Trio

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

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.

Given the title, this first follow-up to QUARTET (1948) obviously reduces the number of W. Somerset Maugham stories which comprise the film. The author still turns up to introduce the episodes, but there’s no epilogue this time around; by the way, while the script of the original compendium gave sole credit to R.C. Sheriff, here Maugham himself also lent a hand in the adaptation, as well as Noel Langley (though it’s unclear whether they contributed one segment each or else worked in unison). As can be expected, much of the crew of QUARTET has been retained for the second installment – though this also extends to at least three cast members, namely Naunton Wayne, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Felix Aylmer (the last two had bit parts in the episode from QUARTET entitled “The Colonel’s Lady”). While TRIO ultimately emerges to be a lesser achievement than its predecessor (slightly unbalanced by the third story which takes up more than half the running-time), it’s still done with the utmost care, acted with verve by a stellar cast and is solidly enjoyable into the bargain.

“The Verger” tells of a church sexton (James Hayter) – for which the story’s title is another word – who’s dismissed after 17 years of service by the new parish priest (Michael Hordern) simply because he’s illiterate. Rather than rest on his laurels, despite his age, he not only takes a wife (his landlady, played by Kathleen Harrison) but opens a tobacconist shop strategically placed in a lengthy stretch of road where no such service is offered – and, with business flourishing, this is developed into a whole chain. The last scene, then, sees him pay a visit to bank manager Felix Aylmer who, not only is surprised to learn of Hayter’s lack of education, but is prompted to ask him what his other interests were – to which the wealthy (and respected) tobacconist replies, with some measure of irony, that he had the calling to be a verger!

The second episode, “Mr. Know-All”, is the shortest but also perhaps the most engaging: a voyage at sea is utterly beleaguered by the insufferable presence of a pompous young man (Nigel Patrick), British despite his foreign-sounding name of Kelada, who professes to be an authority on virtually every subject under the sun. Naunton Wayne and Wilfrid Hyde-White are the two passengers who have to put up with him the most – the latter because he shares a cabin with the man and the former in view of Patrick’s attentions to his pretty wife (Anne Crawford). During a fancy-dress party, however, the passengers decide to enact their ‘revenge’ on Kelada by having one of them impersonate him (a jest which he naturally doesn’t appreciate)!; still, it’s here that he contrives to show a decent side to his character – told by Crawford that the necklace she’s wearing is an imitation, Wayne challenges Patrick to name its price…but the latter realizes immediately that it’s the genuine article and that this would compromise Crawford’s position if he were to tell, so Kelada allows himself to be publicly ridiculed rather than expose the fact that the woman probably has a secret admirer!

As can also be deduced from the title, “Sanatorium” deals with the myriad patients at such a place – run by Andre' Morell; the protagonist is a new intern, Roland Culver, who wistfully observes the various goings-on. The narrative, in fact, highlights in particular three separate strands of plot – one humorous (the ‘feud’ between two aged Scots long resident at the sanatorium, played by Finlay Currie and John Laurie), one melodramatic (the erratic relationship between disgruntled patient Raymond Huntley and long-suffering but devoted wife Betty Ann Davies) and one bittersweet (the romance between naïve but charming Jean Simmons and dashing cad Michael Rennie which, in spite of having pretty much everything against it including the fact that Morell has diagnosed Simmons as a ‘lifer’ while Rennie only has a few years left to him, leads the couple to the altar).

The multi-talented Somerset Maugham wrote these three short stories, which are presented as a collection from British Gainsborough/Paramount Pictures. Each one has a lesson to be learned by the central characters. In the first story, a gentleman who can't read is fired, but then becomes even more successful because of the descisions he is forced to make. In the second, a loud-mouth on a cruise ship finally learns to keep his mouth shut to avoid exposing uncomfortable truths. In the last tale, occupants of a sanatorium argue over the size of their rooms, and so many other things. Each story is introduced by Maugham himself. Directed by two British chaps, sharing the duties... Harold French and Ken Annakin. probably the biggest name here is Jean Simmons.. check her out on wikipedia.org only 500 votes so far on imdb, so they must not have shown this too often on Turner Classics. pretty good stuff from a Great British author (although he was born and died en france).