La Dynastie des Forsyte

Greer Garson is "That Forsyte Woman" in a 1949 film that also stars Errol Flynn, Walter Pidgeon, Robert Young and Janet Leigh. The story is told in flashback. Garson is Irene, a beautiful but poverty-stricken woman who marries Soames Forsyte (Flynn), admitting from the first that she does not love him. Soames isn't the only Forsyte in whom Irene has an interest - she loves the paintings done by Jolyon Forsyte (Pidgeon), though she learns quickly that he is the family outcast, not even permitted to see his daughter, June (Leigh). Irene seeks to bring Jolyon back into the family and to reunite him with June, who is about to be married to an architect, Philip Bosinney (Young) - while she herself is falling for Philip, and he with her.

MGM spared not one cent in giving "That Forsyte Woman" primo attention - the cost of Garson's gorgeous costumes alone could have probably paid for three lesser films; the Technicolor, sets, and photography are all stunning; and in Flynn and Garson, you have two top stars.

Unfortunately, the superficial gloss can't cover the film's flaws. For an adulteress, Greer Garson is pretty ladylike - there is no unbridled passion - and zero chemistry - between Irene and Philip. In fact, the inference is that while she loves Philip in her heart, nothing except a few kisses has actually happened. Not being familiar with the source material, I don't know if this was the case or not. And I'm sorry - if I had to pick between the handsome Flynn and Robert Young wearing some sort of curly hairpiece, I know which way I'd go. Philip Bosinney is described as a little older than June - well, Janet Leigh was 21 or so at the time of the filming and probably playing an 18-year-old. Young was about 40. And looked it. Fond as I am of Young's work, this was blatant miscasting. The role needed to be sexed up a little so we see what the fuss is about - Robert Mitchum, Burt Lancaster, someone hot and in that 30-ish age range.

Errol Flynn does an excellent job as the angry, frustrated and jealous Soames. It seems that with a few exceptions, by the late '40s, Flynn no longer played roles that exhibited what made him Errol Flynn - charm, dash, a devilish smile, and natural athleticism. While this is certainly a better role than he had in "Cry Wolf," again, it does not play to Flynn's strengths. Walter Pidgeon is very good as Jolyon and of course he's great with Garson. He should be, considering all the films they made together.

Though the story isn't that absorbing, I still recommend this film for its sheer beauty - not only in its look, but for the beauty of Garson, Flynn and Leigh, and the sturdy handsomeness of Pidgeon. "That Forsyte Woman" is a cake with an incredible icing, but the cake is pretty dry.

This film was cited as one of the ones that Errol Flynn felt he gave a good performance in, and that assessment is certainly true. He completely played against type in this role as an emotionally restricted man of property and did a fine job. The problem is not in his playing but in the heavily edited screenplay and miscasting. Robert Young is laughable as the "young" architect and Greer Garson too genteel by half for the role of the scheming adulteress Irene who freezes Soames out-Eleanor Parker would have been ideal for this role,but one gets the feeling MGM couldn't allow Garson to be the adventuress the role demanded because of her image. Also,the film's lack of the pivotal rape scene that ends the marriage in the novel undermines the reason why Irene detests Soames so much. Flynn portrays Soames well enough that he could have followed through in such a scene in good form. He did a great job with this character's motivations and was still quite handsome. An underrated performance in a so-so adaptation of a classic novel.

A luscious film, this breaks a few molds in the casting department. Greer Garson is superb as the unfulfilled wife who "held out for a higher price." (Great line!) Errol Flynn as the cold husband? It worked for me -- he showed a subtle side to his acting that worked perfectly. A young and not-so-debonair Robert Young, with his "uncombed" hair and his less-than-elegant wardrobe, plays the seducer with just the right touch of impishness. And Janet Leigh as the spurned fiance brings great pathos to her role.

The story is a bit contrived at the end, but the rest of the film succeeds in depicting frustration, arrogance, control, and passion with aplomb.

By the end of the 1940s, the WB had relegated one-time box office king Errol Flynn to 'B' movies, and offered him little studio support. While most of the stars under contract to the studio were still protected from unflattering publicity, Flynn's rape trial and subsequent revelations revealed a public far more tolerant of the star than the studio was, so Flynn was left 'to his own devices', and found himself the constant subject of scandalous headlines, a situation that became so intolerable that he would eventually sue 'Confidential' magazine, the most virulent of the 'scandal sheets'.

Therefore, when, negotiating a new contract in 1947, Flynn asked to be allowed to do one film a year away from the WB, the studio agreed, happily, more than pleased to let another studio pay the actor's salary and deal with his unsavory reputation. While the result of this new 'freedom' did not produce any Flynn 'classics' (KIM would be the best received of his work away from the WB), it did give him a seat at the table with Gable, Tracy, Hepburn, Garland, Taylor, and MGM's other legendary stars, when the studio celebrated their 'Golden Anniversary', in 1949.

THAT FORSYTHE WOMAN, Flynn's first film away from the WB, was a heavy-handed, ultimately unsuccessful adaptation of the first of John Galsworthy's trilogy of the rise and fall of a British aristocratic family, a popular series of works that would become the basis of the classic BBC series, 'Upstairs, Downstairs'. Offered his choice of the male 'leads' in the film, Flynn lobbied for, and got, the 'villain' of the story, the coldly ruthless Soames Forsythe, who marries MGM 'queen' Greer Garson, and proceeds to make her life a living hell. It was a major departure for Flynn, who had watched his roles at the WB deteriorate into a collection of jaded roués with a 'taste' for married women. While he acknowledged that he wasn't the easiest person to work with, he wanted to demonstrate, once and for all, that he was an actor capable of far more than leaping horses over cannons and swinging a sword. With Soames, Flynn proved he 'could deliver', even as a character you would be hard-pressed to feel sympathetic about.

As the men Garson would find comfort with, Robert Young (who had his own 'typecasting' problems, again playing a near juvenile when, in fact, he was older than Flynn!), and Walter Pidgeon (also playing a role younger than his actual age, but, as usual, winning Garson's heart), had to contend with poorly written, nearly cardboard roles (that Pidgeon 'comes off' so well is a testament to his often-overlooked acting talent...he was FAR more than just 'Garson's Leading Man').

Greer Garson, long 'typed' as the most aristocratic of MGM leading ladies, had to deliver some truly 'ripe' dialog, and her manipulation by 'class conscious' Soames seemed unrealistic and out of character, but she managed to survive the stodgy production with her reputation unblemished.

Filming was smooth and untroubled, and Garson was impressed by Flynn's professionalism (he was on his best behavior, for a change). He did, however, pull one memorable practical joke; in a very dramatic scene, as she packed to leave Soames, she opened a wooden wardrobe to discover Flynn, standing inside, naked, grinning from ear to ear! One NEVER pulled a stunt like that on a Major Star (Bette Davis would have had a tantrum), but Garson simply burst out laughing, appreciating Flynn's irreverence.

THAT FORSYTHE WOMAN would be one of Errol Flynn's favorite movies, even if it didn't turn his career around.

There was real potential for 'The Forsyte Saga' to be a good film. The casting did sound odd but with performances this talented there was a chance that they could have pulled it off. It was from a studio with so many classics under its belt. It looked incredibly handsome seeing its advertising and stills. The source material is absolutely brilliant, though did worry that because it is so rich it would not lend itself well to merely a feature length film.

Which were my feelings exactly when getting round to seeing 'The Forsyte Saga'. It is watchable and has a number of obvious good things, but with more consistent pacing and more suitable casting it could have been a winner but turned out to be instead an interesting and noble disappointment. Proof too that when it comes to adapting the source material for feature length it is best leaving it alone, and the vastly superior television series from the 60s showed that it works much better adapted as a serial/mini-series.

Good things are quite a few. It is a very handsomely mounted film, especially the quite exquisite photography and the costumes won an Oscar for good reason. The other best thing is Errol Flynn, this was courageous casting for a role he on paper sounded wrong for and would have been quite different for him. He however was one of the few actors that came off well, showing that he can do dramatic and less sympathetic roles and does so in an admirably restrained way. Walter Pidgeon is also charming.

Bronislau Kaper's score is lush and induces a lot of emotions. The main theme is one that is not easy to forget. Greer Garson has some affecting moments.

She also doesn't always look comfortable or like her heart was properly in it, Eleanor Parker would have been a better choice. Janet Leigh does her best and brings some charm but her role is practically a plot device and has nothing to it. Worst of it is a too old and far too cold Robert Young, who has no charm or likeability. The characters seemed underdeveloped, with the one exception being Soames. The direction seemed rather pedestrian.

Much of the script was very stilted and rambled. The film did need a longer length and more of the story elaborated upon and taking longer to unfold. There was no substance to the storytelling either, to me there was very little tension and emotion and it all feels undernourished. A tighter pace was also in order and there are similarly scenes that drag as a result of padding out material that works a lot better in mini-series format.

On the whole, watchable but there was a potentially good film in there somewhere that doesn't materialise. 5/10