Três Destinos

W. Somerset Maugham appears as narrator to three divergent tales of his. The first two are of the comic variety and the third is a tender romance laced with looming tragedy.

James Hayter and Kathleen Harrison are a church janitor and his landlady whom after he is fired from his job proposes marriage to her and she agrees. Hayter and her go into business with a tobacconist shop and they do quite well. They've prospered so much that bank manager Felix Aylmer has a serious talk about the bank investing some of his considerable deposits. No thank you is Hayter's answer and he reveals a secret. All I'll say is that behind every good man there is a good woman.

I guarantee you will love Nigel Patrick's performance as the boorish nouveau riche lout that everyone on the cruise ship he's on shudders when he comes near. One of those who is an expert on everything. Only Wilfrid Hyde-White who is his cabin roommate can't avoid him. But when it comes to a matter of discretion regarding Anne Crawford, Patrick shows he has some grace.

The last is a tender romance at a tubercular sanitarium in Scotland. A couple of patients Jean Simmons and Michael Rennie fall in love. They are as opposite as can be. Simmons hasn't seen much of the world and Rennie is a high living rake whose hedonistic ways have caught up with him. Sometimes Maugham writes himself into his stories and here Roland Culver plays a version of him. It's through his eyes we see the story unfold. In any event Simmons and Rennie make a life altering decision.

You'll laugh pretty good at the first two stories especially at Nigel Patrick. And the third would reduce a Medusa to tears.

A fine film from British Gainsborough films that holds up well.

My favourite of this obscure series is Mr Knowall. Nigel Patrick gives a professional performance as the irritable , but ultimately likeable Mr kalada... the final sequences are wonderfully constructed and tense.

Two years earlier, the film Quartet showcased four W. Somerset Maugham short stories, each introduced by the very charming and humorous author. In 1950, Trio was released, and three more Maugham stories were brought to the big screen.

The first two stories, "The Verger" and "Mr. Know All", were very delightful. Cute, with recognizable character actors like Kathleen Harrison and Wilfrid Hyde-White, and each containing surprise twists to add to the plot. I adored the first two stories, and looked forward to "The Sanatorium", hoping it would be just as enjoyable. To my surprise, it wasn't at all like the preceding two stories. A strict drama, it took place in a tuberculosis sanatorium, exploring the lives of each ill patient. This one could have easily been expanded to the length of a feature film; the supporting characters were all so interesting, I wished they'd been given more time to explore their motivations and story lines. The main storyline was the romance between Jean Simmons and Michael Rennie, but even though they were given the most screen time, I still would have wished for more character development and twists and turns in the plot.

All in all, I'd recommend a viewing of Trio, but if your tastes lean towards cute rather than tragic, I'd recommend you only watch the first two stories. They're very sweet. On the other hand, if you'd like to watch a sad story, you can skip the first two and watch only the last. That's the great thing about a short story compilation; there's something for everyone!

Somerset Maugham introduces three short stories that he has authored. The first two are particularly humorous and uplifting and a bit ironic and they are also very short at about 20 minutes each. The first concerns a man over 50 who is fired by the church for which he works because he cannot read and refuses to learn. At first blush he'd seem to be too stubborn for his own good, but he turns out to be more adaptable than his former employer could ever dream. The second involves a fellow with a tremendous ego who at the same time is very generous as he takes a shipboard journey. In the end he must choose between his generosity and his ego as his dominant trait.

The third tale, at about 40 minutes in length, had the potential to be the downbeat one in the bunch and doesn't sound that intriguing at first - it involves the lives of a group of sufferers of "consumption" - tuberculosis - that are being treated in a sanatorium, which was a long term process prior to the introduction of antibiotics. This one turns out to be as upbeat as a story could possibly be in such a setting. The practical in me has me asking a couple of questions that go unanswered. First, there are several patients who may or may not be recovered who apparently have set this place up as their home of preference since they have been there so long and have made social ties they do not wish to break. Why would any doctor of scruples allow this to go on? The sanatorium is spacey and charming and doesn't seem at all medical or antiseptic, so I can see how lonely people with an illness in common wouldn't want to leave, but it seems like it would be the doctor's obligation to force the patients back out into the real world once cured. Second, since apparently recovery takes months or years, who is paying for all of this? Money never comes into the equation as a concern for any of the patients.

I'd recommend this one. Some of Maugham's work can be dark and depressing but these three stories are quite uplifting.

Not everybody may like W Somerset Maugham's writing, have seen criticisms of it not holding up well. For me though, have always appreciated it for its sharp prose, charm and insight. Don't feel his work has been adapted enough on film, but when it is it's interesting to view. Particular examples being the three films in the portmanteau trilogy 'The Aesop's Fables Maugham Concerto Trilogy'.

Of which the second is 1950's 'Trio', sandwiched between 1948's 'Quartet' and 1951's 'Encore'. Said for 'Quartet' that all three films are well worth watching, with that film being my personal favourite due to the sublime "The Colonel's Lady". And that is definitely true for 'Trio', this time comprising of three segments, "The Verger", "Mr Know-All" and "Sanitorium". Like 'Quartet', it's not even all the way through but considering the type of film it is (where there is always going to be at least segment that is not as good as the others), that's not surprising. Again though it is a very good film with little to criticise as an overall whole.

The only big criticism is that from personal opinion the Raymond Huntley and Betty Ann Davies part of "Sanitorium" is somewhat on the melodramatic side. The film felt slightly too short.

However, the good things far outweigh and they are numerous and big. Of the three segments my personal favourite, like others here, is the charmingly ironic and amusing "Mr Know-All" thanks to the comic talents of Nigel Patrick. Have much praise too for the truly poignant Jean Simmons and Michael Rennie portion of "Sanitorium" thanks to the rich character development of those two characters and the truly beautiful way Simmons and Rennie play their roles. One shouldn't overlook "Mr Verger", with James Hayter and Kathleen Harrison on sparkling form. The quality of the performances are a major asset here.

As is the beautifully balanced writing in distinctive Maugham style, the charm, the insight, the ironic humour are all there with the last being especially well done and a major reason as to why "Mr Know-All" so well as a segment. For such short stories, it is hard not to marvel at how well written the characters are, especially Simmons' and Rennie's. Maugham himself introduces and bookends thoughtfully and the Oscar nomination for Best Sound is hardly inexplicable, though actually don't consider it the very best asset of 'Trio'. Like 'Quartet', 'Trio' is beautifully made and directed, with things never becoming dull or directed with too much of a heavy hand, the lightness present in 'Quartet' present here too.

Overall, really enjoyed this too. 8/10 Bethany Cox