On Approval (1944)

Best movie ever!

Am i the only one who thinks........Average?

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Here is a look of one of England's foremost comediennes and entertainers, Beatrice Lillie. She was, for some unknown reason, shamefully neglected/ underutilized by Hollywood, and here she gives one of her fey, comedic performances for which she was celebrated on both sides of the Atlantic before and after the two world wars. She was primarily a stage actress and appeared in only seven movies.In this one she is in a cast of four actors in a droll, upper class comedy of manners. Listen intently to the dialogue or you may miss a precious bon mot or a glossed-over aside. The script is delicious and keeps you waiting for the next hilarious remark at which Lady Peel had no peer. It was written and Directed by Clive Brook who also co-stars and gives himself too much to say and do, but you can't keep a good man (in this case, woman) down, and Bea Lillie emerges unscathed and triumphant. If you're a fan you must catch this one when you can.

"On Approval" is a comedy of manners and it delivers on its promise to delight. The dialogue is the thing--filled with insinuations, clever slights, and unabashed insults. The four leads make the most of the plot, which is about two men trying to marry into wealthier circumstances via two sisters.One reviewer said this film is not up to Oscar Wilde's standards. Well maybe it is too tame to be Wilde, but it is still charming and filled with plenty of caustic throw-away lines and honest insights.I think I will have to see it more than once to fully appreciate the film because of the sheer volume of memorable lines. That's a prospect I can bear to suffer.

First of all, the pictorial quality of the print on this 1943 comedy is amazingly good; the diction of the actors speaking the King's English is also impeccable, and on that level alone this film is watchable--but much more for me; it's a wartime English film, obviously done on the cheap--but done very well and featuring top quality stage actors who delight in the clever quip and character-driven drollery.A wee bit of story: a demanding woman decides to take her prospective hubby to an island retreat to see if they can properly relate before they marry--two friends tag along. Now largely forgotten actor Clive Brook (a lead in Dietrich's Shanghai Express) directed and stars as an effete snob who has lessons to learn, and the impeccably hilarious, viper-tongued Beatrice Lille, who made far too few movies, is showcased at her raised-eyebrow best. This is an old-fashioned drawing room comedy, adult in nature, literate in approach, and short, sweet and delightful.

This film of Frederick Lonsdale's play is one of my favorite movies of all time. Not because it breaks new artistic ground--it's simply as close to being perfectly cast and perfectly executed as one can imagine. It's Bea Lillie's most important work on film (and as far as I can tell, except for "Thoroughly Modern Millie", the only thing of hers available on home video....will someone PLEASE bring out "Doctor Rhythm"?), and it really does give us a sense of why she was so famous in her day. The amazing Clive Brook is her perfect foil, and Googie Withers is beautiful and utterly charming."On Approval" is full of small pleasures that, because of their perfection, are unforgettable. Who can forget Bea Lillie's perfect delivery of "You will find the dinghy by the jetty."? The bickering of Lillie and Brook ("Maria, I don't want to speak to you, but I must." "I don't want to speak to you and I won't!") .....Googie Withers refusing a proposal of marriage by asking the color of her eyes.....Bea Lillie doing vocal exercises at the piano....I could go on endlessly. It's exquisite fun.