This Happy Breed

 

Based on the play by Noel Coward, This Happy Breed is the story of a suburban family in Britain in the course of nearly two decades as they deal with the lives after World War I and the events leading to World War II. Directed by David Lean and screenplay by Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, and Ronald Neame, the film is an exploration into the life of this family as they endure many changes in the course of nearly two decades including new technology and changing attitudes. Starring John Mills, Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, Kay Walsh, and Stanley Holloway. This Happy Breed is a wondrous and enchanting film from David Lean.

The film follows the life of a family from 1919 to 1939 as they live in this house during the course of these two decades amidst many social, cultural, and political changes that would affect this family in this small suburban home. It is a film that follows the life of this family in a former World War I veteran just a year after the war had ended as he moves his family to suburbia as one of his neighbors is another former soldier from the same war. The film’s screenplay is largely straightforward in exploring the life of Frank and Ethel Gibbons (Robert Newton and Celia Johnson, respectively) as well as their children in Vi (Eileen Erskine), Reg (John Blythe), and the youngest daughter Queenie (Kay Walsh), Ethel’s mother Mrs. Flint (Amy Veness), and Frank’s sister Sylvia (Alison Legatt) where they all share this small yet quaint home. Their neighbor across the street from them in Frank’s old friend Bob Mitchell (Stanley Holloway) and his son Billy (John Mills) who is a sailor that often pines for Queenie.

During the course of the film through its narrative, Frank and Ethel would endure a lot of what is happening around them as Reg befriends the socialist Sam Leadbitter (Guy Verney) who would get Reg into trouble during the General Strike of 1926 while Frank and Bob both volunteered during that strike. During the course of the film, Reg and Queenie would try to follow the trends and issues of the time with Frank preferring to stay away while Vi would settle into a family life. Reg would also get married but Queenie would rebel against her family’s ideals for something of her own as the family would deal with new things such as technology in the wireless radio, talking films, and other things as they would also witness events around them that would change Britain just before the start of World War II.

David Lean’s direction does have bits of style but much of it is intimate where a lot of the action takes place inside the Gibbons house with a few scenes set outside of the house. While there are a few wide shots in the film that include an opening and closing shot that reflects the area where the Gibbons live in with un-credited open narration by Laurence Olivier for the opening scene. Lean’s usage of medium shots and close-ups do play into a lot of the drama as many of the house interiors from the first shot of the house from the inside and the last one do make this home a major character in the film. From the dining and tea room where the characters frequent through changing times as well as listening to the wireless radio. Lean also keep things simple when it comes to shooting a conversation as there’s a lot of dialogue that is spoken that often play into the reaction of the times or wanting to be part of this new world unaware that war will be coming. The film also has elements of tragedy during a scene where everything that is being told is shown off-screen where Lean focuses more on the contents on the tea room since the audience knows what these characters are going to discover.

Lean also uses some of these historical events as a backdrop in the film as it play into how the Gibbons’ react such as the trends of the time as well as world events that would play into World War II. Notably in a few scenes involving Bob and Frank as they get drunk while discussing the future as they do become hopeful only to be concerned in the later years with Frank reacting badly to Neville Chamberlain’s trip to Munich and how the people have responded. Even as the characters get older and wiser though a few get lost in trends and such to get them disconnected with reality only to be grounded by their role in the family. Overall, Lean crafts a majestic and compelling film about the life of a family living in suburban London between the periods of two World Wars.

Cinematographer Ronald Neame does incredible work with the film’s luscious Technicolor photography as it adds a lot to the film’s visuals in the many exteriors in the daytime as well some unique lighting for some of the interiors including scenes at night. Editor Jack Harris does excellent work with the editing as it is largely straightforward but also has bits of style while also using fade-to-black to help structure certain scenes to transition from one period to another period. Art director C.P. Newman does amazing work with the look of the house and its many interiors as well as the backyard with the small garden that Frank tends to as the rooms and their evolution in the span of 20 years do add a lot to the visuals but also in helping to tell a story of this house.

Makeup artist Tony Sforzini and hair dresser Vivienne Walker do fantastic work with the look of the characters such as Frank, Ethel, Sylvia, and Bob and how they grew into older people in the coming years without doing too much makeup. The sound work of John Cook, Desmond Dew, and C.C. Stevens is superb for the way things sound outside of a house or how small sounds are presented inside the house. The film’s music by Muir Matheson is wonderful for its serene orchestral score that has some upbeat pieces but also somber bits to play into the drama as it also feature additional music from Clifton Parker and the music from those 20 years in the film.

The film’s marvelous casting feature some notable small roles from Merle Tottenham as the Gibbons’ maid Edie, Betty Fleetwood as a neighbor girl named Phyllis that Reg would marry, Guy Verney as Reg’s socialist friend Sam Leadbitter who would have feelings for Vi, John Blythe as Frank and Ethel’s son Reg as a young man who is eager to be part of the new world but also learn that he has to take the values of the old world to keep him grounded, Eileen Erskine as Frank and Ethel’s eldest daughter Vi who is just trying to find her own identity yet is someone who has a lot more respect to her parents values than her siblings, and Amy Veness as Ethel’s mother Mrs. Flint who often deals with health issues and often argues with Sylvia over trivial things. Alison Leggatt is fantastic as Frank’s sister Sylvia who often talks about many things and follows many trends where she gets into arguments with Mrs. Flint and the annoy the family with her ideas on spiritualism. Kay Walsh is excellent as Frank and Ethel’s youngest child Queenie as a young woman who rebels against her parents’ value while falling for a married man despite an offer from Billy who offers her a better life.

John Mills is brilliant as Billy as Bob’s son who is a sailor and a kind man that has feelings for Queenie despite being away at sea often as he is also someone that has a lot to offer to Queenie as well as be someone who respects Frank and Ethel. Stanley Holloway is amazing as Bob Mitchell as a former World War I soldier who lives across the street from the Gibbons’ home as he fought with Frank as the two deal with changing times but also hoping to maintain some values in the hope of a better future for their children. Celia Johnson is incredible as Ethel Gibbons as the matriarch of the family who deals with a lot of the drama in her family while maintaining the household despite some of Queenie’s actions that would hurt Ethel. Finally, there’s Robert Newton in a phenomenal performance as Frank Gibbons as a World War I veteran who is trying to start a new life in a new home with his family as he deals with changing attitudes and ideals as he tries to maintain his values while watching everything from afar.

This Happy Breed is a sensational film from David Lean. Featuring a great ensemble cast, gorgeous visuals, a sumptuous music score, and its exploration of a family’s life during a period of peace between two world wars. The film is an engaging drama with light touches that explore the dynamics of a family living in suburban London in a time when war wasn’t looming. In the end, This Happy Breed is a phenomenal film from David Lean.

David Lean Films: In Which We Serve - Blithe Spirit - Brief Encounter - Great Expectations (1946 film) - Oliver Twist (1948 film) - The Passionate Friends - Madeleine (1950 film) - The Sound Barrier - Hobson's Choice - Summertime (1955 film) – The Bridge on the River Kwai - Lawrence of Arabia - Doctor Zhivago - Ryan's Daughter - (Lost and Found: The Story of Cook’s Anchor) – A Passage to India - (The Auteurs #74: David Lean)

© thevoid99 2022

In Which We Serve

Directed by Noel Coward and David Lean and written, starring, and music score by Coward, In Which We Serve is the story of Royal Naval sailors fighting in World War II as deal with their role in the war as they fight the Germans. The film is a dramatization of the exploits of Captain Lord Louis Mountbatten who would fight the Germans during a campaign in Crete in which his destroyer had sank during the campaign. Also starring John Mills, Bernard Miles, Celia Johnson, and Richard Attenborough. In Which We Serve is a riveting and evocative film from Noel Coward and David Lean.

The film follows the life of naval crew whose destroyer is being attacked by German air forces as they think about their lives at home as well as their lives working on this ship they love. It’s a film that explores men who are dealing with survival as they also reflect on their lives at home as much of it takes place on a lifeboat where a captain and other survivors think about home and the events that lead to the situation they’re in. Noel Coward’s screenplay takes a back-and-forth narrative of Captain E.V. Kinross (Noel Coward) and his crew trying to survive as well as looking back into their own lives at home as well as their life on the destroyer known as the HMS Torrin. Much of the film is told through flashbacks of not just the life that Captain Kinross has but also some of his officers and crew members including sailors who had families to go home to. Notably Chief Petty Officer Hardy (Bernard Miles) and Seaman Blake (John Mills) who would both endure changes into their own lives at home.

Coward’s direction mainly focuses on a lot of the film’s dramatic moments as well as many scenes not set during the conflict as he aims for something simpler in the compositions with a few stylish touches. Shot largely at the Denham Studios in Denham with a few exteriors shot in nearby locations, much of Coward’s direction would have a few wide shots of the locations but mainly focuses on close-ups and medium shots to play into the drama. Notably the lives of Captain Kinross, Hardy, and Blake as well as a few others including their respective spouses/lovers where Coward’s direction has elements of theatricality in its framing and long takes but does manage to establish what is going on and who these characters are.

Much of the film’s action scenes are helmed by David Lean who would use a lot of wide shots and some stock footage to play into the battle as a way to showcase the intensity of these battles. Even in the scenes on the lifeboat where the survivors have to evade the firepower from enemy planes with the wounded on the boats. Coward and Lean would still provide moments that play into what is at stake as well as the need to survive and watch their beloved ship in its final moments. Overall, Coward and Lean create a gripping and compelling film about the life of a British destroyer’s captain and his crew as they try to survive against the Germans.

Cinematographer Ronald Neame does brilliant work with the film’s black-and-white cinematography as it play into the beauty of some of the locations outside of the studio the scenes in the sea with its usage of lights for the scenes in the day and night along with its interiors. Editor Thelma Myers, with additional work from David Lean, does excellent work with the editing in its usage of stylish transitional dissolves as well as some rhythmic cuts for some of the film’s action scenes. Art director David Rawnsley does amazing work with the look of the interiors of the destroyer as well as the shipyard and the homes of some of the characters.

The special effects work of Douglas Woolsey is fantastic for the usage of miniatures in some of the action scenes whenever the ships are destroyed as well as a few visual tricks in some of the transitions. Sound recordist C.C. Stevens does terrific work with the sound in capturing the sound of bombs during the blitz sequence as well as the sound of gunfire in some of the action scenes. The film’s music by David Lean, with contributions from Clifton Parker, is wonderful for its usage of orchestral string arrangements with elements of percussion bombast and military cadences to play into the drama and action throughout the film.

The casting by Irene Howard is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from Daniel Massey and Ann Stephens as Captain Kinross’ children, George Carney and Kathleen Harrison as Blake's parents, Richard Attenborough as a young seaman who enters an empty bar following the Dunkirk evacuation, and Michael Wilding as a sailor named Flags. Kay Walsh is fantastic as Blake’s girlfriend/future wife Freda as a woman he meets on a train as they become a couple as she worries about what will happen to him. Joyce Carey is wonderful as Hardy’s wife Kath as a woman that knows what her husband is dealing with as she befriends Freda and helps her deal with being a sailor’s wife. Celia Johnson is brilliant as Alix Kinross as Captain Kinross’ wife who deals with the same issues as the other spouses as she is this picture of grace as someone who is trying keep her family together and know what to expect if things go wrong.

John Mills is excellent as Seaman Shorty Blake as a sailor who is dealing with a new love as well as the expectations of becoming a father while dealing with his role as a sailor as he does whatever he can to help his fellow sailors and officers. Bernard Miles is amazing as Chief Petty Officer Walter Hardy as an officer who is a second-in-command of sorts for Captain Kinross as well as be someone who is a friend of the sailors including Blake whom he offers advice to about marriage. Finally, there’s Noel Coward in a remarkable performance as Captain E.V. Kinross as the captain of the HMS Torrin who is trying to run things as well as be someone a group of sailors and officers can count on while being a good father and husband to his family as he knows the struggle he has in being away from them.

In Which We Serve is an incredible film from Noel Coward and David Lean. Featuring some dazzling visuals, an inventive screenplay, a great cast, and some amazing action sequences. It’s a war film that maybe a propaganda film for its time but it is still a riveting film that explore how important the need to fight for the good of the world. In the end, In Which We Serve is a marvelous film from Noel Coward and David Lean.

David Lean Films: This Happy Breed – Blithe Spirit - Brief Encounter - Great Expectations (1946 film) – Oliver Twist (1948 film) – The Passionate Friends - Madeleine (1950 film) – The Sound Barrier - Hobson's Choice - Summertime (1955 film) – The Bridge on the River Kwai - Lawrence of Arabia - Doctor Zhivago - Ryan's Daughter - (Lost and Found: The Story of Cook’s Anchor) – A Passage to India - (The Auteurs #74: David Lean)

© thevoid99 2018

2012 Cannes Marathon: Brief Encounter

(Co-Winner of the Palme D’or at the 1946 Cannes Film Festival)

Based on Noel Coward’s one-act play Still Life, Brief Encounter is the story about a married doctor and a suburban housewife where they engage into an affair that would have repercussions into their own lives. Directed by David Lean and screenplay by Lean, Ronald Neame, and Anthony Havelock-Allan, the film is an exploration into the world of British suburbia and its trappings as well as the oppressive lives of two people who would commit adultery. Starring Celia Johnson, Trevor Howard, Stanley Holloway, Joyce Carey, Cyril Raymond, Everley Gregg, and Margaret Barton. Brief Encounter is a powerful yet heartbreaking romantic film from David Lean.

Returning home from the train station, Laura Jesson (Celia Johnson) reflects on the past few weeks of her life when she met an idealistic doctor named Alec Harvey (Trevor Howard) at the train station after she was nearly blinded by a piece of grit where Alec helped her. The two would meet again in various places as a friendship starts to grow between the two married individuals where they go to the cinema every Thursday as she’s always shopping and he’s working. Eventually, the relationship grows into a secretive love affair as they always arrive at the train station café where they each embark into separate trains. One day when the two decide to go on a trip to the country together where at the flat that belongs to a friend of Alec, the affair is nearly exposed when Alec’s friend Stephen (Valentine Dyall) visits forcing the two to make a decision when Alec gets an offer he couldn’t refuse.

The film is about an extramarital affair between two married people who are both in dull though loving marriages as they also have children. Though it starts out innocently between two different people, it grows into an affair where things eventually intensify as both are also filled with guilt with what they’re doing. A lot of this is told from the perspective of Laura Jesson as she reflecting on everything she had done as if she is telling the story to her husband Fred (Cyril Raymond). Throughout the narration, she reveals what she is thinking as she also reveals the sense of paranoia as if people are watching her and Alec with disapproving eyes. The screenplay that David Lean, Ronald Neame, and Anthony Havelock-Allan create explore the dynamics in this affair at a time when these secret behaviors are frowned upon as both Laura and Alec try to hide it from friends and family.

David Lean’s direction is truly spellbinding for the way he creates a story that has an air of theatricality but also with a sense of melodrama that is engaging but also tragic. Lean is aware that these two people seem perfect for each other but due to the fact that they’re married to other people, he doesn’t judge them for engaging into this affair where a lot of it is innocent despite the circumstances they have. Through a lot of wide shots of the locations they’re in to some amazing medium shots that features the two people. Lean also knows when to break away a bit from that story by focusing on two other people in the train station bar in the form of a train station manager (Stanley Holloway) and a café manager (Joyce Carey) to give the film some humor. Another key element of Lean’s brilliance in the direction is opening the film with its end where he creates variations of what happened as it’s later told once again from Laura’s perspective. Overall, Lean creates a truly captivating drama that revels into the downfalls of an extramarital affair.

Cinematographer Robert Krasker does amazing work with the film‘s cinematography to set up the mood for some of the film‘s train station hallways with its lights along with more straightforward shots for some of the film‘s English locations. Editor Jack Harris does wonderful work with the editing by utilizing dissolves for the transition including a gorgeous fantasy montage where Laura looks out the window to see an array of what her life with Alec would be like. Art director Lawrence P. Williams does nice work with the set pieces created such as the train station café that Alec and Laura frequent at to the movie theater where they would see a film.

Sound editor Harry Miller does terrific work with the sound from the way the trains sound to the intimacy of the way the characters walk down the train station hallway. The film’s music is largely based on Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 that is performed by Eileen Joyce on piano as it features an array of sweeping orchestral arrangements and Joyce‘s flourishing playing to play out the drama that happens in the film.

The casting is marvelous for the ensemble that is created as it includes appearances from Irene Handl as a cellist/theater organist, Valentine Dyall as Alec’s smarmy friend Stephen, Margaret Barton as a barmaid, Marjorie Mars as Laura’s friend Mary Norton, Everley Gregg as Laura’s very chatty friend Dolly Messiter, and Cyril Raymond as Laura’s kind though bland husband Fred. Other small but very memorable performances include Stanley Holloway as a charming station manager and Joyce Carey as a very vivacious café manager as they nearly steal the film from the leads.

Trevor Howard is amazing as the very kind and idealistic Alec Harvey who is intrigued by Laura’s life as he brings her comfort to her unhappy life. Celia Johnson is radiant as Laura Jesson as Johnson creates a character who is flawed but engaging in the way she tries to find an escape in her un-exciting life in this affair only to be ravaged with guilt over what she could be doing as it’s a truly hypnotic performance.

Brief Encounter is an extraordinary drama from David Lean and Noel Coward that features excellent performances from Trevor Howard and Celia Johnson. It’s a film that truly delivers as a melodrama about love that can’t be fulfilled with characters the audiences can care for. While it may not have the epic scale of Lean’s later work, it is still a very compelling film for the way it plays out the drama and emphasis on these very complex characters. In the end, Brief Encounter is a rich yet mesmerizing film from David Lean.

David Lean Films: In Which We Serve - This Happy Breed - Blithe Spirit - Great Expectations (1946 film) - Oliver Twist (1948 film) - The Passionate Friends - Madeleine (1950 film) - The Sound Barrier - Hobson’s Choice - Summertime (1955 film) - The Bridge on the River Kwai - Lawrence of Arabia - Doctor Zhivago - Ryan’s Daughter - (Lost and Found: The Story of Cook’s Anchor) - A Passage to India - (The Auteurs #74: David Lean)

© thevoid99 2012