Rent The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.1 (1935)
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- Synopsis:
Throughout the 1930's Jessie Matthews was Britain's best-loved musical film star, her dynamism and gamine charm captivating audiences on both sides of the Atlantic in a string of box-office hits. Showcasing her unique talent and captivating charm, it is easy to see how she became so popular - and why she remains so to this day. 'Showcasing' some the era's finest cinema talent including director Victor Saville, writer Sidney Gilliat, and comedy star (and Matthews' husband) Sonnie Hale - the two films on this volume are presented...
Friday the Thirteenth (1933)Six very different people are involved in a fatal omnibus accident; which two were killed on this unluckiest of days is eventually revealed in a compelling blend of humour and pathos.
First a Girl (1935)
A messenger girl and would-be entertainer whose big break arrives when she stands in for a drag artiste stricken with laryngitis...and finds life can get very complicated for a girl impersonating a boy impersonating a girl!- Actors:
- Jessie Matthews, Sonnie Hale, Muriel Aked, Cyril Smith, Richard Hulton, Max Miller, Alfred Drayton, Hartley Power, Percy Parsons, Ursula Jeans, Eliot Makeham, D.A. Clarke-Smith, Gibb McLaughlin, Edmund Gwenn, Mary Jerrold, Gordon Harker, Emlyn Williams, Frank Lawton, Belle Chrystall, O.B. Clarence
- Directors:
- Victor Saville
- Producers:
- Michael Balcon
- Writers:
- Sidney Gilliat, G.H. Moresby-White, Emlyn Williams, Marjorie Gaffney, Reinhold Schünzel
- Aka:
- The Jessie Matthews Revue: Friday the Thirteenth / First a Girl
- Studio:
- Network
- Genres:
- Classics, Comedy, Drama, Music & Musicals
- Collections:
- Getting to Know..., Introducing a British Film Family, Top 10 European Remakes, Top Films
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Reviews (1) of The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.1
Review of First a Girl. - The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.1 review by Steve
An instant remake of the German musical-comedy Viktor und Victoria (1933) which was later adapted as a vehicle for Julie Andrews in 1982. Admittedly, the theme of gender fluidity was probably more congruous to Weimer Berlin than thirties London, but it still works and it's interesting to see British attitudes to sexuality in the period.
Jessie Matthews plays another starving, out of work showgirl in the depression. She finds success when filling in for Sonnie Hale's female impersonation act when he loses his voice. So she is a girl pretending to be a boy, pretending to be a girl. And there's plenty of opportunity for Jessie to exhibit her diverse talents for dancing, singing and light comedy.
Sonnie Hale was her husband in real life, and they make a fine double act, occasionally slipping into the kind of broad comedy routines typical of Laurel and Hardy. Anna Lee in particular offers quality support as a waspish aristocrat who wants to expose the deception. She's actually quite broadminded, unlike her fiancé (Griffith Jones) who resents his attraction to the fake boy.
He eventually gets the girl- it's the same thing!- so he is not punished for his prejudice. The film doesn't have an agenda, it's just an entertainment. Though it is quite liberal. While there are some good songs and choreography and decent gags, it principally survives because of the star quality of Jessie Matthews, who again delights with her offbeat screwball x-factor..