Gigolo e gigolette

Another Somerset Maugham short story anthology, getting off to a bad start with the first story THE ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER not exactly first rate but amusing, due to the performances of n'er-do-well NIGEL PATRICK as the philandering brother who ends up marrying the third richest girl in the world much to the annoyance of his stuffy but reliable brother ROLAND CULVER; a cruise ship story about a woman who never stops talking and driving everyone in sight (including the audience) a bit crazy, well played by KAY WALSH; and finally, a story about a young couple who are part of a diving act from an 80 ft. platform but facing fears about the life and death feat designed to entertain some jaded tourist trade at a fancy hotel.

The third and longest segment is the most interesting, with GLYNIS JOHNS as the diver losing her nerve and TERENCE MORGAN as her worried husband. There's no telling which way the ending will go until the last moment and it keeps you glued to the story's finish.

Summing up: With introductions by the famous author himself, it's a fun way to spend an hour and a half.

Have always appreciated W Somerset Maugham's writing, it has been criticised for not holding up well but really like the sharpness of the prose, the insight, the irony and charm. He is not adapted enough on film, but when he is it makes for interesting results. Something that is evident in the portmanteau trilogy 'The Aesop's Fables Maugham Concerto Trilogy', consisting of 'Quartet' (1948), 'Trio' (1950) and 'Encore' (1951).

Like 'Quartet' the best marginally, due to "The Colonel's Lady" being my favourite of all the segments of the entire trilogy, while equally liking 'Trio'. Of the three, my least favourite is 'Encore', which is still worthwhile and not because it's bad, just that the other two's segments were more consistent and higher individually in quality. It's uneven but as was said with 'Quartet' and 'Trio' that was not unexpected, considering the usual standard of anthologies (am not meaning this in a derogatory manner). Like 'Trio', 'Encore' is made up of three segments, starting with "The Ant and the Grasshopper" and finishing with "Gigolo and Gigolette" with "Winter Cruise" sandwiched in between.

Unlike 'Quartet' and 'Trio', there are moments of pedestrian direction, apparent in some of "The Ant and the Grasshopper" and on occasions, but only fleetingly in, "The Gigolo and the Gigolette". Found myself not the biggest fan of "The Ant and the Grasshopper", which was admittedly amusing and had great comic timing from especially Nigel Patrick in one of the film's standout performances.

The pacing did need more kick though, while the characters are rather too cynical, while not being as interesting as the rich characterisation in particularly the "Sanitorium" segment in 'Trio', and the ending is on the absurd side.

On the other hand, "Winter Cruise" is very entertaining, lifted by the delightful (if not working for everyone) turn of Kay Walsh having a ball, and with a touch of pathos. The longest segment "The Gigolo and the Gigolette" is not loved by all, though it has been considered the best of the three (my favourite actually is "Winter Cruise", but mostly the pace is fine, it is the most unpredictable of the three with an ending that one does not expect and one is treated to a good deal of emotion and especially tension before getting there.

Have no issues with the performances really and Maugham's writing shines just as much as it did in 'Quartet' and 'Trio', the insight, irony and charm frequently present though the lightness was more apparent in those two films. He again introduces and bookends the film and each segment and he delivers it with the same qualities he brought to 'Quartet' and 'Trio'. Like the previous two films, 'Encore' is pleasing visually and appropriately scored.

In conclusion, worthwhile end to a very interesting and well done trilogy of portmanteaus. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This movie was constructed from three short stories by Somerset Maugham and he also appears to introduce each of them. The third story "Gigolo and Gigolette" is by far the best as you are never quite sure what direction it is going in. Terrific tension. The middle story also has a neat twist at the end but it takes far too long to get there and its main protagonist (played by Kay Walsh) starts to irritate. The first story features a bunch of quite unlikable, selfish characters and I found it did not engage me at all. 4 out of 10 for the first, 6 out of 10 for the second and 8 out of 10 for the third for an average of 6 out of 10 for the whole effort.

This is another trio of Somerset Maugham's short stories. The first one has been wiped from my memory, it was exceedingly dull! The second one started off well, and ended splendidly, but started to drag in the middle. It's the 3rd and final tale that is the gem, centering on a daredevil girl who "dives from a height of 80 feet in 5 foot of flames" - her pool to land in is actually set alight! - and her boyfriend, who are trying to get some money together for a safe future, by her doing a most unsafe act. It will have you on the edge of your seat, guaranteed! Respectively, I give the three tales 3, 6, and 10 out of 10.

As the title implies, this follows "Quartet" and "Trio," the first two collections of Maugham stories. This one has three stories. The first story, "The Ant and the Grasshopper," has Patrick as a ne'er-do-well who mooches off his responsible brother. The second, "Winter Cruise," is the amusing tale of a few men caught on a long cruise with a Chatty Kathy (Walsh) who drives them crazy with her non-stop yapping. The final episode, "Gigolo and Gigolette," stars Johns as a performer whose act consists of jumping 80 feet into a pool of burning water, but she starts to lose her nerves; it is the longest and, for the most part, the least interesting of the three, although the ending is compelling.