Lease of Life

The very frailty of Robert Donat who suffered from asthma his entire life was never more in evidence than in Lease Of Life. In this film Donat plays a country vicar as if Mr. Chips had decided to take up the ministry.

The very title of the film says in no uncertain terms we do not own life itself. It's something we're granted a lease on and it's up to us to try and do as much as we can for ourselves, our families, and for the whole of life itself.

Donat knows something that no one else does that his lease on his capacity to breathe may get terminated very soon. What he's determined to do is make his life count in every conceivable way. With an invitation to speak at an Eton like prep school's graduation he gets such an opportunity and a bit of notoriety as well.

Domestically Donat's major problem is putting together enough money for his daughter Adrienne Corri's musical education. She's a piano prodigy, but the living that a country parson has might not be sufficient to pay her way. That leads wife Kay Walsh to do something very stupid out of her concern.

Lease Of Life is a gentle film about the life of an Anglican parson in a country village. No frills, no outrageous characters as one normally gets in an Ealing film. The people are quite real with all the strengths, foibles, and weaknesses we all have.

Most of all it has Robert Donat and given that his health limited his film work the chance to see him at all should never be missed.

A cruelly ironic title, since Robert Donat - still only in his forties but looking sixty - is visibly dying, thus reinforcing - in Charles Barr's words - the "moving kind of bleakness" of this Ealing cross between 'Le Corbeau' and 'Diary of a Country Priest'.

With a suitably melancholy score by Alan Rawsthorne; through the camera of Douglas Slocombe, Ealing's first production in the new marvel of 'Eastman Colour' (sic) handsomely creates on location in Lincolnshire the deceptively pretty little parish of Gilchester (as well as vividly displaying a young Adrienne Corri's Titian mane as Donat's vibrant young daughter), which beneath it's picturesque facade throbs with intrigue and venality; it's poisonous passions ignited by Donat's unguarded sermon addressed to his flock.

Lease of Life is an ironic title as this was the second to last movie made by its star, Robert Donat.

He plays the Reverend William Thorne, a vicar in a small Yorkshire village.

He and his wife Vera live a modest lifestyle on a vicar's salary. Their daughter Susan is a gifted pianist who is on the verge of a place at a music school in London. If she obtains a scholarship, her tuition fees will be paid but her parents will need to pay for her accomodation and they cannot afford it.

Suddenly Reverend Thorne falls ill and is told by the doctor that he has a year to live at the most.

Now looking at life differently. He gives a sermon at a cathedral which is different from his original intentions. It causes both consternation and praise as the Reverend wants people to disobeying rule and enjoying life a bit more.

He even makes the press headlines. In fact his wife Vera gets the wrong end of that sermon. As she borrows £100 that was given to the reverend on trust by a dying parishioner.

Donat is excellent. This is just a small scale soapy melodrama though. Not that exciting and the script needed much more work.

"We shall not see each other again I think, farewell...". Those last words spoken on screen in 1958 by the grand Robert Donat in "Inn of the 6th Happiness", were to also prove true in life. This sterling Oscar winning performer was truly a one of a kind screen personality. Judy Garland claimed him as her favorite actor, and he cited the great Paul Muni as one of his favorites. How sad then that this remarkable performer suffered from an almost incomprehensible lack of confidence, combined with acute asthma, that eventually weakened him, contributing to his death.

Most every major studio, and director, strove to convince him to take the lead roles in numerous productions - most he would decline. Many American film makers went to the UK (the land he called home) just to have him take the lead in their movies (who can forget him as "The Count of Monte Cristo" from 1934!). Seems such a pity he chose to live in a British climate, had he lived elsewhere he may have enjoyed better health. Without the medications we now take for granted, his life was reduced to fear and suffering.

"Lease of Life" marked his return to the screen following several years of ill health. It was a role tailor made for him, as the unassuming pastor in a Yorkshire village. His stylish, strong flow of delivery belied the difficulty this must have presented him. Award nominated writer Eric Ambler: (The Cruel Sea '53 ~ Night to Remember '58 ~ Mask of Dimitrios '44) created a story that was both quiet, and forceful at the same time - perfect for this extraordinary actor. His wife played by Kay Walsh (Stage Fright '50) is admirable in her role of a woman longing for more of life's finery. Scottish born beauty (of Italian parents) Adrienne Corri (Dr Zhivago '65 ~ The River '51 ~ Scrooge '70) gives strong support as their youthful daughter.

Award winning director of photography: Douglas Slocombe (Indiana Jones: several entries in that series ~ Jesus Christ Super star '73 ~ The Great Gatsby '74) provides former editor turned director, Charles Frend (Scott of the Antarctic '48 ~ The Cruel Sea '53) with glorious Technicolor images. Symphonic composer Alan Rawsthorne (Pandora and the Flying Dutchman '51) provides the suitably staunch score. The film is edited by Peter Tanner who also gave flowing style to the highly interesting 'Pool of London' in 1951. Award winning art director Jim Moraham (Train of Events '50 ~ The Blue Lamp '50) adds fine touches of aesthetic detail. A team of quality film makers give much to this somewhat under appreciated, and rarely seen feature. May be a little quiet (slow) for some, but those looking for quality, should be well rewarded for their patience.

Again, I caught this classic on local Australian TV channel Gem, who treated it with the same level of contempt they show to those who have chosen to tune in...reducing it to nothing more than a devise to force their inane promotions down viewer's throats, filling it with annoying 'pop-ups' and intrusive over sized station graphics. I'll be looking for a DVD so I won't need to suffer this channel's childish lack of presentation style again. Will they ever learn?!

A nice drama about a Vicar whose daughter has the chance to study music in London, but money is tight. Robert Donat plays the vicar, and there is a wonderful joke about 'The 39 Steps' in opening part of this movie and Kay Walsh plays the vicar's wife. The acting is good, as is the plot. Film fact - The daughter is played by Adrienne Corri whose most infamous film role was the rape victim in Kubrick's 'A Clockwork Orange'.