Curtain Up

Slight romantic comedy about the dress rehearsal of a fairly dire amateur play, interspersed with the complicated love lives of members of the cast. An inconsequential piece of froth, but watchable for splendid performances from Margaret Rutherford as the playwright and Robert Morley as the producer who tries to bring his version of dramatic sense into Rutherford's incomprehensible and unactable plot. When Morley falls into the pit and is injured, Rutherford takes over. All ably supported by a reliable cast of regulars from British movies. It has to be said though that it's all a bit stagey (for a movie) and Rattigan did it better

CURTAIN UP is a routine British comedy which fails to raise anything more than the slightest titter. I dread to think what the movie would be like without the considerable talents of Margaret Rutherford and Robert Morley in the leading roles, and even with them it's pretty dire 'entertainment'. The plot quickly becomes tiresome, a weekly repertory company is rehearsing a dreadfully written play, "Tarnished Gold". The producer, played with gusto by Robert Morley, quickly falls out with the play's authoress, the marvellously eccentric Margaret Rutherford, and after the first rehearsal he rips out 27 pages of the 30 page script. Adding to the 'fun' are the problems, tantrums and behind-the-scenes squabbles of the play's cast, which seriously hinder the rehearsals (and also the film). One of England's greatest post war character actors, Sam Kydd, makes a fleeting appearance at the finale, as an ambulance man. The only genuinely funny moment in 80 minutes is Morley's facial expression when Margaret Rutherford turns up and says "I've come to sit at your feet while my child is being born!"

Once upon a time most cities and towns would have a theatre which had a repertory theatre where popular plays would be presented for a week at a time.TV was responsible for the demise of this form of theatre.This film shows all the pitfalls that arose with the putting on of plays.Margaret Rutherford and Robert Morley are the reliable leads in this amusing comedy..

It's a third-rate local repertory house when the 'professionals' are people who had a crack at the West End...and failed. Now the company is asked to premiere a new play by Margaret Rutherford, the aunt of one of the producers. It is a horrid thing, full of bad dialogue and hackneyed situations, and the main producer of the theater, Robert Morley, has to gnash his teeth and make something of it, mostly by telling Miss Rutherford to cut out nine-tenths of the first act and write a new one in thirty minutes.

It's certainly fun to watch these two go at it, hammer and tongs, but the play within the play really is that bad, and gives the movie's audience little to sink its teeth into. The self-painted portraits of the other members of the company are sad little affairs. As a result, we are left with Mr. Morley and Miss Rutherford. They're certainly always worth watching.

Yes the love interest bit between two of te characters is tacked on. Yes it is rather small and cramped in it's setting. But this picture is great fun.

Margaret Rutherford does what she does best, and watching this film I couldn't help but lament at the current lack of any good female character actors. Women who are over 40 and don't mind showing it.

I loved this film, as much for it's humour, which is as funny today as it was then, as for the gorgeous touch of nostalgia it inspired. Surprising considering i was not even thought of in 1953 and i am not english.

See it it's fun, unoffensive and unashamably silly.