Genevieve (1953)

You won't be disappointed!

One of my all time favorites.

Awesome Movie

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Genevieve is a great nostalgic movie and was always meant to be.However at the time it was made in 1953, the only nostalgic value intended was the featured vintage motor cars themselves.But now 54 years later and with the passing of time, the contemporary setting of an England now long since gone, has attained a nostalgic value of its own, doubling the nostalgia theme and making this film more interesting and enjoyable than ever.John Gregson and Kenneth More play vintage car owners all set to make their annual pilgrimage to Brighton in the London to Brighton Antique Car Rally. With them on this eventful trip is Gregson's wife played by Dinah Sheriden and More's latest bit of squeeze, a hard drinking, trumpet playing upper crust fashion model played by Kay Kendall.Although the Gregson and More characters are in essence best friends, the yearly car rally brings out in them an overwhelming and bitter rivalry on the subject of who's museum piece car is better.Taunts, break downs, gloats and insults are exchanged between the two all the way down to Brighton building up the tension between them which finally explodes the following day on their return run, when Gregson finally pushed to the limit bets an astronomical (for it's day) £100, that Genevieve, his 1904 Darracq can beat More's 1904 Spyker back to London.Then the action turns hilariously nasty as sabotage, double crossings and dirty dealings take a hand, as each is determined to beat the other to Westminster Bridge by hook or by crook.This is a contradiction of the word race as speed does not play a factor at all, as both cars are so old and out of condition that between the frequent breakdowns the most they can do is about 50 mph.It needs to be said however that although, the plot, the dialogue, the acting and the directing are faultless, there is only one star of this entire film and that is the great English country side.Village pubs, Village Greens, country life and clean, clear uncongested roads, all now practically a thing of the past are once again brought to life in glorious Technicolour. A cinematic trip back to a bygone age.Its also worthy of note that the attitude of people back then was a lot better too. Special notice was made to the two motorcycle Policemen, who do not overreact to a race being held on a public highway, a fight breaking out on a village green and are only slightly stern when a false crime is reported. They even manage to show sympathy and mercy in the right situation. Such a refreshing change seeing that how today you can get hauled off to prison for being armed with a cigarette with intent to smoke. How things have changed.A great film and a great British Comedy.

Perhaps I wasn't in as receptive a mood when I watched this, or perhaps I was expecting too much of a film which won best picture in two venues, but I somehow can't be as wildly enthusiastic about this film as most other commentators herein.True, it boasts an attractive and capable cast and, true, it is a delight to view in Technicolor, uncommon for British comedies of the day; but it also suffers from other common production practices which detract from the realism, particularly in the midstream musical number.When it comes right down to it, however, I think my mild dissatisfaction is due to William Rose's screenplay, which admittedly contained scenes of laugh-out-loud amusement as well as heart-touching sentiment; but unfortunately, there were other parts that I found simply downright tedious. This I don't find surprising, however, since he also wrote the screenplays for two pictures a decade later which I simply didn't like: "It's a Mad...World" and "The Russians Are Coming...." If you liked those, take this as a recommendation to see this one, especially since this one is better, in my opinion, than those two put together. Finally, much has been made of Kay Kendall's beauty, which I'm not denying -- she reportedly turned the head of every man who ever came in contact -- but in this case, my taste runs more decidedly in favor of the other female lead, Dinah Sheridan.Still, don't let my comments deter you...watch this movie and enjoy the delights it does offer, in particular the interplay of the four leads, and a return to life in a simpler day and time.

Fifties Britain and time for the Veteran Car Club's annual run from London to Brighton and back. We meet Alan, a man who spends most of his free time tinkering with "Genevieve", his 1904 antique car - and his wife Wendy, she is completely bored by the annual run but goes nevertheless, this year spurred on by a fancy new hat. Their friend is a man named Ambrose who brings along a "model" and her huge dog for this year's trip. The two men then spend most of the time in a rivalry over getting to Brighton first, jeering at each other over car breakdowns and the like, while the two women are pretty much being dragged along for the ride. Then they actually get into a road race against each other on the return trip to London, backed by a 100 pound bet to see who gets back first!This film is a fun romp, fast-paced, with well done performances by all. It includes lots to satisfy the Anglophile in me, like cute British expressions such as "good luck, Old Spot", "beastly", and "jolly good", plus interesting on-location photography in London, Brighton, and the English countryside. There are some quite amusing scenes when the couple ends up in this hotel in Brighton, with an odd set of rules regarding the hot water and the like, plus a really horrible room! My only complaint is the constant car mishaps seen in this left me feeling slightly more frustrated than amused. Still, this is a very enjoyable, well-done movie, filmed in bright, beautiful Technicolor, and featuring an excellent harmonica music score that gives the film a nostalgic charm all it's own. Well done!

I was a bit surprised that such a high percentage of ratings were 10 for this movie. While it's pretty good, there are so many other British films of the era that are simply better--and a lot more entertaining. Now this isn't to say I didn't like the film. On the contrary, I thought it was very good,...but certainly not great and a pretty skipable film when you think of all the better films from Ealing Studios (such as PASSPORT TO PIMLICO or the films of Alec Guinness).The story is a very slight film about two slightly nutty old car enthusiasts and the women that reluctantly love them. Both guys LOVE their antique cars (circa 1904 and 1906) but the antiques are a pain in the neck, as they seem to break down all the time and are very slow. Despite this, the two guys decide to race from Brighton to London and a lot of problems naturally develop. Some of these problems are pretty cute, but the best aspect of this film were the interactions between the characters and the excellent dialog.Also, and I know this may seem odd, but I really loved the color film used to make this movie. It is not exactly realistic but is so rich and pretty to look at that I found myself remarking repeatedly ho much I liked the color.