Caravan

This movie, based on one of Eleanor Smith's books, is enjoyable, if you like love stories with adventure thrown in, and don't mind the couple not having a lot of onscreen time together. As in quite a number of historical romance novels, the lovers are separated for a time, and get involved with other people, though they never stop loving each other.

I won't give too much away, just some basics. After aspiring author Richard Darrell (Stewart Granger) saves wealthy Don Carlos from robbers, they become acquainted, and Richard finds himself telling Don Carlos about both his career ambitions and his love for childhood sweetheart, Oriana Camperdene (Anne Crawford). He has a rival in Francis Castleton (Dennis Price), his childhood nemesis, whose money and social background are more in line with Oriana's. However, her heart belongs to Richard, though he wants to have more to offer her, and spent a year in London trying, unsuccessfully, to get his book published. Don Carlos offers to help him out, if Richard will deliver a valuable necklace (that once belonged to Queen Isabella) to Granada.

Francis, meanwhile, tries to change Oriana's mind about marrying Richard, telling her that her father, who recently passed away, had many debts which leave her penniless, whereas he has plenty of money, as well as a title and social position, things Richard can't offer her. When persuasion doesn't work, he resorts to other methods, that result in Oriana thinking Richard was dead, and turning to Francis in despair. She marries him, but their relationship is miserable, as she can't stand sharing his bed, and he becomes more controlling and abusive.

Richard, meanwhile, had lost his memory after a robbery attempt and got involved with Rosal, a gypsy girl (Jean Kent). When he regained his memory and read in a newspaper about Oriana's marriage to Francis, he believed she chose money and society over their love, and married Rosal on the rebound.

How they find their way back to each other, and what becomes of Francis and Rosal, I'll refrain from telling, so check out the movie, it's an entertaining way to pass the time.

Nostalgic visit to wartime British cinema for old timers - younger viewers will only see the corniness. All through, I was kept watching by set-ups that promised the effects that could have helped me buy this melodrama of romantic love (Granger, Crawford) seriously spiked by dastardly Price in Regency England and Carmen's Spain - but that, in the end, delivered a mixture of laughable action and turgid dialogue. Price's scenery-chewing performance is wonderfully over the top.

It is a real hoot to see Dennis Price being as suavely evil as possible.Robert Helpmann as his slimy servant not to mention Jean Kent as the gypsy dancer.They rather put in the shade Anne Crawford who is quite prepared to marry when she believes Granger to be dead,and Granger

who is happy to marry to keep her happy.So everything you would expect from a typical Gainsborough film.

Dashing Stewart Granger and sneering Dennis Price love the same blonde maiden from childhood. But Granger ends up wounded with amnesia in a gypsy CARAVAN and linked to a flamenco dancing hot momma. And the blonde maiden is hooked up to dastardly Dennis. Will prim blonde maiden and dashing Stewart end up together, even though there are several countries between them, or will true love fail to triumph?

Most of the mid-40s Gainsborough Gothic romances I've seen have some slight restraint which labels them as British. Sure, there is villainy a-plenty, and firm jawed heroism from Granger and others. But, things don't really get silly. (Well, maybe in Uncle Silas, but that movie really is sui generis).

Well, here, nobody is really taking this thing seriously. Dennis Price, in particular, seems inspired by Tod Slaughter (but with one bout of demonic laughing, alas), as he marries our heroine, and then subjects her immediately to a variety of over the top indignities. The gal playing the hot blooded, flamenco dancing gypsy senorita also has amped up the hot blooded Latin thing to eleven, and is rather fun. The scriptwriter (and, I expect, the original "famous" novel) does not bother with trying to make much sense, and the film, heaven knows, may be better off for that. However, unceasing self-mockery is always a dangerous thing for a genre film, and it is a bit hard to care much about the goings on when the film's creators don't seem much invested in them.

Good for a laugh when Dennis Price is on screen, but Gainsborough did this sort of thing much better elsewhere.

The real treat here is Jean Kent as Rosal, the gipsy girl. This is a very romantic story chiefly circling around gipsies, since Richard (Stewart Granger) is more or less brought up by them and learns all his arts from them, so naturally he feels at home when destiny brings him into the gipsy world in southern Spain. The story could have taken a truly interesting development as he finds himself stranded among the gipsies and has completely lost his memory - he doesn't know who he is, and finds himself obliged to start a new life from the begninning. For good or for worse, his past comes back looking him up to remind him, even bringing back his sweetheart since his childhood, Anne Crawford, who must pale in view of Jean Kent and her very impressing performances, above all perhaps as a dancer. Stewart Granger has generally been underestimated, he even despised his own performances in his later years, feeling he had not done enough and frustrated by his entire career, which he felt somewhat forfeited. Nevertheless, he was always reliable, all his films will endure, he gives perfect performances in every one of them, and although his parts usually are rather superficial, he always gives them something extra to make them memorable. Dennis Price is as eloquent as ever and here for once in a really crooked part, while Robert Helpmann as his consistent accomplice also makes stunning performances always. In brief, this film is not to be discarded as mere entertainment, since the quality is on top level all the way.