Her Man Gilbey

English without Tears is a movie of surprising length, considering that its less than 90 minutes long. Perhaps it is so because the war was on in 1944 when it was released - but this is more a farce than comedy.

For such a short movie, there is a lot going on. There is the plot about the butler and one of the girls who professes her love for him. Then there is the plot about the English Instructor with whom the students cheat on their real instructor with. Then there is the farce element of mistaken manners, and confused situations.

There is even an S and M theme going on with how one of the characters treats another, and it serves as their own personal turn on.

Lillie Palmer is radiant and under used in this film. However the casting of frigid and rigid Penelope Dudley-Ward makes the heroine unsympathetic and engaging. Michael Wilding is wooden at ease and uncomfortable when he should be relaxed. It all simply doesn't work.

The most ironic line of all in the movie is "I do not understand jokes because I have no sense of humor" is said by a woman to her uniformed date at a dance, to which the gentleman retorts with "Then I will explain the joke to you".

Movies, like jokes aren't funny when they have to be explained either.

... though somewhat confusing. I would have been the first to attempt a synopsis for this movie but the plot to me was a bit oblique. Not only do we have a romance across "class distinction" lines with the backdrop of a slightly daffy female aristocrat trying to protect English migratory birds, but there is something to do with an interpreter played by the beautiful Lilli Palmer who neither looks nor sounds like a Brigid Knudsen. And our heroine, Joan, played by Penelope Ward, getting all mad at the criss-cross of relationships the meaning of which people scope out on the basis of one remark or juxtaposition. At least Joan gets a bit of come-uppance when a foreign political cartoonist sketches her toothy upper class face a bit too faithfully; that funny showcase is never revisited so it's almost like a red herring, but never mind. The political cartoonist is one of the menage of trois or quatre or cinq that gets Joan and others upset; the other major player is a Frenchman who I kept expecting to get with Lilli/Brigid, especially as she looked and sounded so much more French herself.

But the priceless person in this little exhibition, aside from Margaret Rutherford as our dotty aristocrat, is Michael Wilding, who went on to fame as Elizabeth Taylor's second husband. He apparently never rated himself as a good actor but he is very effective here, and very funny in spots. And not bad-looking. Transparently an attempt to cash in on the success of My Man Godfrey about a romance with one's butler from across the pond, for my money this one was even better, which does happen occasionally with rip-offs. Notwithstanding that that sort of thing might never have happened -- my stepfather insisted that British aristocracy would never look beyond their class so Pygmalion/My Fair Lady was completely fraudulent, too, in his view. But despite some of the stumbles, it can be forgiven on the basis of sprightliness and maybe any awkwardness adds to the comedy.

A tedious, humorless film, interspersed awkwardly with random war-time propaganda.

A posh girl falls in/out/in love with the butler, depending on his social ranking, as he moves upwards through the social classes via promotion in military rank. The audience has to suffer through an hour of "will they, won't they". You will find yourself hoping the characters will be blitzed just to put a stop to their terrible dialogue and hopeless acting.

There are many small side plots that are not resolved satisfactorily, such as an interpreters struggle with citizenship papers. random war propaganda is inserted at various points such as the scene where the aunt has a gas-mask fitting, and an awkward montage of the main character doing some very unrealistic military training.

This is a quintessentially English film scripted in the main by Terence Rattigan, arguably one of the great English playwrights. He wrote the play, made into a film called ' French Without Tears ' and this in a way is a loose follow up, and the American title is both trite and ridiculous. It is a wonderful and subtle comedy on class relations beginning to break down in the UK just before and after WW2. Penelope Dudley-Ward is good in her mood shifts and changes of feeling in her relationship with her butler played by Michael Wilding. The cast is excellent with Lili Palmer stealing every scene she is in, and there are others in the cast including Margaret Rutherford and Roland Culver who uphold the spirit of pre-war England in a manner both farcical and strangely endearing. I love it but it needs work and an understanding of the social politics of the time.

Primula Rollo who plays the 2nd AT went on to marry David Niven . In 1946 she died in a freak accident at Tyrone Power 's house aged 26 . She fell down cellar steps during a game of hide and seek . Broke Niven's heart .