The crook and the lady

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Movie
German title The crook and the lady
Original title The Law and the Lady
Country of production United States
original language English
Publishing year 1951
length 104 minutes
Rod
Director Edwin H. Knopf
script Leonard Spigelgass ,
Karl Tunberg
production Edwin H. Knopf
music Carmen Dragon
camera George J. Folsey
cut William B. Gulick ,
James E. Newcom
occupation

Der Gauner und die Lady (Original title: The Law and the Lady ) is an American comedy film with Greer Garson and Michael Wilding from 1951. The play The Last of Mrs. Cheyney by Frederick Lonsdale served as a literary model .

action

In turn-of- the- century London , the maid Jane Hoskins is accused of stealing diamond earrings from her mistress Lady Sybil Minden. When Inspector McGraw interrogates Jane, Lady Sybil's brother-in-law, Nigel Duxbury, admits that the thief was the one who lost his inheritance to his twin brother, Lord Minden, who was five minutes older than him. He forgives his brother and gives him the earrings. Nigel then invites Jane to an elegant restaurant. There Jane tells him about herself and her ambitious plans for the future. Nigel is so impressed with her good manners that he wants to make her his partner in his messy deals. Jane hesitates to accept his immoral offer, but finally agrees: In Monte Carlo they take out an old English colonel while playing cards. They then travel to Shanghai , where they successfully continue their rip-offs. In San Francisco , Nigel circulated stories of Jane as Lady Loverly, after which she received numerous invitations from high society. The rich and generous widow Mrs. Julia Wortin even makes a large donation to Jane's alleged charity. Nigel pretends to be a butler named Hoskins, whom Mrs. Wortin promptly hires on Jane's recommendation.

When Jane is invited by Mrs. Wortin for a weekend, Nigel tells his accomplice about Mrs. Wortin's jewels, which she keeps in a safe. The following evening, Jane is courted by Juan Dinas, her hostess's neighbor, which makes Nigel jealous. Before Jane goes to bed, she asks Mrs. Wortin for the key to the safe in order to be able to keep the diamond earrings that Nigel gave her safely there. Although the opportunity seems ideal, Jane refrains from stealing Mrs. Wortin's jewels from the safe. The next day, Jane receives an invitation from Juan, who finally proposes her marriage. Juan's grandmother is Princess Margarita, a niece of the King of Spain. She takes a closer look at Jane and finds out that Jane is not the lady she claims to be. Despite his grandmother's objections, Juan does not allow himself to be dissuaded from continuing to court Jane. Meanwhile, she confesses to Nigel that she thinks she has fallen in love with Juan and that she wants to marry him. Nigel wishes her all the best, realizing that they both probably like Mrs. Wortin too much and therefore cannot steal her jewels. Out of a spontaneous impulse, he kisses Jane, whereupon she gives him back the diamond earrings. Nigel finally admits that he had moved the real earrings a while ago and that he now urgently needs money. Since Jane feels responsible for his situation, she decides to stay with him and leave with him the next morning.

That same night, Jane stole Mrs. Wortin's jewels. From the balcony she throws the prey to Nigel and is watched by Juan. When he confronts Jane, she openly admits what she did. He tries to kiss her anyway and triggers the alarm system. As a result, Jane and Nigel find themselves forced to admit their betrayals. Nigel is also willing to repay his victims for the stolen money - even if it means that he has to work hard for it. Shortly afterwards, Inspector McGraw also arrives at the scene. He appears with an arrest warrant for the crook couple, but also brings them the news that Nigel's brother Lord Minden has died and that Nigel has become the new lord. After a brief stay in prison, nothing stands in the way of Jane and Nigel's mutual happiness.

background

The Crook and the Lady was the third film adaptation of the hit play The Last of Mrs. Cheyney (1925) by Frederick Lonsdale. It had previously been adapted for the screen twice under the original title with Norma Shearer ( The Last of Mrs. Cheyney , 1929) and Joan Crawford ( The Last of Mrs. Cheyney , 1937). 1961 followed with Mrs. Cheneys end a German film adaptation with Lilli Palmer and Carlos Thompson in the leading roles.

The crook and the lady meant the Hollywood debut for both Briton Michael Wilding and Argentine Fernando Lamas . The film, for which the red-haired Greer Garson wore a black wig as in A Woman's Diary (1944), premiered on August 15, 1951 in New York and turned out to be a flop for MGM . The grossing was $ 1,360,000, representing a loss of $ 395,000. In Germany, the film comedy was first shown on television on May 27, 1997.

Reviews

For the lexicon of international films , Der Gauner und die Lady was “a lengthy, inconsistent story, which, however, has good dialogues and some excellent punch lines”. In relation to the original, Time pointed out that the producers had "changed the place, the time and, above all, the plot", but that the film is still "the amusing story of an elegant couple of crooks". The dialogues are "intelligent", but the style is "inconsistent". Michael Wilding and Greer Garson would make a "urbane and charming crook couple".

All Movie Guide's Craig Butler , looking back, found that the dialogues had "little brilliance or wit." The authors would have "screwed up the film from front to back". Edwin H. Knopf's “monotonous direction” doesn't make it any better either. “Surprisingly” offers “the otherwise radiant” Greer Garson “an uncharacteristic, lackluster performance”. Michael Wilding, on the other hand, never succeeds in “giving his figure depth”. Only Marjorie Main managed to "spray some wit". So be The Rogue and the Lady "overall a disappointment."

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Michael Troyan: A Rose for Mrs. Miniver. The Life of Greer Garson . The University Press of Kentucky, 1999, p. 244.
  2. ↑ The crook and the lady. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed November 4, 2018 .Template: LdiF / Maintenance / Access used 
  3. ↑ “Though the producers have changed the locale, period and much of the plot, it is still the amusing story of a pair of elegant swindlers. [...] The lines are bright, the style brittle. Actor Wilding and Actress Garson make a suave and charming pair of scoundrels. " See Cinema: The New Pictures . In: Time , July 30, 1951.
  4. ↑ “There's precious little sparkle or wit to the dialogue […]. The writers have bungled the job pretty much from start to finish. Edwin H. Knopf's colorless direction doesn't help matters. Surprisingly, the usually radiant Greer Garson turns in an uncharacteristically lackluster performance. Michael Wilding never begins to get underneath the skin of his character, [...] only Marjorie Main manages to inject any real fun into the proceedings. Lady is, altogether, a dull disappointment. " Craig Butler, cf. omovie.com