Lloyds of London

In response to ADAMSHL's comment on LLoyd's insuring slave ships-In one scene when the insurers were in deep trouble, Blake was asked if he would insure a slave ship and he curtly said no! to emphasize the director's view of that practice.

It is a pleasant change to watch a movie that flows through the acting and dialog rather than sound effects and extreme graphics. I could even understand all the actors voices in spite of 60 yr old audio technology. Most present day English movies have horrible sound and many words are lost because of the actors elocution.

The main value of this movie is not a history lesson in politics but one in the lives of those who lived in that period and their environment, clothing, etc.

Lloyd's of London is a very enjoyable piece of entertainment.With those actors involved I wasn't surprised.Tyrone Power delivers a good early performance,but the acting honors go to George Sanders as a despicable regency cad.Madeleine Carroll is a radiant heroine. The story is only mildly engaging but one gets caught up in the beauty of the sets and the good direction of Henry King,who makes this picture flow easily. I hope this title will be available on DVD soon along with other Tyrone Power titles. He did a lot of very entertaining movies in the three decades he was active. So watch this one in good faith, you won't be disappointed.

While I read that this movie was a very, very fictionalized account of the early days of Lloyd's of London, it still was a nifty 1930s-style adventure film. This is not exactly a wonderful endorsement, I know, but the film was far from perfect. Now if you are a Brit or a real Anglophile, then you will probably like the film more than the average person--with all its "Huzzah and God save the King" style of hooplah. I am not 100% sure why Hollywood embraced Britain so strongly in the 1930s (WWII would explain this for 1940s and 50s films).

A very young Tyrone Power played the lead and much of the film concerned the British shipping industry during the time of the Napoleonic Wars. It was mildly interesting but that's about all. His love interest was the married Madeleine Carroll, though for the life of me, I didn't understand why he didn't pursue the prettier and available (and very amply endowed) Virginia Field--she seemed just as nice and almost identical to Ms. Carroll in looks and devotion to Tyrone--especially since his unrequited relationship that lasted years to Ms. Carroll just made him seem awfully desperate and pathetic.

In the end, this is yet another costumer from the era--neither great nor bad. The acting was decent and the production values good. It's worth a look, but certainly not great or deserving special attention by anyone.

OK, so here's the deal, this movie ruined my life. How can such a thing be? Well, listen up: At the age of five (or thereabouts) I watched this movie on television. I fell in love with Ms. Carroll. Her golden-ringletted cloying prettiness was perfectly suited to a five-year-old's notion of female beauty. She was married to Mr. Saunders, who dressed REALLY well, spoke beautifully, was rich and was exceptionally urbane. Naturally, she didn't care for him. She was in love with Mr. Powers, who was, frankly, breathtakingly beautiful -- much more beautiful than Ms. Carroll at her best.

But I digress. Anyway, my five year old brain decides, "In order to win M.C., you have to look like T.P." Well, it's been over 50 years and I'm STILL WAITING to be as handsome as Mr. Power (probably NOT going to happen -- what's your guess?). So, here I am in (advanced) middle age, still functioning under the delusion that you have to look like Mr. Power in order to secure the attentions of the lady of your dreams. How messed up is THAT?

Silliness aside, the movie is thin on (rational) plot but long on star-magic. Enjoy Mr. Power and Ms. Carroll at their loveliest and Mr. Saunders at his most vile. The rest of the flic is just and excuse to watch them dress up in period costumes.

Tyrone Power was only 22 with a few films and Broadway credits when he was given his first major role in "Lloyds of London." This film was originally assigned to Don Ameche, but Henry King insisted on testing Power and, on viewing the test, told Zanuck he wanted the young man for the role. "In two years," King told Zanuck, "he will be one of the biggest stars ever." Good instincts. Power plays Jonathan Blake, a fictional character, whose childhood friendship with Horatio Nelson helps Nelson through the Napoleonic war. Blake becomes one of the syndicate owners at Lloyd's of London and, against every other syndicate, continues insuring the damaged British fleet so that Nelson has all the power necessary to defeat the French.

The radiant Madeline Carroll is Power's love interest and George Sanders is her cad husband. Sanders worked with Power on many films, including the one Power was making when he died 22 years later. Virginia Field is Polly, a young waitress in love with Jonathan, but it's unrequited.

The acting is top-notch, including beautiful performances from Freddie Bartholomew and Douglas Nelson as the young Blake and Nelson. Sir Guy Standing is marvelous as Power's mentor. Power is gorgeous, with his unlined face (even with a streak of gray hair as he ages -"Zanuck would never let me age in any film," he once said) and the world's longest eyelashes, and his acting is excellent. He carries the bulk of the film beautifully, conveying a strong presence, though he merely suggests an English accent. Darryl F. Zanuck was his biggest fan and for good reason, as the actor would bring in hit after hit during his long tenure at Twentieth Century Fox.

This is a great period piece, interesting as well as touching. Highly recommended.