Encore

This movie was constructed from three short stories by Somerset Maugham and he also appears to introduce each of them. The third story "Gigolo and Gigolette" is by far the best as you are never quite sure what direction it is going in. Terrific tension. The middle story also has a neat twist at the end but it takes far too long to get there and its main protagonist (played by Kay Walsh) starts to irritate. The first story features a bunch of quite unlikable, selfish characters and I found it did not engage me at all. 4 out of 10 for the first, 6 out of 10 for the second and 8 out of 10 for the third for an average of 6 out of 10 for the whole effort.

The last of three films taking several Somerset Maugham short stories and getting them up on the screen (the other two were "Quartet" and "Trio"), this one again is a mixed bag, and there seems to be no agreement among commentators about which stories are superior. For me, I'll agree with most of the critics who say that the opener, "The Ant and the Grasshopper," is pretty slim pickins, especially as its ending is too absurd to be credible. But the next story, "Winter Cruise" is a remarkably beautiful effort. In some ways it shares a lot of the plot of "Mr. Know-All" in the second movie, "Trio." A passenger (this time female) makes everyone on board the ship uncomfortable and a little annoyed by her constant talking. And again, as in "Mr. Know-All," it's surprising how nicely the unlucky people who have to put up with her behave toward her -- very civilized, very polite. And finally, like "Mr. Know-All," there is a wonderful turn of events that puts the best light on everything and everyone. Only this time, the whole business is ratcheted up considerably. For me it was the gem of all three movies. The final story, "Gigolo and Gigolette," was less interesting to me, as the plot was so specific it was hard to generalize any moral from it. But it did allow the movie to go out with a bang. I also felt the actress playing the gigolette was sleepwalking through her part (and I've enjoyed her in other movies). With this movie the Maugham franchise was spent. The three movies, taken as a whole, were okay, but I wouldn't be upset if I had to leave this mortal coil without having seen them.

The easiest way to describe this is to say that if you liked the Alfred Hitchcock TV series, you'll like this. In both tone, content, presentation, and humor it is practically a dead ringer for that venerable program, right down to the witty monologues by author Somerset Maugham preceding each vignette. Even the suspense generated in the third story seems to be a melody taken straight from the Hitchcock repertoire. Probably the only really noticeable difference is the gentler treatment of the characters than is common with Hitch's work. Very entertaining example of that genre -- and several years before that series hit the air.

Sumerset Maughm has always been one of my favorite novelists. He has the ability to present human struggles among all classes, especially significant because of the rigid, British class system in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when he lived and wrote. All three of the stories told in "Encore," present completely different types of people facing compelling personal problems. I disagree with some of the other respondents who claim "Encore" is a flawed film. All three of the stories in this movie are equally compelling in that they manage to capture the humanity in even the most unlikely, odd characters. The dialog is witty, the acting superb. The audience grows fond of the characters, as they develop. Maughm weaves humor, tension, romance and irony together in a masterful way to create unique worlds alive with life lessons for us all. If you have the opportunity to watch "Encore," you won't be sorry you did.

As the title implies, this follows "Quartet" and "Trio," the first two collections of Maugham stories. This one has three stories. The first story, "The Ant and the Grasshopper," has Patrick as a ne'er-do-well who mooches off his responsible brother. The second, "Winter Cruise," is the amusing tale of a few men caught on a long cruise with a Chatty Kathy (Walsh) who drives them crazy with her non-stop yapping. The final episode, "Gigolo and Gigolette," stars Johns as a performer whose act consists of jumping 80 feet into a pool of burning water, but she starts to lose her nerves; it is the longest and, for the most part, the least interesting of the three, although the ending is compelling.