Car of Dreams

This obscure bit of romantic silliness stars John Mills, the talented British actor who went on to many great dramatic roles in American films. The plot involves a factory girl (played by Grete Mosheim with her unexplained German accent) who loves to shop and ends up with a free Rolls-Royce. An obscure little gem full of art deco sets, anti--Great Depression optimism, and cheerful tunes, especially "Do a Little Good to Someone."

John Mills is a young bachelor, almost ready to give up on women. They know he's due to inherit a trombone factory, and just want him for his money. Then he suddenly becomes infatuated with a girl in the street (Vera), whom he follows into a Rolls-Royce showroom, not realising that she's a penniless fantasy-shopper who likes to act as though she's on a spending spree. Her friend Molly (played by Glennis Lorimer, used for years as the face of Gainsborough Pictures) chides her for her silly habit, and gets her a job working alongside her in the trombone factory.

In the showroom, Mills secretly arranges to buy the latest model and then pretends that it has been gifted to Vera as the lucky 10,000th visitor. But he overdoes the gesture, using his influence as the boss's son to organise a hefty pay-rise for Vera, which the other girls resentfully view as an exchange of favours. (She is the only one who doesn't know Mills' identity.) So everything goes wrong before anything comes right.

You could pin the date 1935 on this film without being told. The showroom manager shows John Mills how to drive a car in just a few brief gestures. (Driving-tests started later that year.) There are unconscious touches of Fred Astaire, with scenes of luxury life as deliberate escapism from the economic depression. Also of Wodehouse, who spent this year in Hollywood, exerting a surprisingly strong influence on screenwriting. Vera is played by a newly-arrived German-Jewish refugee Grete Mosheim, who must have felt at home with the songs by fellow-exile Mischa Spoliansky that pepper the story harmlessly enough. Even the use of back-projection, to provide unrealistic scenes of happy touring in the Rolls, is firmly of its time.

A light snack with no pretensions of being anything more. And good of its kind.

British attempt at American style romantic comedy. Doesn't really work but fun to watch for an early John Mills and the interesting Grete Mosheim. Ms Mosheim photographs beautifully in some shots and not at all well in others. Perhaps the cameraman or director lost interest at times ?

This isn't anything particularly special but if you fancy a fairly funny, good-natured and well made typical English mid-thirties rom-com, this is for you. It won't make you laugh but it will make you smile.

Don't worry that the story is completely crazy - nobody else involved does. The absurd silly humour feels typically English and yet this is actually based on an earlier Hungarian film. Perhaps that Englishness is because it was adapted for G-B by Stafford Dickens (no relation) who did a few Will Hay and Jessie Matthews comedies.

You're likely to forget this a couple of hours after watching it but - assuming you like daft old English comedies particularly silly farces and Will Hay as opposed to the slightly more sophisticated (and often un-funny) Ealing comedies - you'll enjoy it while you're watching it.

For what it is, it's absolutely fine and delivers a happy and cheerful mood straight into your head and into your heart. You also get to hear why you don't see John Mills singing in anything else! And one thing which does make this unique it it gives you a rare chance to see the former toast of Berlin's theatre scene (until the Nazis took over), Grete Mosheim in her only English speaking picture.

For the purist pointer-outer, Molly wasn't Vera's sister, she was her friend so it didn't matter what kind of accent either girl had. "Vera", in point of fact, had an accent that was closely matched by her "father" (a man who reminds me of Felix Bressart).

OK, with that aside. This is a lovely fun movie with no pretenses whatsoever. The music is hummable and sticks with you after the film is over. The dialogue is witty and snappy ("Up goes her money, bang goes her reputation.") John Mills has a nice tenor voice and looks as if he is thoroughly enjoying himself. All the cast looks as if they are having fun and couldn't wait to get to the set each day.

The back-projection is no worse than any other picture of the period.

It has high production values. Very nice costumes and makeup.

The thought of the movie brings a smile to my face even as I'm commenting about it.