseen a few years earlier at Warners.)

Although it adds to the film's overall silliness, what is completely and utterly impossible for your mind to process is that just by cutting her hair, anyone could possibly believe that Jessie Matthews was a man. She was unquestionably the prettiest woman in movies back then (if not, the prettiest woman in the world?) The proposition is beyond sheer madness especially since she doesn't even change her voice, her makeup or her characteristic sensuous style of dancing.

What also seems impossible is that in real life this stunningly beautiful actress was married to Sonny Hale (her co star). Being kind, the nicest comment about his appearance could be be that he didn't have film star looks! However you can start to see what she saw in him. He does have an unusually engaging and warm personality which comes across really strongly in this picture. You might not think so at first but the more you watch him, the funnier he gets.

This is a great uplifting slice of joyful escapism. It's an absolute, absolute must for any fans of spectacular 1930s musicals and silly old-fashioned farces. For those of you unfamiliar with the goddess known as Jessie Matthews however, this one isn't as likely to make you fall in love with her as much as some of her other pictures.