Rent The Man in Grey (1943)
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- A gorgeous debutante, Clarissa Richmond, is under obligation to enter into marriage with the wealthy Marquis of Rohan (James Mason). Rohan is not in love with Clarissa (Phyllis Calvert), but he wants an heir to his title - an ambition which is fulfilled when Clarissa presents him with a son. On the way to the theatre to see an old friend, Hesther (Margaret Lockwood), Clarissa is waylaid by a highwayman who demands a lift to the theatre she is attending - the highwayman is, in fact, a young actor called Peter Rokeby (Stewart Granger). Hesther comes to live with Clarissa, but she becomes a cuckoo in the nest when Rohan falls for her charms and she tries to oust Clarissa from the household.
- Actors:
- Margaret Lockwood, Phyllis Calvert, James Mason, Stewart Granger, Antony Scott, Martita Hunt, Helen Haye, Beatrice Varley, Raymond Lovell, Nora Swinburne, Kathleen Boutall, James B. Carson, Patric Curwen, Roy Emerton, Jane Gill-Davis, Lola Hunt, Diana King, Wally Kingston, Celia Lamb, Stuart Lindsell
- Directors:
- Leslie Arliss
- Producers:
- Edward Black
- Writers:
- Eleanor Smith, Doreen Montgomery, Margaret Kennedy, Leslie Arliss
- Studio:
- Network
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
- Getting to Know..., Getting to Know: James Mason, Holidays Film Collection, Remembering Timothy West, Romantic Film Pairings for Valentine's Day, Top 10 British Actresses of the 1940s, Top 10 Films and Shows About British Princes, Top Films
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 20/07/2020
- Run Time:
- 116 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby Digital 1.0, English LPCM Mono
- Subtitles:
- English
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Full Screen 1.37:1
- Colour:
- B & W
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Theatrical Trailer
- Image gallery
- James Mason: The Star They Loved to Hate
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Reviews (1) of The Man in Grey
Period Melodrama. - The Man in Grey review by Steve
For the first of the famous Gainsborough melodramas, the studio fielded all of their star actors. Phyllis Calvert bagged the central character, but the box office name was Margaret Lockwood and after this she became known for her bad girl roles. It made James Mason a major star and was a big break for Stewart Granger.
The most startling aspect of the film is how luxuriously Regency England is staged, with lavish sets, coiffure and costumes. This was produced in the austerity of the war years, so credit to the crew for making this look so good. The other significant factor is how sexy it is, with the bodices for the females, and tight britches for the men.
Mason plays a ruthless, decadent aristocrat who marries the demure Miss Calvert to provide him with a son without her getting in the way of his degenerate leisure pursuits. She invites a former schoolfriend (Lockwood) who has fallen on hard times, to live with her. The envious guest starts an affair with the husband and plots to do away with the wife...
It's the sort of gothic melodrama that features a gypsy curse, a duel, and a climactic electrical storm. It was a huge hit on the home front. It's got it all. Including a racist expletive, which may be realistic for London in the early 1800s, but unforgivable for a film in 1943. Still, the handsome production was a signifier that Britain was beginning to emerge from the shock of war.