Me and Marlborough

I saw this old film by accident and was pleasantly charmed - I think it had a lot more going for it than the only other reviewer before me clearly did. The film was obviously a vehicle for the feisty Cicely - she ramped it up no end, showing how very easy it is for one gutsy female to make a whole army of males (including of course her husband) look the fools that all women intuitively know that men are - all this probably before Ms Greer was even born! If you want to consider it in depth (which I advise against) then it could be interesting to consider just how little part any other female played in the film. It may well also have something to say about the innate stupidity of the more arcane rules and regulations of life in any army. But overall, take it for what it is, a light hearted look at life on the distaff side - and you won't be disappointed.

"Me and Marlborough" is an early British comedy that stars Cicely Courtneidge. Tom Walls, Barry MacKay, and Alfred Drayton round out the leads, followed by a long list of supporting actors. But, this is clearly a Courtneidge film all the way. Most of the comedy is provided by her Kit Ross. Tom Walls usually has a role with clever dialog, but his character as the Duke of Marlborough is a mostly straight role off which Ross plays.

This is the first film I've seen with Courtneidge. She was a very talented performer. Besides her seeming knack for comedy, she could handle the physical aspects of humor antics very well. An aspect of her character in this film is her frequent winking, nods and smiles with a cocksure attitude. Some may not like that silliness, but it's a core part of the humor in Kit's many scenes.

This Gaumont British producers put a lot into this film. The scenes in the towns, use of horses, mules, etc., and the 17th century costumes, especially military, probably added up to a sizable budget. The screenplay is choppy and seems to skip around with abrupt breaks. Some of the technical aspects, possibly direction and editing were not first rate. But overall, this is an entertaining comedy with a silly story. The real Battle of Malplaquet, fought in September of 1709, was anything but humorous. It was one of the bloodiest in modern times, with nearly 30,000 killed. It's outcome is an interesting piece of history.

One can see why Courtneidge and husband, Jack Hulbert, would have been leading entertainers before World War II in England. Both worked mostly on stage, and most often together. They each had fewer than 40 films. They had one of the longest marriages in the realm of stage and screen -- 61 years until his death in 1978.

I've had this film to watch for years now – always liked the stars but the story unfortunately never really inspired me enough; seeing it today was a pleasant surprise. Sure, the humour is on the tiresome side at times, but the plot and often opulent production values managed to hold my attention. I told myself I always liked Carry On Jack so I should like this too.

Cicely Courtneidge is a boisterous inn-keeper about to be married when her future husband Barry Mackay is pressganged off to the Wars in Flanders – she enlists in the British Army as a man to try and rescue him. And also gets involved in thwarting the machinations of some dirty traitors. It's dizzying keeping up with her fluctuating fortunes – she/he gets promoted, demoted, praised, ridiculed, condemned to death for deserting and even becoming a confidante of Marlborough himself you can easily lose track. The sight of the top brass in the shape of Tom Walls, Peter Gawthorne and Cecil Parker together in their full bewigged feathered finery is a sight to see too – although Walls being basically serious takes some getting down…even when he's in drag. Bulldog Alfred Drayton although in his finery too was reassuringly down to Earth as usual. Was that Finlay Currie with a couple of lines at the wedding? The ever-vivacious Cicely continually proves she's brainier than all of the men put together – Walls even tells her at one point to use her wits, after all she is a woman, full stop. The background music is fine but the one Noel Gay song is utterly forgettable, at least I think it is. But overall I'm glad I made the effort because it's been an interesting eighty minutes spent in the company of a lot of old friends who for once weren't playing the fool.

All but forgotten now, as are all too many of the surprisingly influential comedies and musicals from Cicely Courtneidge and husband/writer comedian Jack Hulbert, this beautifully set and filmed period piece from the sure directorial hand of Victor Saville (who brightened EVERGREEN and FIRST A GIRL and wouldn't call it a career until after 1954's SILVER CHALICE) gives Courtneidge one of her best chances to stand out as an actress running the gamut of experience from having her husband stolen away on their wedding day by a crooked "press gang" for the Queen's (Anne's) wars to enlisting herself (disguised as a boy) to find him, being nearly shot as a deserter, and then proving herself the equal of all around as she ultimately rescues not only her husband but Marlborough himself!

There's plenty of surprisingly subtle comedy for those familiar with Courtneidge's frequently over the top canon, as her infectious grin telegraphs her more outrageous schemes and triumphs. Those who find the film "silly" can be excused for seeing what they look for and ignoring the clear influences of such serious comedic forerunners as Richard Brinsley Sheridan's THE RIVALS and Bernard Shaw's ARMS AND THE MAN (oh, if only someone could find a print of Shaw's own scripted 1932 film version which Saville and Courtneidge had clearly seen - lost when GBS declined to renew his unusual 5 year license on his screenplay when he found that advances in film technology by 1937 made it *sound* archaic)!

This is, on almost every level, a fascinating historical comedy which stands up to such comparable adventures as the same year's better remembered SCARLET PIMPERNEL. Perhaps the simple fact that schools today treat the Napoleonic Wars at greater length that the earlier War of Spanish Succession raises our expectations for one film and lowers them for the other. The ...PIMPERNEL has a somewhat "starrier" cast, but all other things being equal, I think I actually prefer this delicious vehicle for Ms. Courtneidge and company.

Well worth a serious look. There's a lot of excellent movie making here.

Set during the War of the Spanish Succession, this film is the story of newlyweds Kit Ross and Dick Welch, who are married at the beginning of the film. Immediately after the ceremony, Dick is forced to join the Queen's regiment of the army to help fight the French. Soon after Dick is whisked away, Kit follows him - posing as a young male soldier. Predictably, she turns out to be much more competent and intelligent than her male peers and often saves the day by her quick thinking. She eventually ends up in the company of the Duke of Marlborough himself, commander of the English forces, and finds favour with him because of her ingenuity - but all she wants is to be reunited with her husband Dick.

This is a silly film throughout - silly story, silly performances and silly situations. Really there's not much of a story until the last half an hour. I consider it a historical version of the screwball comedy, mainly because either the humour has dated or it was never funny in the first place. A few scenes are mildly amusing but most of the humour just doesn't work. I found Cicely Courtneidge quite irritating as the prototype-feminist heroine of the film. Perhaps liking the main character is the key to liking this film - I found her boisterous and somewhat absurd nature unappealing and so this tainted the film for me. Those who find the character funny might well find the rest of the film funny too. Tom Walls is good as the Duke of Marlborough but this film is hardly his finest hour - he is at his best when he is either stealing priceless diamonds or chasing diamond thieves.

A pretty average to boring comedy overall, with some nice bits but nothing to make it worthy of recommendation.