The Good Companions

I always preferred this film to the book – although Priestley was an accessible and clever writer his sub-Dickens style and standard left wing leanings (ie support of state capitalism and not socialism) put me off a little. And of course on a much more important if shallower level to me the 25 year old Jessie Matthews was the main thing in here!

Four separate people in provincial Britain are on the tramp to somewhere after leaving their homes, jobs etc to search for life and adventure. They all converge at Rawsley in the Midlands on a jolly pierrot troupe on its last legs called the Dinky Doos, join them and eventually turn their fortunes around as The Good Companions … after it starts raining. There's an endless great British cast, most notably simple Jess Oakroyd from Bruddersford (surely Bradford/Huddersfield?) who was played by avuncular Edmund Gwenn with an OTT Yorkshire accent and talented Inigo Jollifant by angular John Geilgud with an OTT Cambridge accent. The rising star of the troupe Susie Dean was played by lovely Jessie Matthews who had two spellbinding songs, Three Wishes sung with Geilgud and a magically tear-struck Let Me Give My Happiness To You – the money shots are her close ups during this! There was a fine orchestral accompaniment throughout and with only occasionally hokey lapses the production was superb. The solitary message is plain: working together to overcome adversity for a common purpose - even though the ending is altered from the book the various outcomes are the same.

Altogether a memorable film for the non-serious looking for innocuous entertainment from another world, the serious should stick to the book as Priestley's works are Art. Absolutely!

Story of disparate characters who "run away" from their unhappy lives and who by chance all meet up with a broke and stranded troupe of musical entertainers. They band together, the show goes on, and they all find what they were looking for.

At 112 minutes, it seems longer than most British "musicals" of the time but the story stretches out at a leisurely pace to a surprising and satisfying conclusion.

Chief among the delights here are Jessie Matthews, John Gielgud, Edmund Gwenn, and Mary Glynne. Matthews plays Susie Dean (star of tomorrow ... or the day after) and although she is not the solo star, this ranks among her best performances. Gielgud and Gwenn are terrific (and never looked younger) as the music teacher and laid-off worker, and Glynne shines as the wallflower who blossoms in the group of good companions.

Also in cast Finlay Currie, A.K. Baskcomb, and a very young Jack Hawkins as Albert. Directed by Victor Saville.

The climactic benefit show that features Matthews amid the turmoil is a terrific sequence, and its conclusion and follow-up scene are just plain wonderful.

Jessie Matthews made a number of very charming British musicals during the thirties. (One of the better ones, FIRST A GIRL, an early version of VICTOR/VICTORIA, has just been released on video.) But THE GOOD COMPANIONS is not a musical, although it has musical sequences, nor is it really a Matthews vehicle, though she's prominently featured and outstanding.

It's a marvellous adaptation of J. B. Priestly's story of three individuals who are prodded by events into taking to the open road and who subsequently meet up with each other and a small troupe of entertainers called the Dinky Doos. The introductory sequence for each of the characters is delightful and meticulously detailed. Perhaps the best is Edmund Gwenn's; after a lifetime with the company he is sacked and decides to leave his shrewish wife. Gwenn has a wonderful great thick Midlands accent here; when checking a car that won't start, he finds the problem to be "mooky ploogs" (mucky spark plugs). This short sequence is so detailed, with characters so fully drawn (including a young Jack Hawkins) it could have made up a whole film. John Gielgud (in his first film) is a master at a threadbare school run by a tight-lipped puritanical battle-ax, who catches him mimicking her husband. Mary Glynne has spent her life nursing her invalid father; when he dies she decides to spend her small inheritance on the road before accepting a life of drudgery. Each of the three have amusing adventures on the road (some delightful plot construction here) before all winding up in the same tea room with the stranded Dinky Doos. They all decide, over a shared evening meal, to join together and form a new group called "The Good Companions." As they travel around England, Jessie Matthews (one of the Doos) gets larger and larger billing. (At first, one thinks she'll be a minor player in this early film, since she's not "featured" in the early group scenes, but it seems to have been a creative decision to have the most important character gradually insinuate herself into the film.) Finally, Gielgud gets music publisher-impresario Finlay Currie ("Me, in person, not a moving picture") to see the show, and, after further complications, Matthews and Gielgud are headed for the big time.

In so many of her films, Matthews plays an ingenue waiting to be discovered, and never for a moment does one feel that this is a writer's convention as is so often the case (think Joan Crawford's "dancing" being discovered in DANCING LADY). Jessie Matthews' ability and magnetism are so evident there's just no question that when the right person finally sees her perform her star quality will be instantly recognized. This was never more true than in THE GOOD COMPANIONS, where Matthews' vitality, youth, sex appeal and talent absolutely light up the film! Like every aspect of this film, the romance between Gielgud and Matthews is remarkable to behold.

She's so strong willed, so incandescent, Gielgud seems almost afraid to burn his fingers, yet dares to hold his own.

As with only the finest fairy tale fantasies, this is absolutely grounded in the real world, filled with sharp, rich characterizations and the details of its time and place. The episodic plot is sentimental yet honest, romantic yet realistic. The performances, from major to minor players, are uniformly excellent. But it's Priestly's story and Victor Saville's superb direction that make this a special experience. The film has a miraculous quality about it, a mysterious perfection that's like no other film I can think of. Of the thousands of films I've seen in the last fifty years this one of my very favorites. I've seen it twice theatrically and am eagerly looking forward to the video release so I can watch it again and again.

This is a modern or modernish true to life fairy story where everyone lives happily ever after. No magic is needed, there's no fairy godmothers or witches with special potions, all that's needed is optimism, the optimism of ordinary people.

This tale of unbridled optimism was just what the doctor ordered when JB Priestley wrote it in 1929 and when it was subsequently filmed during the depths of the Great Depression. People knew that things were probably going to get worse before they got better and that nobody was coming along with a bag of magic beans for them. This film was the equivalent to a self-help book with the slightly radical message: follow your dreams and hope for the best! A far cry from the more established: 'know your place, keep your head down, listen to your betters and do what you've always been doing' kind of advice; so much so that in later years JBP got on MI5's 'persons of interest' list.

The other strong message in this film is to have faith in each other. The vast, vast majority of people in the world are nice and that's reflected in this where indeed everyone in it is nice. Put your cynicism to one side and accept that there are no nasty, vindictive or selfish people - even the lorry thieves are fairly pleasant! The other big message is that everyone, irrespective of which class they're from, are all equal and can all get on together as good companions. It's a lovely idea and although a little naïve, as you see the troop bonding together, you do begin to feel their sense of joy and optimism, you will find yourself smiling.

But we're not living through the economic Depression now (!?) and all social classes are treated and respected equally now (!?) so why bother watching this?

OK, it's not one of the greats and it's not what you could call thrilling, exciting or even emotionally gripping but it is quite fun. It's a charming, entertaining and heart-warming story with characters you will care about.

It's also fascinating to see how the country looked ninety years ago. There's so much to see on the streets - even the old adverts - who knew for example that OXO used to make chocolate!!!

It's also fascinating to see or rather to hear how we spoke ninety years ago - Jessie Matthews is not meant to be particularly posh but she does seem to have the same accent as the late Queen! Despite having what sounds to us now a comically bizarre and affected accent (which at the time must have been considered normal) it's not just because she is so incredibly pretty, she has a genuine likeability which instantly captivates you. Like Joan Blondell on the other side of the water, she has that rarest of natural gifts, one which she doesn't seem to have to work at: star quality. Although she is only one of this film's several lead-parts, she is one of the chief reasons to watch it, simply because she is just so adorable.

This film was made by Victor Saville so you can be assured that it's a well-made motion picture with realistic acting and his trademark attention to detail. It's not fast moving but that gentle pace is deliberate to allow you to get to know this charming bunch of run-aways and dreamers. It's hard to categorize this one: it's not a straight drama - maybe a whimsical drama? It's not a musical but there are a few songs in it (none of which you will want to remember though). It's not a comedy but there's some great banter and some quite subtle examples of English humour hidden in the script. "I've always dreamed of going down south, somewhere like...Bedfordshire!" that made me laugh. There are just a couple of things which could have been improved: one is that the inexplicably famous (not funny, just irritating) comedian Max Miller makes a small cameo - fortunately only for a couple of minutes. The other negative, which might sound sacrilegious is that Jessie Matthews does sing a little (her acting is brilliant, her dancing is beyond sensual but her singing, the thing which actually made her famous, is what some people might call in 'a style that's no longer in fashion' or what I'd call painful to listen to). If you watch this however the sheer delightful magic of this film and the fizzy and fuzzy warmth of Jessie Matthews will make you so enamoured with her that you honestly wouldn't mind if she asked if she could scream a high pitched note at 130dB direct into your ear.

There's actually something really quite plausible about this film. It all centres around people who are restless. Unsettled. They need a change in their lives, so leave homes and families and set off on a pilgrimage. For what? Well they don't really know - it's going to be what ever fate throws at them. As we encounter the characters, there's a sense that this might be quite a lively adventure. Edmund Gwenn ("Jess") is from Yorkshire whom you might not expect to gel well with the prim and proper "Jollifant" (John Gielgud). You might expect neither to get on with the lively, but green, "Susie" (Jessie Matthews) but thrive they do. Based on JB Priestley's 1929 novel, this film has a certain feel good factor to it. That not long after the national recovery from the atrocities of the Great War this was probably a tonic that was much needed. It also demonstrates nicely the variety of talents at the the disposal of the likes of Gwenn and Gielgud whom, along with Matthews, can hold a tune well enough as their "Dinky Doos" prove that teamwork and pulling together are usually the most effective way to success - or, at least, to survival! There's plenty of situation humour here and the characters have a little bit of everyone in them - some of that good, some not so. At times it's a bit random, but that does it no harm - it keeps it from becoming a predictable drama, and that's what makes it that bit more entertaining.