Sempre Viva

I must add to the other raves on this page. This is an utterly charming and delightful film, derived from the London production of a Rodgers and Hart musical. Sadly, only three of their songs are retained, but one is the classic DANCING ON THE CEILING. Five songs by Henry M. Woods and others fill out the score.

Matthews is a sheer delight, reminding me of Joan Collins, Julie Andrews, Jane Wyatt and Jennifer Jones, all rolled into one.

The plot is cute and its twists and turns are fun. It moves swiftly with marvelous performances and the cinematography, art direction and editing are all top notch.

I saw an impeccable print on Turner. Highly recommended to all musical film enthusiasts.

The order of songs as they appear in the film:

DADDY WOULDN'T BUY ME A BOW WOW (Tabrar) I WOULDN'T LEAVE MY LITTLE WOODEN HUT (Collins/Mellor) A LITTLE SPRINGTIME IN YOUR HEART (Woods) IF I GIVE IN TO YOU (Rodgers/Hart) TINKLE, TINKLE, TINKLE (Woods) DEAR DEAR (Rodgers/Hart) DANCING ON THE CEILING (Rodgers/Hart) OVER MY SHOULDERR (Woods)

Most of the reviews on this page seem to be coming from experienced viewers of the period with much broader knowledge of 30s musicals than I have. My viewing experience of the 30s doesn't extend out much past Errol Flynn, and while his swashbuckling style bears a vague resemblance to more recent times, I can assuredly say that this movie is of a completely different style to anything else I've ever seen. I suspect that modern audiences will have trouble appreciating the songs and dance routines, as the world has moved on several times over since then and these days expects something quite different for it's entertainment. I would like to think however, that any person born of a more recent generation (I'm 37 at the time of writing) viewing a movie from this period would have respect for the historical importance of such an opportunity. At the very least it is a glimpse at our world dating back 75 years, and very recently restored and transferred to DVD by Network media (25 May 2009). So what is my interest in this particular film? Quite simply; Jessie Matthews. I regard her as the most beautiful and charming woman I have ever seen on screen, and that is taking into account all modern day actresses. She is a complete natural with comedy, and despite a large portion of Evergreen's 90 minutes being devoted to singing and dancing, Jessie's comedic ability still gets a chance to shine through. Furthermore, while I find it difficult to appreciate the musical side of the production, I can safely say that there is never a moment when Jessie does not look perfectly suited to the task of both singer and dancer. I found the plot to be a little silly but still entertaining, and in fact the 90 minutes run time felt more like 60 by the time the film had come to an end. I would dearly love to see all of Jessie's films released on DVD, and can only hope that the company decides to do so, and I also hope that there is a large audience out there that can still appreciate a glimpse of a different world.

I have just seen a pristine print of this film on a large cinema screen and it was a real delight. For English readers, Jesse Matthews is best known as a radio soap star, but in this film she shows she was first a dancer, then a comedienne (her timing is excellent) and then a singer. The radio work came later. Her dancing is superb. Recall the dancing days and looks of Una Stubbs then add the radiant beauty of a young Joan Collins... For American readers, there is a brief on screen appearance by the choreographer, unable to obtain credit for his work in the Busby-Berkeley movies for which he did so much. The big dance numbers are superb. The story somehow works and there is an energy and sense of fun which does much to entertain. No bad language. No nudity- but Matthews dancing is quite sensuous enough. Lovely family film. Try to see it if the new print appears near you. And surely there must be a DVD release soon... (perhaps from the BFI).

Evergreen is an old evergreen favourite of mine, now 70 years young and rising. Jessie Matthews sparkles but as usual Sonnie Hale tinkles.

It's got a typically bizarre 30's British film plot, but it's handled in a defter way than was usual to help suspend your disbelief for the required 90 minutes. Illegitimate 20 yo daughter of deceased famous Music Hall singer comes from obscurity to impersonate her and gains fame as a result, the decent looking chap she's falling for (and vv) finds himself having to impersonate her non-existent son while her real father comes out of the woodwork after 20 years and starts to blackmail them. And for thousands of pounds a time in todays money - nice man!

Of course this is all merely filler for the Rodgers & Hart songs, none greater than Dancing On The Ceiling, a sublime and surreal 4 minutes than grows more beautiful every time I see it. Jessie never used her beautiful cut glass voice to better effect. She was supposed to be a great dancer but I've not seen any evidence of it yet in her films, but this is probably as close as she ever will come to impressing me in that department. I'm always mindful of Dirk Bogarde's personal assessment of her dancing talents in the BBC documentary about her that he narrated in the early '90's that she was better than Ginger Rogers, and that she was a success in the US because of this. Again, Rogers had her own style - maybe Jessie was better in a chorus line; to me she danced like an ostrich on an escalator, her flying feet competition only to Charlotte Greenwood or Jackie Chan. Having said that, I could watch her films until the cows came home, they're all pleasant with good music, good dancing and good stories - sometimes!

Watch this and marvel - that anyone as vital as she could die in obscurity in a nursing home and be buried unmarked in an obscure cemetery.

Wonderful 30s British musical based on a show by Rodgers and Hart that never played on Broadway.

Jessie Matthews stars as Harriet Green, the toast of the London stage in the early 1900s when she suddenly retires and disappears in South Africa because she has an illegitimate child by a man who is blackmailing her. 30 years later a young actress is making the rounds and is discovered because she is a dead ringer for old Harriet. Of course she is the daughter.

But a desperate producer (Sonnie Hale) and a publicity man (Barry McKay) come up with a plan to foist the girl off as the original, ageless Harriet (evergreen). She is a sensation. But her success causes all sorts or problems when the blackmailer returns and when McKay falls in love with her (after he has been proclaimed to be her son!).

Fanciful plot is far-fetched, but the cast is excellent in this terrific musical by two American greats. And Jessie Matthews is superb. She was a major musical comedy star of the British stage and screen from the 20s through WW II. And she is incandescent here in her best film.

This is maybe the most Hollywood-looking musical the Brits produced in the 1930s. Matthews has one great production number when as old Harriet she does a succession of dance numbers, each one going back ten years to the 1890s. In between each number she flips a giant hour glass to denote the passage of time.

Matthews was a great dancer and singer and in EVERGREEN she was never better. She has another great number in "Dancing on the Ceiling" in which she shows her famous high kicks and arched back moves. Hale (her husband) and McKay are also good. Betty Balfour as Maudie has an hysterical bit when she does an aria from "Rigoletto." My VHS copy has bad sound but it's a terrific old film and a chance to see the legendary Jessie Matthews in her best role.