“You taught him nothing and now you’ve left him with nothing.”
“Charming” is not to damn this British comedy with faint
praise but to accurately reflect its infectious good humour and sense of fun.
It is fascinating to see more homegrown silent films on screen and to watch a
discrete re-write of history as more are revealed as not only competent but
skilled and very enjoyable.
This film was being presented as part of the BFI’s
attempts to foreground the contributions of women in silent British cinema, in
this case script-writer Lydia Hayward who based her script on the novel by Monica
Ewer. Hayward is gaining increased regard as Bryony Dixon and Tony Fletcher’s accompanying
notes make clear and her work here sets out a rich range of characters and very
British situations.
Ian Hunter plays Martin Dering the son of the Earl of
Rathbury (Edward O'Neill) who is being constantly let down by his son for
various reasons.
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| Ian Hunter in The Ring |
Martin is half-heartedly engaged to Virginia Strangeways (Phyllis
Lytton) who is, along with her nair-do-well brother Bertie (Lionelle Howard), the
people he trusts most in the world as they are tied to him through loyalty to
his money. The film is wonderfully clear on this point and Martin is very
relaxed on the subject: a very good turn from Ian Hunter whose character is
essentially decent as he goes on a downwardly mobile path in the world beyond
his trust fund.
Martin loans Bertie his £3,000 quarterly allowance for
some madcap scheme and, of course, doesn’t get it back… Don’t worry, says Martin, there’s
plenty more where that came from… only this time there isn’t as he’s cut
off by Daddy and left with only a fiver a week on the condition that he finds a
job.
He chances upon a guest house in Bloomsbury Square run by
Annie Armstrong (Mary Odette) with the aid of a relative or two, including her
cheeky brother John (a barnstorming performance from young Mickey Brantford).
Their father has passed away leaving them his paintings as well as the house
but they struggle to make ends meet even with the aid of the lodgers John
hates.
Martin quickly impresses John with his debut at the
dinner table, rebuffing the attentions of the other three guests – played by
the kinds of character actors you can only find in the UK… and enlists him into
his anti-lodger society. There’s a secret sign: pull on your nose, tug your
earlobe and thumb to temple, waggle your fingers… it could catch on, slightly
easier than The High Sign.
But, more importantly Annie becomes impressed with Martin
who by this point is re-christened Smith and works as a chauffeur for some posh
folk… not as posh though; if only
they knew. The attitudes of British class deference and stubbornness
pervade the film… we should remember this as we look to gift more power to
these ruling classes. We didn’t get where were used to be, yesterday, by taking
the nobs too seriously…
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| Gladys Hamer in another dramatic role... |
There’s also comedy cameo from Gladys Hamer as Florrie, a
former orphan rescued by Annie who cleans house and brings one-time minor
league shoe thief, Sunny Jim (W.G. Saunders) to heel.
Martin begins to learn the value of hard work as well as
the delights of a day off… for the watching audience who regularly clocked off
at 12.30 on a Saturday, it’s a welcome acknowledgement of the daily grind. Martin
is realising the importance of integrity and when he sees Annie’s sister being
romanced by a moneyed cad of his acquaintance he warns her not to “sell herself”…
a phrase that will come back to haunt him.
One of his co-workers, strapped for cash, finds one of
their ladyship’s earrings and takes it leaving Martin to take the rap which he
does, fully realising the situation. The busy bodies back at the house are not impressed and
issue an ultimatum forcing Martin to once again do the decent thing and pack
his bags. It’s not clear now whether he goes to prison or just off the rails
but re-enter Bertie with some good news and Martin’s back in the money and
dinner suits. He sends a message to Annie offering marriage and a title but,
mistaking his intent she declines: right timing but wrong message… she is not
for sale to privilege. Martin hits the skids…
The story is slightly uneven at this point (suggesting
lost footage?) but we all get the drift… can love overcome all for estranged
father and son, will Annie’s intervention save her listless Lord and when will the Earl start stop just seeing the cost and not the value?
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| British Empire Exhibition 1924 |
W P Kellino directs well and moves the story along at
reasonable pace, including those open-top tram journey shots I like so much.
There’s also some location footage of the British Empire Exhibition and the hop
fields of Kent where working class Londoners would go for a working holiday
during harvest time – Michael Powell’s father owned one such farm.
The overall feel is as pleasingly undulated as the
Canterbury countryside and some of the sharpest moments are left to Mickey
Brantford who pulls Lon Chaney faces to unsettle the guests. He tells them it’s
an infirmity and that, if they were polite, they wouldn’t ask questions… Give
this kid his own series!
John Sweeney accompanied in delightful fashion
demonstrating an uncanny understanding of both tone and comic timing, which
especially supported Master Brantford’s one liners. Proof that it’s not just
the notes but how you play them that matters: John’s were all in the right
order and in the right way!
Not for Sale is
a rare as hen’s teeth and – at the moment – you’ll only see it projected as
with today’s 35mm copy. It was good to see NFT 3 packed and one hopes this
encourages more British silent film projections!
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