English Without Tears

United Kingdom

1944

87 Min

Black and White

English

Currently 0.0/5 Stars.
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DIR Harold French

CAST Michael Wilding, Penelope Dudley-Ward, Lilli Palmer, Claude Dauphin, Albert Lieven, Peggy Cummins, Margaret Rutherford, Martin Miller, Roland Culver, Beryl Measor

Synopsis

Joan Heseltine (Penelope Dudley-Ward), a member of a wealthy British clan, falls in love with her aunt’s family butler, Tom Gilbey (Michael Wilding), despite the impossibility of them making a match. When World War II breaks out, however, their situation changes drastically. Tom goes off to fight and returns as an army officer, which considerably raises his social status. Unfortunately, Joan’s heart appears to have moved on in Tom’s absence.

Director

Harold French

London-born Harold French made his name on the stage, both as an actor and director. He crossed over to films, making his acting debut in 1920. He became a director shortly before the beginning of World War II, debuting with The Cavalier of the Streets (1937), and made a well-received adaptation of A.E.W. Mason’s thriller, Secret Mission (1942). He didn’t score again until 1948, with My Brother Jonathan (1948). Known more for his romantic dramas and comedies, French switched to a period action piece, Rob Roy: The Highland Rogue (1953). He directed his last film, The Man Who Loved Redheads (1955) in 1955 and went back to writing. Toward the end of his career he returned to directing in the theater. While he may not have been classified among the top-ranked British directors, he nevertheless turned out many well-made, entertaining films over his 20-year-plus career. —IMDb