On Approval

Here is a look of one of England's foremost comediennes and entertainers, Beatrice Lillie. She was, for some unknown reason, shamefully neglected/ underutilized by Hollywood, and here she gives one of her fey, comedic performances for which she was celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic before and after the two world wars. She was primarily a stage actress and appeared in only seven movies.

In this one she is in a cast of four actors in a droll, upper class comedy of manners. Listen intently to the dialogue or you may miss a precious bon mot or a glossed-over aside. The script is delicious and keeps you waiting for the next hilarious remark at which Lady Peel had no peer. It was written and Directed by Clive Brook who also co-stars and gives himself too much to say and do, but you can't keep a good man (in this case, woman) down, and Bea Lillie emerges unscathed and triumphant. If you're a fan you must catch this one when you can.

The most English of all English comedies and something of a tour-de-force, particularly for Clive Brook who produced, directed and adapted Frederick Lonsdale's play as well as taking the lead as a penniless Duke in love with an American heiress. She's Googie Withers but she doesn't love him back. They end up as chaperons, he to Roland Culver and she to Beatrice Lillie, on a Scottish island where Lillie has brought Culver for a month 'on approval' to see if she likes him enough to marry him. All four are superb but Lillie, in one of her few major film roles, walks off with the movie as the obnoxious Maria, though in the acting stakes Brook does give her a run for her money. The film is seldom revived, however; could it be just too sophisticated for mass consumption?

"On Approval" is a comedy of manners and it delivers on its promise to delight. The dialogue is the thing--filled with insinuations, clever slights, and unabashed insults. The four leads make the most of the plot, which is about two men trying to marry into wealthier circumstances via two sisters.

One reviewer said this film is not up to Oscar Wilde's standards. Well maybe it is too tame to be Wilde, but it is still charming and filled with plenty of caustic throw-away lines and honest insights.

I think I will have to see it more than once to fully appreciate the film because of the sheer volume of memorable lines. That's a prospect I can bear to suffer.

in this 1944 film version of the Frederick Lonsdale play. Charming, caustic, biting, and very funny, On Approval centers on 4 people who end up together in a house in Scotland for a month to see if they are "suited" for marriage. Of course no one gets along, the servants leave instantly, and the weather is dreadful. Lillie made only a handful of films; what a pity. She's quite wonderful as the rich woman who disdains marriage. Clive Brook (best remembered for Cavalcade) is excellent as the Duke (son of a butcher's daughter) who assumes the airs of aristocracy without having money. Roland Culver and Googie Withers round out the bickering foursome. Surprisingly fresh and current. I'd seen the 1982 BBC play with Penelope Keith and remembered it fondly. This is different but equal. Lonsdale seemed at one time a copy of Wilde or even Coward. But he has a special way with words that makes for delightful dialogue. On Approval is worth looking for!

On Approval is an extremely amusing comedy of upper class British manners. It is wickedly malicious without being mean-spirited. The four leads play off each other flawlessly. Unfortunately, it seems to be one of those forgotten gems. The DVD release awhile back may have given it some new recognition. (And the DVD transfer is first rate.)

Clive Brook, who also wrote and directed the film, is priceless as an aristocrat who finds it entirely reasonable to take his pleasures at the expense of others. He was a major star in the Thirties, but made only one more movie, The List of Adrian Messenger, after this one. At 76 he proved he still could hold his own against all comers, including George C. Scott.