Genevieve

Everytime I see this film, (I'm 57 now), I smile at the scene where one of the old crocks breaks down in the country on its way to Brighton.I cannot remember whether it was Ambrose' or Alan's vintage car, the point is the location, (in 1953), is near where I used to live, to be precise Batchworth Heath, Northwood , Middlesex on the Rickmansworth Road, opposite the Greene Man pub, White Hill and near Mount Vernon Hospital (where I have had two ops over the years).In the background you can see the arch leading to Moor Park golf club.This gentle English comedy has become a classic since that day and Kay Kendall, (who died of leukemia), is vivid and memorable not to say surprising especially when she lets loose on the trumpet!

What a wonderful film this is, it takes you back to an England that is no more.The four leading stars compliment each other, with the beautiful Kay Kendall leading the way and Kenneth More having to put up with her dog as well. The great harmonica score enhances the film and sets the mood(reminds me of last of the summer wine music). I have lost count of the number of times i have seen this film but it is as enjoyable now as it was the first time i saw it. The plot is simple just two mates having a wager to see who will be the first to arrive in Brighton while taking part in the veteran car rally and their poor female partners having to suffer all the way. Pure enjoyment from start to finish. I know it is an old saying but it is true in this case....... they couldn't make them like this anymore.

A chirpy British comedy following the fortunes of two overly-competitive friends who enter vintage cars in the famous London to Brighton rally. John Gregson stars as the dour lawyer Alan who, baited by his larger than life friend (Kenneth More), accepts a bet on who will return to London first.

Dinah Sheridan and Fay Kendal provide glamorous and dependable support, with Kendal sparkling as an upper class fashion model with an unexpected capacity for trumpet playing and heavy drinking. Much of the film is typical race and chase stuff, but avoids the usual potholes of over-engineered stunts and tricks. The characters are far more interesting than that!

A brilliant harmonica soundtrack by Larry Adler keeps the tempo and spirits high and the full colour production provides a ready backdrop of 1950's town and country scenes. Escapist entertainment from a period when British cinema boomed.

Most people in the United Kingdom would probably know second leads Kenneth More and Kay Kendall today than they would John Gregson and Dinah Sheridan. But all four pitch in and make Genevieve as delightful and refreshing a comedy today as it was in 1953 when it came out.

The married Gregson and free spirit More are best of friends with a shared interest in antique cars. But every year that friendship goes under an extreme strain when there's an antique car rally and people with those old vehicles. Sheridan who is married to Gregson surrenders a bit unwillingly every year to the obsession that overtakes her husband.

If this film had been made in America, Jack Carson would have been perfect casting for More's role. He's an amiable blowhard with a different woman every few months and this month's flavor is Kay Kendall.

The rally is not a race it's just a bunch of folks who own these cars and drive them en masse from London to Brighton and back. But Gregson and More make it a race between themselves and there's a bet on as well. In America we would say racing for pink slips and in Gregson's case what's at stake is his beloved vehicle Genevieve.

The trip with both of them and what happens to these antique cars has loads of laughs in it. That's ratcheted up exponentially during the climax as both cars are just returning to London and shall we say showing their age.

Kay Kendall's best moment is at a nightclub where she's totally blotto and wants to play the trumpet. I'm sure it was dubbed, but sure enough a swinging version of the old ballad Genevieve is blown by Kendall. She's her usual marvelous self.

It's over 60 years since Genevieve came out. I wonder if that rally is still held and what is considered an antique now. This film certainly isn't.

Beyond the marvelous cars, the jokes and banter between the couples and the quirky soundtrack, it's the moment of genuine and somewhat surprising kindness of the lead actor in the story which really sets this gentle comedy apart. Without Allan's reaction to the old gentleman who admires his car, the movie would otherwise be a one note comedy with jokes and rather nice scenery. The poignancy of the gesture however, allows Allan to quietly and magnificently overcome his obsessiveness, which though amusing at times is also wearing. This, along with the beauty of the English countryside, a component as important as the characters themselves, makes this movie an absolute charmer. The final shot replete with damp mist and fog added the ultimate British ambiance to its delightful conclusion.