Enchanted April

The basic story idea of ENCHANTED APRIL is excellent--two very unhappy wives meet and decide to pool their funds to rent an Italian villa for a month. To further defray costs, they get two other strangers to come along. What makes it interesting are the relationships both before and during this vacation--in particular, showing how this beautiful setting actually changes their outlooks on life. Unfortunately, this good idea is totally spoiled by two key performances in the ensemble cast that are so bad that they ruin the film. Ann Harding plays the most important role in the film in a manner that makes her seem ridiculous. Her "doe-eyed" expression and vacant stares really make you wonder if this isn't a zombie movie or she's just meant to be an idiot! And to make it worse, Reginald Owen plays a character so obnoxious and bombastic that I was very close to turning off the film--he was that awful and unbelievable. I noticed that at least one reviewer gave this movie a 10--which is very, very difficult to understand. Sure, the film has great ambiance and a good plot, but these two glaringly silly performances cannot be overlooked as they undermine the rest of the picture. Sorry, but this film was aching for a re-make!

I had been delighted to find that TCM was showing this, as I love the 1992 version with Josie Lawrence, Jim Broadbent, Joan Plowright...This film had a luminous Ann Harding, a wonderful performance by Frank Morgan, but others' acting made the film more of a farce then the wonderful unfolding that the later film. Reginald Owen's Arbuthnot is painful to watch and you can't understand why his wife adores him. I found out after watching the film that it was based on the stage play where the 1992 film is based on the book. The original film also felt like it was a snippet of a larger piece and felt incomplete. Too bad it was such a let-down.

I originally read the book. Later I viewed the 1992 version which you may also want to view.

The film is monochrome and naturally in full-screen format.

At the time of my purchase, this was not available in the U. S., so I purchased from Amazon.fr and I am using a region, free player.

This 1935 version is not as good as the remake and some of the characters are reversed in their ways. However, aside plus which is a lot of fun is recognizing the actors and placing them in other films in which you remember them.

Over the years some people have become more fun and interesting. On the other hand, some become staunch and passionless. It seems that Lottie (Ann Harding) picked the latter to marry. One day at her club she sees an advertisement to rent an Italian villa for a month she shows this to a friend Rose and offers to share the cost.

This leads to a great adventure with the beautiful Italian villa "San Salvatore."

The story is well written and could have been made into a good play as it has all the elements of understanding and misunderstanding. Even some explosive scenes.

There all the characters, looking for a retreat from life, find each other again; for some the first time. You will find yourself wanting it to go on.

"Elizabeth" was the author's pen name (the original novel was published as "by the author of Elizabeth and her German Garden"), so it wasn't the film company who suppressed her German surname.

I caught the last part of this on early morning TV today, and thought it would be interesting to compare it with the delightful 1991 version.

I was puzzled that the two couples seemed to have inexplicably swapped names; it should be Mr. Wilkins who has the accident with the water heater and Mr. Arbuthnot who fancies Lady Caroline. The bathroom incident was funny but after that the film seemed to end rather quickly. I thought it very disappointing in comparison with the remake.

Enchanted April was one of Harry Beaumont's last movies- he only directed a few more after this one. He had made the "Maisie" movies in the 1930s and 1940s. In the opening credits, it says "From the novel by Elizabeth", and completely leaves off the author's last name... rather odd, but since it was von Armin, they may not have wanted the German association at the time... Sad to hear it was a flop when it was released, with those fun names like Frank Morgan (the Wizard) and Jessie Ralph, who played W.C. Fields' disapproving mother- in- law in "Bank Dick". Two gals in London (Ann Harding & Katharine Alexander) decide to rent a castle to host two of their friends, but things don't go the way they planned. Reginald Owen plays the husband with multiple personalities. Aside from a few funny moments, it DOES move pretty slow. Ralph is the only bright spot here, as the overbearing take-charge type, and the picture is quite fuzzy and out of focus for much of the film. The views of Italy are all obvious backdrops. The only saving grace here is that the Turner Classic version is only 66 minutes long. Too bad they didn't give Frank Morgan a larger role. This was remade in 1992 by the BBC as a British Film.