Frederick Burtwell Movies

Toothy, ukelele-plucking British comedian dominates the proceedings in I See Ice. The nonsensical story concerns the misadventures of a prop man (George Formby) for a travelling ice-skating troupe. Inventing a new sort of candid camera in his spare time, our hero gets into a passel of trouble when he photographs what he shouldn't. Though well directed and exceptionally well cast (Kay Walsh and Cyril Ritchard appear in support), I See Ice wouldn't amount to a hill of beans without the presence of the ebullient Formby, who halts the action every once in a while for one of his unsubtly risque comic songs. Not surprisingly, the film was infinitely more popular as a "regional" than as a big-city attraction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

A Girl Must Live is the philosophy of gold-digging chorus girls Gloria Lind (Renee Houston) and Clytie Devine (Lilli Palmer). Both feel that they could live most comfortably off the money inherited by the Earl of Pangborough (Hugh Sinclair) a handsome but unworldly nobleman. Despite the most strenuous efforts by Gloria and Clytie, it is sweet and demure chorine Leslie James (Margaret Lockwood) who claims the Earl as her husband. Robust comedy relief is provided by the venerable George Robey as a bibulous "sugar daddy". A Girl Must Live was one of three 1939 films directed by Carol Reed, still some distance removed from Odd Man Out, The Third Man and Oliver!. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this melodrama, a performing crack-shot and a blues singer fall in love. When he abandons her, his brother, the target in their act, is there to woo her, even though she is after a wealthy man. The lovesick brother is heartbroken; during a performance he makes a wrong move and is accidently shot by his brother. The crack-shot, thinking he killed his brother, takes aim and kills the singer, and then himself. Unfortunately, his brother was only wounded so it was all for naught. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Filmed in England at Warner Bros.' Teddington Studios facilities, This Was Paris stars American actors (and current British residents) Ann Dvorak and Ben Lyon. She is cast as Ann Morgan, a female ambulance driver in the early days of WWII. He is cast as bibulous American newspaperman Butch, who likes to throw his weight around Paris because he knows he can get away with it. As the clouds of war gather all over Europe, Ann finds romance in the form of British Intelligence agent Bill Hamilton, while Butch sobers up and begins taking his responsibilities seriously. Oddly enough, This Was Paris didn't receive an American release until several years after its production. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Beneath the gay billows of the big-top seethes a veritable stewpot of illicit romance, false friends, rivalry and murder in this crime drama that contains the feature film debut of distinguished character actor Herbert Lom who plays a recently hired hypnotist who falls in love with a female trapeze artist, whose jealous partner is the brother of the circus owner. Desperately wanting the woman for himself, the new fellow mesmerizes the girl and suggests that she drop her partner during the next performance. She does, but the wicked hypnotist gets his comeuppance at the end. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

After several months' heavy war duty, the crew of the British submarine Sea Tiger is enjoying a much-deserved leave, when suddenly they're called back to active duty. Sub commander John Mills has been ordered to pursue and sink the formidable German battleship Brandenburg. A series of nailbiting seaborne perils, each one more life-threatening than the last, awaits the Sea Tiger as Mills endeavors to carry out his orders. Setting the British We Dive at Dawn apart from the usual Hollywood submarine epic is the fact that all the characters-include the senior officers-are between the ages of 19 and 23; There's no room for an "old sea dog" Alan Hale or Charles Bickford in this one. Though modestly produced, We Dive at Dawn offers a million dollars (or a million pounds)' worth of pulse-pounding excitement. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rex Harrison stars in this stylish British drama that caused problems with U.S. censors, who forced the film to be trimmed due to what was considered graphically amoral and sexual content for its time. Harrison is Vivian Kenway, an unrepentant cad who embarks on a campaign of irresponsible behavior after being ejected from Oxford. Among his many sins are seducing Jill Duncan (Jean Kent), the wife of his best friend Sandy (Griffith Jones), marrying a rich Austrian Jew, Rikki Krausner (Lilli Palmer), for her money, and dallying with the secretary (Margaret Johnson) of his father, Colonel Kenway (Godfrey Tearle). The feckless Vivian's actions cause no small amount of collateral damage to his loved ones, including the drunken death of his father and the attempted suicide of Rikki. Vivian ends up serving in World War II, however, where his non-heroic ultimate sacrifice may (or may not) redeem him. The Rake's Progress (1945 was released in the U.S. under the title Notorious Gentleman. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

The French Revolution provides the setting for the British musical. The story centers on the notorious rebel Robespierre who cuts a deal with the son of a duchess headed for the guillotine. Robespierre tells the son that if he can go to England and find a pearl necklace Marie Antoinette gave as a gift that his mother will be saved. The lad does so, finds the owner, a pretty young woman engaged to the Prince of Wales. They fall in love and the fellow decides not to take the pearls back. The would be princess then takes the pearls back to France herself. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Though it pales in comparison to the Royal Shakespeare Company's epic staging of the original novel in the early 1980s, this compact adaptation of Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby is most entertaining on its own terms. Derek Bond plays the title character, a resourceful young Britisher forced to protect his family against the demonic machinations of his wicked Uncle Ralph (Cedric Hardwicke at his most odious). Cast out into the cold cruel world, Nicholas Nickleby deals adroitly with friend and foe alike, eventually coming full circle to mete out just desserts to his unspeakable uncle. With only 108 minutes' running time at his disposal, screenwriter John Dighton (later a mainstay of the Ealing Comedies) was forced to eliminate several of the novel's 52 highly distinctive characters and intricate subplots. There is evidence that there was even more cutting after the film was completed; for example, the tatty touring theatrical troupe managed by the delightfully pompous Vincent Crummles (Stanley Holloway) appears only in a series of abrupt vignettes, while Crummles himself is confined to a mere handful of lines and gestures. Still, many of Dickens' colorful characters are vividly realized, especially the unfortunate, mentally challenged Smike (Aubrey Woods). When released in America, Nicholas Nickleby was pared down to 95 minutes, with surprisingly little damage to the continuity. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi