Quiet Weekend

The occasional attractive outdoor scenes simply throw into even sharper relief just how tinny and studio-bound the rest of this trivial sequel to 'Quiet Wedding' is as the cast just stand around and talk. And talk. And Talk.

Two unexpected bits of casting are worth remarking upon though. Frank Cellier takes a break from representing cold-hearted capitalism to play a rather jolly and romantic old cove for once. While it also preserves for posterity in her stage role the bright-eyed and bushy-tailed young Barbara White who after only a handful of other film roles married Keiron Moore (who murdered her in 'Mine Own Executioner') and was lost to films forever.

Based on a play it is no too stagebound.Frank Cellier for once does not play a villain.The only real problem is who on earth would have a crush on Derek Farr.Only a lovstruck 18 year old.

Denys (Derek Farr) brings his girlfriend Rowena (Helen Shingler) to stay with him and his family at their country house. His cousin Miranda (Barbara White) does not approve. Meanwhile, friend and local magistrate Adrian (Frank Cellier) is convinced to take part in a spot of salmon poaching....

This is a British film that has a certain quaintness and charm if you like that sort of thing. It's dialogue driven and quite amusing in parts, especially when Rowena and Miranda are sparring with each other. Unfortunately, the dialogue is delivered in that awful upper-class British accent, eg, "happening" becomes "heppening", and "actually" becomes "ectually". No-one normal speaks like that. Another irritation is the constant barking of orders and dishing out of instructions by Mildred (Marjorie Fielding). God that woman is annoying! There are a few lightweight comedic episodes, eg, the concert at the local village hall and the salmon-poaching incident but the main thing that sticks with me is the love between Miranda and Denys. They are cousins. Derek Farr is a complete non-entity as a leading man and the love theme that is explored in this film is just wrong!

The charm in this film lies in its simplicity. Based on a stage play, it shows a middle class family staying at their weekend cottage, leading the easy type of life that has sadly long since disappeared. The highlights of this film are the dreadful concert and the poaching expedition.

Before seeing this 1946 film I recommend the viewer sees the earlier 1941 film "Quiet Wedding" which was also based on a stage play by Esther McCracken.The latter film introduced the basic characters of the Royd family but there are some glaring anomalies.First the two films/plays are not sequential and some of the characters in "Quiet Wedding" are not present in "Quiet Weekend".Principally I missed not seeing Margaret Lockwood again as Janet Royd, I suppose in 1946 (the year of my birth) she was busy elsewhere filming "Bedelia".Instead of a young Muriel Pavlow, we have Barbara White playing the impish Miranda Bute who is the cousin of Denys Royd (Derek Farr) and on whom she has a girlish crush.This time Miranda tries to sabotage Denys' romance with Rowena (Helen Shingler) whose character seems to gradually evaporate as the film develops.

Another reviewer made the point about the large number of orders given by Mildred Royd (Marjorie Fielding) to all and sundry, no wonder the Fuhrer did not stand a chance when up against British women like this during the war!!Another actress Josephine Wilson (who played Mary Jarrow) eventually becomes engaged to Adrian Barrasford played by Frank Cellier, appeared to be the mysterious Madame Kumar from Hitchcock's "The Lady Vanishes" (1938) who posed as a replacement to "The Lady" played by Dame May Witty.Interestingly, Frank Cellier played Derek Farr's father in the earlier film.Finally the actor Ballard Berkeley ("The Major" in "Fawlty Towers") makes an earlier appearance here playing "Jim Brent".

I laughingly agreed with the user comments above about the very stagy, comic way of 1930s speaking and pronouncement of words in that "I say anyone for tennis?" way of speaking.As I said in "Quiet Wedding" it is all rather endearing now.I rated this film 6/10 and admit to giving "Quiet Weekend" a lesser rating since I am a Margaret Lockwood fan, I missed seeing her in this almost sequel.