I have no idea if Ivor Novello would have liked this film. The fact that a great slab of his Operetta was cut out does not inspire confidence that he did. I wasn't there, but I did order the film having fallen in love with the music after hearing the superb Valerie Masterson on CD, beautifully conducted and performed. I then saw the film.
It was so awful that I avoided the music for months, and now listening to it again I feel I have to say that the film didn't deliver any of the magic I felt. Why? It is visually dull and has Dennis Price in the male lead role. For some reason this man had a great deal of popularity in his day, but the role needed charisma of which he has none. Good actor that he could be, in my opinion he was bad at romantic leads and he ruined this work, and along with the general lack of bite and failure to come to grips with the bitter sweet lyrics he made me want to look away. But it was 1950 and a pity that Laurence Harvey who appears in a bit part was not well known enough to be put into Price's role (dubbed for singing like Edmund Purdom). They should have waited!!!
It was so awful that I avoided the music for months, and now listening to it again I feel I have to say that the film didn't deliver any of the magic I felt. Why? It is visually dull and has Dennis Price in the male lead role. For some reason this man had a great deal of popularity in his day, but the role needed charisma of which he has none. Good actor that he could be, in my opinion he was bad at romantic leads and he ruined this work, and along with the general lack of bite and failure to come to grips with the bitter sweet lyrics he made me want to look away. But it was 1950 and a pity that Laurence Harvey who appears in a bit part was not well known enough to be put into Price's role (dubbed for singing like Edmund Purdom). They should have waited!!!