La folle ingénue

"Cluny Brown" had quite an impact on me when I saw part of it as a child. I'm sure my feelings had to do with the luminous beauty of Jennifer Jones and wanting to be just like her when I grew up.

Jones has the title role of an imaginative young woman who, being the niece of a plumber, doesn't mind picking up a hammer herself once in a while and having a good whack at the pipes. It gets her into some trouble at the apartment of Hilary Ames (Reginald Sinclair) when she arrives before a party to clear out his sink before his guests arrive.

There she meets Adam Belinski, a Czech academician who's on the run from Hitler. Well, that's who the very earnest Andrew Carmel (Peter Lawford) assumes he is...Belinski never actually says.

When her uncle finds Cluny drunk and on the couch at the Ames apartment, he puts her into service. She winds up working at the Carmel country estate, where Belinski comes to stay.

Attracted to her, he sets about aggravating the local pharmacist, Mr. Wilson (Richard Haydn) who is courting Cluny, and getting involved with Andrew's romance with Betty Cream (Helen Walker).

This is a very sweet, light comedy from Lubitsch that touches on not only the class system in England but the attitude of the upper class toward the impending war. As in the Fox film "This Above All," the upper class in "Cluny Brown" seems annoyed by the mere thought of war and hope the nonsense will just go away. As for Cluny, born to her class, she's expected to work and behave a certain way, though it isn't really her nature.

The performances are all very good, with Boyer a delight as Belinski, a character perhaps modeled on the Czech freedom fighter Jan Mazurek - though he basically doesn't act in danger or worried and manages to hit Andrew up for money. One is never really sure throughout the film what he's up to.

Richard Haydn is hilarious as Cluny's suitor Mr. Wilson, one of the best scenes taking place when he plays the harmonium for her and she all but swoons. As his mother, all Una O'Connor does is cough, but that's all she needs to do.

Playing opposite boyish Peter Lawford, Helen Walker seemed too old for the part of Betty. The other supporting players are all excellent, including Sara Allgood, Reginald Owen, and Margaret Bannerman.

David O. Selznick saw Jennifer Jones in his outer office, and it was love at first sight. It's easy to see why. She is radiant and spirited as Cluny, her vivid imagination shining through her eyes and smile. A wonderful presence - gentle, vulnerable, and guileless.

"Cluny Brown" isn't at the top of Lubitsch's best - it's uneven and doesn't have enough of a plot. It's entertaining nonetheless, and the ending is pure joy.

Boy, here's a movie that is just crying out for a DVD release for its fans....and one with English subtitles on it. I would buy it immediately if it ever becomes available.

The attraction is simply Jennifer Jones doing what she does best: play a beautiful, sweet and innocent girl....the kind "you want to take home to momma!"

It must be all Jones that makes me desire to see this on DVD because (1) there really isn't much of a story here, which leads to some dry spots; (2) Charles Boyer's french accent is too tough to understand many times; (3) there is the usual mistaken-identity story which was so popular (and usually stupid) in old movies; (4) the cinematography isn't much; (5) most of the humor is so corny, it's stupid.

Yet, despite all the negatives above, this film is one I want to see again because Jones - "Cluny Brown" - plays one of the most likable, old-fashioned nice characters I've ever seen on film. It is as pretty as she ever looked and you'd be hard-pressed to find a sweeter more innocent character. She is just a pleasure to watch.

Rarely have I seen one person elevate a so-so movie to this degree.

Cluny Brown (1946)

"It's never too late for a cat." And this is the essence of the movie, a supposed satire on British manners pre-WWII, but more likely just a bit of delightful nonsense. The star for me is the delectable Jennifer Jones who is more than just a pretty decoration-she gives her role as a uninhibitted working class woman a kind of Audrey Hepburn freshness. Before Audrey Hepburn.

Charles Boyer is no doubt the most esteemed star here, but he's his usual self with a bit of forced charm. Director Lubitsch makes the whole scene quite delicious, so it's the big view that makes the small pieces click. (And this is what he is famous for, setting the European scene with a subtle, sharp eye.) There is humor here (it's a comedy, yes) but there is a kind of elegand disdain that is something more than that.

And it's beautifully filmed, by young (great) cinematographer Joe LaShelle.

What holds it all back for me is the writing, which is a kind of forced comedy, creating situations that are "made" for comedy. An awkward confrontation, an improbable entry of one character into another character's world. There is whispering and disbelief and nonchalance all mixed together in a way that is, in fact, lighthearted, but isn't as funny or bright as you would want.

And so the movie zips on, quite fun and lighthearted but always (for me) missing some basic gut humor or even a more trenchant critique of its subject, the British upper class. I did, I have to admit, love the ending, which was perhaps inevitable, but which pulled of a clever telling of the future of the leading characters. Fun, well done! And Jones is sublime even when she's goofy.

I loved this movie. Charles Boyer is always such a smooth actor. Im a sucker for a French accent. It was simple movie with a simple plot. Jennifer Jones was cute in the movie but not the best acting I've seen her do. I really liked her character though. I've watched this movie about 15 times and I cant really explain why, except that it makes me feel good. This is the kind of movie you want to watch if its a rainy, cold day outside and you can curl up with a cup of cocoa. The cocoa will warm your insides and the movie Cluny Brown will warm your heart. I will always treasure this sweet simple romantic comedy. Keep in mind that this is a very old movie and the purpose was for entertainment back then, not detailed plot twists. I think that this movie is worth watching, but don't stop after the first 15 minutes, it does get better. Just watch it!!!Trust me!!

... and the dialogue is just extraordinary.

Cluny Brown (Jennifer Jones) is a young English woman trying to find her place in life. She is quirky, outspoken, and she likes plumbing, mainly from watching her uncle be a plumber for years.

But she has to deal with the snobbery of all of the classes - the middle class represented in a village druggist, the servant class in the head servants in the house she works in, and the rich class. Since films of the time so often made fun of the rich, this one takes a different tack. The rich people are just agog over Czech intellectual and refugee Adam Belinski. They trip over themselves giving him money because it makes them feel like they are being a patron.

Cluny makes people uncomfortable because she does things that make her visible, when it seems that people want her to just disappear into the woodwork, to have no opinion or personality at all, including the village druggist who is considering marrying her. Belinski appreciates her fire and forwardness. He has a similar temperament, but because he is a man and an intellectual, nobody seems to mind the same behavior out of him.

I never cared for Peter Lawford in all of those collegiate MGM musical film roles, but here he is hilarious as the idealist son of a nobleman who is being treated badly by his steady girlfriend, Betty (Helen Walker), who refuses to give him clear signals as to where he stands.