Madonna of the Seven Moons (1946)

Fantastic!

best movie i've ever seen.

This story has more twists and turns than a second-rate soap opera.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

This is arguably one of Gainsborough's best films ever, and as important in its own way, as "Brief Encounter." Gainsborough is sometimes criticized as a purveyor of "high toned" tosh for shop girls, yet no one did what they excelled in as well.And "Madonna of the Seven Moons" excels in all departments. If some of its scenes and dialogue seem to beg a Carol Burnett parody, the film nonetheless grabs you from the first moment and doesn't let go till "The End." Just try looking away! The story: A convent bred schoolgirl is molested by a peasant, leading to dramatic repercussions in her later married life that impact both her husband and daughter.And what a slick, juicy cinematic feast it is--with all the trimmings: psychiatry, nervous breakdowns, rebellious teen-age daughters, rhumba bands, dens of iniquity, fashion shows, Stewart Granger in gypsy pancake, male suiters and gigolos seemingly recruited from a "Brideshead Revisited" casting call, and all set against lavish settings from England to Italy (the art direction is A-1). With such breadth of scope, mood, and tone, one would not be remotely surprised to see both Todd Slaughter and Olivier show up in the same scene, even though they don't.The religious beginning and closing, with a genuinely touching depiction of Extreme Unction are deeply affecting. It's also nice to see British stage great Reginald Tate in a rare screen performance.Sin, redeem and save never had it so good! Highly recommended.

*POSSIBLE SPOILERS*I saw this film during my Intro. to British Cinema class and I thought it was fantastic. Just like a great film does, I was hooked after 10 minutes and I never expected what happened to happen. This must have been a groud-breaking film for the time...hinting at a rape scene involving an older man and a young girl that leaves her mentally scarred for the rest of her life, a woman with double-personalities, lots of sexual undertones...If you haven't seen it, make sure you do. One of the best films I saw the past year.

This has got to be one of the most amazing movies I have ever seen. Not a dull moment to be had, and while it's not a thriller, it will certainly keep you on the edge of your seat. And boy are the love scenes steamy or what?? The only possible gripe is that it's extremely hard to believe that Miss Calvert could possibly have a daughter Miss Roc's age, and the casting is made even funnier when one knows the actual age difference between them (about 4 months), and has seen them act together in other movies where they play same-age friends, rather than inventing some non-existent 18 year age gap. Thus said, there truly would be no two women better suited to the roles, and they play their parts splendidly, with Phyllis Calvert expressing the mental anguish of her character's with such calibre that it certainly rivals Vivien Leigh's Blanche du Bois.

I enjoyed this movies more than some of the stuff turning up on our screens today. While some of the acting wasn't brilliant the story line was excellent and the characters were interesting, if not over the top sometimes.Phyllis Calvert played the the lead very well. Extremely well spoken, something you don't find in movies of late.Worth a look...