* Amazon are not included in Price Watch

Genevieve DVD

| DVD

For anyone who travels the congested roads of Britain these days the utterly delightful Genevieve will provoke a wistful, nostalgic sigh of regret for times gone by when there were no motorways, traffic jams were almost non-existent and friendly police motorcyclists riding classic Nortons (without helmets) cheerfully let people driving vintage cars race each other along country lanes. Even in 1953, Henry Cornelius’ gentle comedy must have seemed pleasingly old-fashioned, concerned as it is with the antics of two obsessive enthusiasts on the annual London to Brighton... classic car rally. The principal quartet could hardly be bettered: though John Gregson is something of a cold fish as Genevieve’s proud owner, the radiant warmth of Dinah Sheridan as his long-suffering wife more than compensates. Kenneth More is ideally cast in the role of boastful rival enthusiast and Kay Kendall has possibly the best comic moment of all when she astonishes everyone with her drunken trumpet playing. Cornelius also directed Ealing’s Passport to Pimlico, so his sure eye for gently mocking and celebrating British eccentricities is never in doubt. The screenplay by (American writer) William Rose now seems like an elegy to a way of life long disappeared: the pivotal moment when Gregson stops to humour a passing old buffer about his love of classic cars comes from a vanished era of politeness before road rage; as does the priceless exchange between hotel owner Joyce Grenfell and her aged resident: "No one’s ever complained before", says the mystified Grenfell after Gregson and Sheridan moan about the facilities, "Are they Americans?" asks the old lady, unable to conceive that anyone British could say such things. Genevieve is both a wonderful period comedy and a nostalgic portrait of England the way it used to be. On the DVD: the "Special Edition" version of Genevieve has a decent new documentary with reminiscences from Dinah Sheridan (still radiant), the director of photography and the film’s editor, who talk about the challenges of filming on location. Most treasurable of all, though, is legendary harmonica player Larry Adler, who remembers his distinctive score with much fondness and is not at all embittered by his Hollywood blacklisting, which meant he was denied an Academy Award nomination. There’s also a short piece on some of the locations used (which for economic reasons were mostly in the lanes around Pinewood studios), cast biographies and a gallery of stills. The 4:3 ratio colour picture looks pretty good for its age and the mono sound is adequate. --Mark Walker [show more]

Read More

buy new from £13.66 | RRP: £9.99
* Excludes Voucher Code Discount
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click through any of the links below and make a purchase we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Click here to learn more.
Searching retailers...
  • DVD Details
  • Reviews (0)
  • Price History
  • Watch Trailer
Released
01 October 1999
Directors
Actors
Format
DVD 
Publisher
Carlton Visual Entertainment Ltd 
Classification
Runtime
83 minutes 
Features
PAL 
Barcode
5037115001733 
  • Title not yet reviewed...

  • Please review this title

    We will publish your review of Genevieve [1953] on DVD within a few days as long as it meets our guidelines.
    None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

    Thank you - we will review and publish your review shortly.

More Titles Starring Dinah Sheridan

More Titles Starring John Gregson

More Titles Starring Kay Kendall

More Titles Starring Kenneth More

More Titles Starring Geoffrey Keen

More Titles Starring Reginald Beckwith

More Titles Starring Arthur Wontner

More Titles Starring Joyce Grenfell

More Titles Starring Leslie Mitchell

More Titles Starring Michael Balfour

More Titles Starring Joe E. Carr

More Titles Starring Lesley Dudley