The Reluctant Widow is a 1950 British historical drama film directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Jean Kent, Guy Rolfe, Paul Dupuis and Lana Morris.[1] It is based on the 1946 novel The Reluctant Widow by Georgette Heyer, with the screenplay written by Gordon Wellesley and others. The screenplay concerns a governess who marries a British aristocrat, and inherits his country house when he dies. The ongoing Napoleonic Wars see her become embroiled with a spy ring.[2]
| The Reluctant Widow | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Bernard Knowles |
| Written by |
|
| Produced by | Gordon Wellesley |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Jack Hildyard |
| Edited by | John D. Guthridge |
| Music by | Allan Gray |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
It was shot at Denham Studios. The film's art direction was by Carmen Dillon while the costumes were designed by Beatrice Dawson.
Cast
edit- Jean Kent as Helena
- Guy Rolfe as Lord Carlyon
- Paul Dupuis as Lord Nivelle
- Lana Morris as Becky
- Kathleen Byron as Mme. Annette de Chevreaux
- Scott Forbes as Francois Cheviot
- Anthony Tancred as Nicky
- Peter Hammond as Eustace Cheviot
- Jean Cadell as Mrs. Barrows
- Andrew Cruickshank as Lord Bedlington
- George Thorpe as Colonel Strong
- Ralph Truman as Scowler
- James Carney as Major Forbes
- Allan Jeayes as Colonel
- Hector MacGregor as Sir Malcolm Torrens
- Noel Howlett as The Vicar
Critical reception
editBosley Crowther wrote in The New York Times, "except for the rather fine surroundings and some nice eighteenth century costumes, there is no more in The Reluctant Widow than a genteel invitation to doze";[3] while Robin Karney in the Radio Times found, "a good-looking but rather muddled and unsatisfactory adaptation of a novel by Georgette Heyer, which entertains in fits and starts."[4]
References
edit- ^ RitaRisque (1 May 1950). "The Inheritance (1950)". IMDb.
- ^ "The Reluctant Widow". BFI. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
- ^ "Movie Review - The Reluctant Widow - THE SCREEN - NYTimes.com".
- ^ Robin Karney. "The Reluctant Widow". RadioTimes.
External links
edit- Review of film at Variety
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