Spencer Trevor Movies

Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's much-lauded epic Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, which satirizes British traditionalism, stirred up impassioned hostilities and indignations among the Brits when released in 1943. It so infuriated Winston Churchill, in fact, that he refused to allow its exportation to other countries, particularly the U.S. When Blimp finally did premiere in the States in 1945, it screened in a drastically cut version. The sweeping story covers several decades. It begins at the tail end of the Boer War, when handsome young British officer Clive Candy, recently back from the battlefront, is infuriated by his discovery that Deutschland papers have played up the British atrocities in South Africa, propagandistically. He grows so irate, in fact, that he travels to Germany to address the problem. Once there, he meets an attractive British educator, Edith Hunter (Deborah Kerr) who spends her days teaching English as a second language to German students. They grow close, but Candy so aggravates the local indigenes that he winds up in a duel with a German officer, Theo Kretschmar-Schuldorff (Anton Walbrook). The men wound each other and are sent to the same hospital, where they become friends. Candy - who doesn't yet realize he's fallen in love with Edith -- senses that Theo and Edith are attracted to one another, and encourages the couple's marital union. Candy subsequently returns to England, then falls for and marries Barbara (again played by Kerr), a nurse who bears a strong resemblance to Edith. She later dies, but Candy meets a third woman during WWII, Johnny (Kerr a third time), assigned to drive him from one locale to another during his campaigns. Meanwhile, Theo - disgusted by Nazi atrocities -- absconds to England, where he reencounters his old friend, now a prattering old shuffler rapidly approaching the end of his career and raving continuously about Nazi conduct (or lack thereof) in battle. Powell and Pressberger adapted Colonel Blimp from a comic strip; it became one of the hallmarks of their careers. ~ Sidney Jenkins, All Movie Guide

April Blossoms is based loosely on incidents in the life of composer Franz Schubert, here portrayed by legendary tenor Richard Tauber. The story concentrates on Schubert's ill-fated romance with Vicki (Jane Baxter), the daughter of a prominent Austria ballet master. Upon realizing that Vicki is enamored of Rudi (Carl Esmond), a titled nobleman, Schubert magnanimously gives her up and even helps to rescue Rudi from arrest for indulging in a "forbidden" romance with a commoner. All of this is set against the backdrop of Vienna in the 1820s, sumptuously re-created in the studios of British International Productions. April Blossoms was distributed in the U.S. by MGM. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Producer and director (Alexander Korda) followed up The Private Life of Henry VIII (one of the first internationally successful British films) with this historical comedy. After years in exile, the great lover Don Juan (Douglas Fairbanks) returns to Seville, the city of his salad days. However, Don Juan is now married and middle-aged, and his days as a spoiler of women seem to be behind him. When he learns that a young man in town (Barry McKay) has been posing as him and making time with the local ladies, Don decides to prove who the great lover truly is and attempts the seduction of Antonia (Merle Oberon), a beautiful dancer. However, Don's doctor informs him that girl-hunting will tax his fragile health, and his wife Dolores (Benita Hume) will no longer turn a blind eye to his infidelity. When the impostor is killed by a jealous husband, Don is relieved, as his "death" allows him to retire from his career as a rake with his reputation intact. But when the old itch returns, Don makes the sad discovery that if he can't convince women he's Don Juan, they simply aren't interested in him. The Private Life of Don Juan provided one of the few speaking roles for silent screen swashbuckler Douglas Fairbanks, and proved to be his last picture. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

The Love Contract was based on Chauffeur Antoinette, a French stage comedy. Wealthy Antoinette (Winifred Shotter) loses all her money in the stock market, whereupon she puts her mansion up for sale. The first potential buyer turns out to be Neville Cardington (Owen Nares), the stockbroker who inadvertently brought about Antoinette's ruin. Upon learning that Cardington, a married man, intends to use the mansion as a trysting place for himself and his mistress, our heroine plots a diabolically clever revenge. But she forgets all this when her nemesis turns out to be a decent sort who eventually falls in love with her. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

While at a duke's party, disguised Ruritanian king Gerrard and chancellor McNaughton are accused of jewel thievery, but find assistance from the duke's daughter, Lamont. ~ All Movie Guide