Evensong (film)
Evensong | |
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Directed by | Victor Saville |
Written by | Dorothy Farnum |
Starring | Evelyn Laye |
Cinematography | Mutz Greenbaum |
Music by | Hubert Bath (uncredited) |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Gaumont British |
Release date | September 1934 (London) (UK) |
Running time | 87 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Evensong is a 1934 British musical film directed by Victor Saville and starring Evelyn Laye, Fritz Kortner and Emlyn Williams.[1] It is loosely based on the story of the singer Nellie Melba. It was also the first film of Alec Guinness, who appears as an uncredited extra. [2]
Cast
- Evelyn Laye ... Madame Irela
- Fritz Kortner ... Arthur Kober
- Emlyn Williams ... George Leary
- Carl Esmond ... Count Ehrenburg / Archduke Theodore
- Alice Delysia ... Madame Valmond
- Conchita Supervia ... Baba L'Etoile
- Muriel Aked ... Tremlowe
- Dennis Val Norton ... Sovino
- Arthur Sinclair ... Pa O'Neil
- Patrick O'Moore ... Bob O'Neil
- Browning Mummery ... Solo Tenor / Alfredo the Gondolier
- Frederick Leister ... Emperor Franz Josef
- George Treger ... Solo gypsy violinist
Critical reception
The New York Times found the film "politely dull in its reverent examination of a songbird's career. But in its sober way it emerges as a superior musical entertainment...Victor Saville tells the story with tenderness, intelligence and skill and his method is technically invigorating in one lengthy sequence which he develops through the use of musical pantomime" ;[3] while Allmovie noted "Evelyn Laye made only a handful of film appearances, of which Evensong was arguably her finest" ;[4] and Time Out found it "a touch more sophisticated than the usual run of homegrown '30s musicals, genre specialist Saville's film benefits no end from the commanding and courageous central performance." [5]
References
- ^ "Evensong". BFI.
- ^ "Evensong". TVGuide.com.
- ^ https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B06E5D91F3DE33ABC4F52DFB767838F629EDE
- ^ "Evensong (1934) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "Evensong". Time Out London.
External links
- 1934 films
- 1930s musical films
- British musical films
- British films
- English-language films
- Films directed by Victor Saville
- Films about singers
- Films about classical music and musicians
- Films about opera
- Films set in the 1900s
- Films set in the 1910s
- Cultural depictions of Nellie Melba
- 1930s British film stubs
- British black-and-white films