The Vicar of Bray

Stanley Holloway sports a fright wig and gentle Irish accent in this dull musical about the title character, who learns to survive in turbulent times by appearing to bend to the will of those above him, but without losing sight of his principles. Inoffensive but forgettable.

I'm used to seeing Stanley Holloway as a large, rambunctious Cockney in support in lots of movies from the 1940s, '50s and '60s. It's a shock to see him as a large, rambunctious Irish Vicar of Bray County Wicklow -- the original of the old drinking song was somewhere in Berkshire. In this one, he's very happy in his parish and annoyed to be called away to be tutor to the elder son of Charles I. He charms the prince with his easy-going ways and soon gets sent back to his parish in disgrace, just in time to avoid the start of the Civil War -- but still has to blarney his way past Cromwell to keep his head and his vicarage. Then, when the Restoration takes place, he has to talk fast to keep his place.... and his young friend is condemned to death for supporting the Protectorate.

It was the last film that Henry Edwards directed for producer Julius Hagen.

Hagen and Edwards had founded Twickenham Studios in 1927 and quickly found a profitable niche producing quota quickies for American studios to play along with their imports. In the early 1930s, however, Hagen started raising the quality of his productions and when he backed Korda for THE PRIVATE LIFE OF HENRY VIII, he saw the enormous profits to be made overseas. So he cut production of the quota quickies and by 1935 he was out of that end of the business, producing better quality films.

It was a big mistake! His American partners had no interest in importing his works, and the better integrated British companies like Gaumont and BIP froze him out. In 1937, Hagen was forced into bankruptcy, his studio taken over, and Edwards went back to being an actor.

This movie managed a London premiere in May of 1937, but general distribution had to wait until the end of the year, when John Maxwell's integrated company, Associated British, took it on. I'm sure they got it cheap and made money on it. It's not a great picture, but it's fun to have Holloway in the lead, slipping a few over his betters and singing a few antique-sounding songs. It was back to the ranks of supporting actors on stage and screen for him after this, although he was always a lot of fun for the audience.

i viewed this engaging film "way back when"...when tv was relegated to showing british films in the early fifties, and american films were only "b"'s and worse. "vicar of bray" i recall, unfortunately only dimly,after 50 years. stanley holloway is the vicar who leaves his flock in bray, co. wicklow and heads for the intrigues of the court of charles I. i can't remember if the vicar were roman catholic or c of i as charles may well have been a secret catholic. i recall a great dockside scene with his adoring flock cheering the vicar a fond farewell and the vicar and flock singing a rousing rendition of "i'll be back to dear ol' ireland in the morning". i'd love to see this movie again, but i don't see it available anywhere i've looked; maltin's reviews, massive though it is, doesn't include the movie at all.

Presumably producer Julius Hagen was prompted by the Abdication Crisis of 1936 to make this elaborate and literate but superficial and rushed history lesson with songs with a subdued Stanley Holloway with a brogue heading a large cast (all looking rather self-conscious in wigs), in yet another expensive folly of the kind that was soon to plunge Hagen into bankruptcy.