Dvd/150: EVERGREEN (Victor Saville, 1934)

A favourite of my friend Andrew, this is the 1934 film which consolidated Jessie Matthews as a genuine film star, EVERGREEN.

She had starred in the 1930 stage version which featured songs by Rodgers and Hart but only a few were used in the film, thankfully the lovely DANCING ON THE CEILING survived.

Music Hall star Harriet Green retires to marry a Lord but her estranged husband threatens to expose she has a baby. Harriet flees abroad and after her death, her daughter, also named Harriet, arrives in London to become a musicals performer.

Discovered by old showgirl Maudie and publicist Tommy, they convince Leslie Benn to star her in his upcoming show, masquerading as her 60 year-old mother returning to the stage ensuring the show's success.

Jessie Matthews is radiant but it is annoying that her co-star could have been Fred Astaire but his studio RKO refused.

Shelf or charity shop? I think I will hang onto it for a while... *nb* it actually ended up at the charity shop!

Dvd/150: WALTZES FROM VIENNA (Alfred Hitchcock, 1934)

An oddity from the British half of Hitchcock's career, he later disowned it saying he only did it to keep working.

It was based on a popular 1931 stage musical but Hitchcock ditched the music to concentrate on it's fictional account of the writing of The Blue Danube and Strauss Junior's rather chaste love triangle with a Countess and a baker's daughter.

Admittedly it has the inherent charm of a well-made British film of the era and Hitchcock has fun with interesting visual moments and sly supporting performances but you feel every one of it's 80 minutes going by.

Jessie Matthews is her entertaining self as the baker's daughter who suggests the DANUBE's melody while Fay Compton is a very knowing Countess.  Edmund Gwenn rages about as the egotistical Strauss senior and Frank Vosper is a scene-stealing jealous Count.  Esmond Knight as Strauss Junior though is truly wearing.

Shelf or charity shop? Set to waltz onto the charity shop's dvd shelf - I just hope that because it's a Spanish dvd it doesn't get left behind...