Good Companions

Rare Jessie Matthews/John Gielgud "musical comedy" gets a new US release!
I first discovered British comedienne/singer/dancer Jessie Matthews when I watched - and favorably reviewed - the 1930s film "First a Girl!" (the film that inspired Blake Edward's film - and later Broadway hit "Victor/Victoria"). Matthews was a delight and I wanted to see more of her films. But a search showed that only one other film was available in the US and she made a bunch of them. What great news when I learned the independent DVD reissue label, VCI, was going to release FOUR of her films this year! This is the first one I have watched - others are coming - so I'm only basing my review on this film.

Before I start I should point out that - as I write this review (September 2013) there is already one review. But the review is dated October 2010 and is of a DVD-R version that must have been available then. Amazon has a policy of grouping ALL reviews of ALL versions of a film, so I always encourage readers to look at the date of a review and compare it with the release...
Movie of a best-seller
J.B.Priestley was a best selling author of his day. Few of his books are still in print, but a read-through of what is available confirms that he was a fine author who has been unfairly neglected.

He wrote of a time which was similar to ours today, with the media full of bad news, economic troubles, chronic unemployment and a general sense of frustration for ordinary people. Priestley's basic idea was that we just had to "turn a corner" to get into a zone of excitement and fulfillment. This idea comes through very clearly in "The Good Companions" which quickly became a monumental best-seller. This movie was made nearly 80 years ago and the acting comes across as rather "theatrical" for a present-day audience. Nevertheless it is excellent entertainment, not least for the presence of a very young John Geilguid taking a break from his early career performing Shakespeare. Also, Edmund Gwenn doing his best to simulate a Yorkshire accent. This was many years before he became a...

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