Give Us the Moon

This follows in the footsteps of Val Guest's directorial debut Miss London Limited in introducing a more cosmopolitan flavour to Gainsborough comedies. Certainly not to all tastes then or now, but very funny and enjoyable if you give it a chance. The stars obtain full value out of an original and witty script from Caryl Brahms and her associates. Margaret Lockwood who relished this kind of role as a change from playing wicked ladies is charming and lovely and amusing as Nina, the White Russian who was probably not a princess, and there is real chemistry in her relationship with Peter Graves, an actor I often find rather too smug but whom is excellent as the heir to an hotel chain whom is 'no Joe Lyons'. Of course the most remarkable performance comes from the young Jean Simmons as the fast-talking wise-cracking schoolgirl who almost steals the show. I was surprised to find Vic Oliver's eccentric con-man business so enjoyable while Frank Cellier is excellent as the blustering hotel tycoon. I also liked Roland Culver's languid philanderer, Max Bacon, and the rest of the splendid White Elephants.

What waste of a good cast! Was it ever considered funny?

A group of layabouts who refuse to do any work get an opportunity to lord it up when Peter Pyke (Peter Graves), the son of a hotel magnate, joins their group.

This film has a great idea about a group who call themselves "White Elephants" and who refuse to do anything useful for society, especially work. It has the potential to be a commendable blueprint for life, but unfortunately, it is played out by a weak cast who are all ultimately irritating characters. From Margaret Lockwood's "Nina" with her irritating fake Russian accent to Jean Simmons' unconvincing streetwise "Heidi", through to Peter Graves' arrogantly slimy "Peter Pyke", they are all unfunny. The dialogue is delivered at a quick pace as if to impress the viewer with it's cleverness. It is indeed funny in parts but it is not consistent.

A memorably bad part of the film involves a duel sequence which is not at all funny. Why did British films think that audiences wanted to watch this sort of claptrap? However, the film does contain some funny moments, eg, the theory behind going to school to become stupid; and the attempts by a couple of the "Elephants" to serve food at a restaurant. Sadly, the film never quite gets going and just ends up as a boring noise. Shame.

Now here is a real obscure gem! This film is the story of Peter Pyke, the son of a wealthy hotel owner. Despite his father's insistence, Peter refuses to do anything resembling work, preferring instead to live a carefree life of extravagance, subsidised - of course - by his father. By chance, Peter finds himself in the company of a club of eccentric misfits known as the "White Elephants", whose common bond is their refusal to work, or to do anything that might make them a valuable member of society. The white elephants prefer to make a living by devising unusual and hilarious ways to rip off members of the public, or "suckers" as they are called within the club.

The script is as eccentric as they come, and the dialogue is very witty. It's nonsensical at times, but this only adds to the humour. The best part about this film though, is the wonderful characters. Nina's tall tales about her troubled childhood are hilarious, Sacha, the quintessential con-artist is great and Peter, a playboy with morals, is an excellent lead. For me though, the best character is the dry old fogey Ferdinand, who wouldn't look out of place as the professor of classics in a university, and whose whole life is dedicated to writing a thesis on jealousy. He never gets around to actually putting pen to paper, but he spends plenty of time doing research - by making love to married women and then observing their husbands' reactions. This habit results in him being challenged to a duel by one of his subjects' husbands, and the entire episode is hilarious.

The characters are very likable and I found myself empathising somewhat with their strange and sober logic. For example, Nina tells Peter that she wants her daughter to go to school, because school is where people are taught to be stupid. She wants her daughter to become stupid, she says, because only stupid people are happy. Thus the White Elephants provide an oblique and refreshing view of the world - a cynical picture of humanity from a fencesitter's perspective. The cares of the world do not bother this family of oddballs and by the end of the film, one almost feels as though there is something to be said for avoiding work and contributing nothing to society. The microcosm of the White Elephants Club seems like a much more pleasant place than the world around it. This weird and wonderful film, which is playfully directed, should not be missed!

This was the latest addition to my Margaret Lockwood collection.What a change to see her playing farce as Nina a beautiful Russian girl whose imagination races into overdrive.She is teamed with Vic Oliver who I can only describe seems to be a cross between an Austrian and Groucho Marx.Fortunately Vic spares us his violin playing in this film!!Nina always jumps to ridiculous assumptions before anyone has had a chance to speak and Vic Oliver is the glib mastermind of a group of layabouts who style themselves "The White Elephants" by their refusal to work.I did not recognise the actor playing Peter Pyke the no good wastrel son of a hotel magnate.

All through it reminded me of a British version of a Marx Brothers comedy although there was not a Margaret Dupont character for Vic to play off but there was the usual gullible hotel staff.I feel sure the producers were heavily influenced by The Brothers' antics when commissioning the screenplay.Yes there was some slapstick but for me apart from ogling Margaret Lockwood, I only found it mildly humorous.Comedy can so age over a period of 60 years.