Zigeunerblut

Muriel Box grumbled to her diary when Gainsborough's first film in Technicolor hit screens "Bad notices, bad film - huge commercial success".

A barnstorming gothic melodrama set in 1830 with glowing Technicolor photography by Geoffrey Unsworth sweeping about Maurice Carter's sets, it enabled audiences suffering the daily realities of life in postwar austerity Britain to wallow in the vicissitudes of an era even harsher than their own while savouring the brightly coloured frocks devised by Elizabeth Haffenden for Margaret Lockwood & Patricia Roc.

It is also awash with familiar faces, although they are seldom onscreen for very long; notable exceptions being Basil Sydney as the riding crop-wielding meanie Jassy marries for the house he won off Denis Price playing cards; and Esma Cannon in one of her early dramatic roles as 'the loony'. (Price murdered Miss Cannon in the same year's 'Holiday Camp, but here they share no scenes).

Great fun.

In a film which is great fun and really gives you an idea of the social manners of the period there are two outstanding pieces of casting.

One is Basil Sidney who gives a bravura performance wonderfully sustained over the entire film. I am amazed he did not become a major star.

Two I simply don't understand the attraction of Esma Cannon. She may have been cast well in other films but this is one of the worst pieces of casting I have ever seen. Far too old for the part, Esma doesn't help it by overreacting fantastically throughout the entire film.

The last film in the popular Gainsborough Studios costume cycle is certainly beautiful to look at with sumptuous Technicolor and the company's biggest ever budget for lavish period sets.Dramatically the direction is rather lifeless with bitty editing and short Tv style scenes.The second half of the film is much better with an authorititive performance from star Margaret Lockwood and a nasty villain in Basil Sydney. Patricia Roc has a less sympathetic role than usual as the wilful, amoral Dilys but the film really misses the star power of Stewart Granger and James Mason who,several years earlier, would have played the roles take by Sydney and Dermot Walsh.A happy ending is substituted for the tragic one in the original novel..

This proclaims itself as a tale of the 17th century, yet costumes, sets and props belong to the late 18th early 19th as understood in the 1940s. The manners, speech and relationships are early 20th century. The fact that this imposes on the audience describes just how "exciting" this tale is. Unfortunately, the attitude to superstition and witchcraft belongs to an earlier time. The fantasy about how servants were treated is completely laughable. Some careers clearly in a rut. Even the presence of Esma Cannon cannot rescue this tripe.

A busy, almost overwrought period melodrama from Gainsborough that's so plot-heavy no scene seems to last longer than 30 seconds. The studio clearly lavished plenty of money on the production, and the stars give it their all to make Jassy an enjoyable, if slightly silly, watch.