A Place of One's Own: Difference between revisions

A Place of One's Own
A Place of One's Own
	Screenshot
Directed by	Bernard Knowles
Written by	Brock Williams
Based on	A Place of One's Own by Osbert Sitwell
Produced by	R. J. Minney
Starring	James Mason; Barbara Mullen; Margaret Lockwood; Dennis Price; Dulcie Gray
Cinematography	Stephen Dade
Edited by	Charles Knott
Music by	Hubert Bath
Production; company	Gainsborough Pictures
Distributed by	Eagle-Lion Distributors
Release dates	28 May 1945; (UK); 1949 (USA)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

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A Place of One's Own is a 1945 British film directed by Bernard Knowles. An atmospheric ghost story based on the 1940 novel of the same title by Osbert Sitwell, it stars James Mason, Barbara Mullen, Margaret Lockwood, Dennis Price and Dulcie Gray. Mason and Mullen are artificially aged to play the old couple. It was one of the cycle of Gainsborough melodramas.

Plot

The Smedhursts, newly retired, buy Bellingham House, which has been vacant for over 40 years and is rumoured to be haunted by the previous owner, Elizabeth, who is widely believed to have been murdered by her guardians. Mrs Smedhurst employs a young lady, Annette, as a companion. Annette becomes haunted by Elizabeth, who is waiting for her lover, Dr Marsham. Mr Smedhurst asks the police to find Dr Marsham, and he comes to visit Annette/Elizabeth. The next morning, everyone in the house feels "lighter" and Annette wakes up recovered. A local policeman arrives and announces that Dr Marsham has been found but will not be able to visit as he has died...

Cast

Margaret Lockwood as Annette
James Mason as Mr. Smedhurst
Barbara Mullen as Mrs. Smedhurst
Dennis Price as Dr. Robert Selbie
Helen Haye as Mrs. Manning-Tutthorn
Michael Shepley as Major Manning-Tutthorn
Dulcie Gray as Sarah
Moore Marriott as George
O. B. Clarence as Perkins
Helen Goss as Rosie, the Barmaid
Edie Martin as Cook
Gus McNaughton as Police Constable Hargreaves
Muriel George as Nurse
John Turnbull as Sir Roland Jervis
Ernest Thesiger as Dr. Richard Marsham
Henry B. Longhurst as Inspector
Aubrey Mallalieu as Canon Mowbray

Production

The film was based on a novel published in 1942.^[1]

James Mason wrote in his memoirs that when he read the script "not only did I enthuse but I even asked that I might be permitted to play the role of the elderly retiree in the story."^[2]

This was the first time Margaret Lockwood used a beauty spot on her cheek in a film, something which became a trademark.^[3]

Vernon Sewell says he was going to direct the film but then Maurice Ostrer asked him to make Madonna of the Seven Moons instead. Sewell refused and left Gainsborough.^[4]

Reception

According to Kinematograph Weekly the film performed well at the British box office in 1945.^[5]^[6]

Considering the popularity at the time of stars James Mason and Margaret Lockwood, however, the film was considered a financial disappointment. Mason later wrote in his memoirs that the blame needed to be shared between himself, for wanting to play the role, and the producer, for letting him.

Of course it could have turned out a failure even if the most suitable actor in the world had played that part. But the reactions of the top brass at the studio did nothing to allay my own feeling of guilt for having volunteered my services. In any case it was not that I was incapable of turning my hand to a character part, it was just that I had amassed what I always realized was an absurd degree of popularity, and the fan population wanted me to appear only as some heroic young lady-killer; or better-still, ladybasher.^[2]

He also blamed director Bernard Knowles:

Knowles deserved his share [of blame] because he had never got over Citizen Kane and still thought that it was a shortcut to success if one had the actors play immensely long sequences without any intercutting or covering shots. In Citizen Kane the director could afford to do this because Herman Mankiewicz had revised one strong situation after another.^[2]

The film was not released in the US until 1949.

References

^ "FACT OR FICTION?". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 32, 647. 15 August 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 12 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
^ ^a ^b ^c James Mason, quoted in A Place of One's Own at Turner Classic Movies, archived from the original on 2016-12-21
^ Margret Lockwood obitury at The Times July 1990
^ Fowler, Roy (8 July 1994). "Vernon Sewell". British Entertainment History Project.
^ Robert Murphy, Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48 2003 p 208
^ Thumim, Janet. "The popular cash and culture in the postwar British cinema industry". Screen. Vol. 32, no. 3. p. 258.

External links

A Place of One's Own at IMDb
A Place of One's Own at Britmovie
A Place of One's Own at the TCM Movie Database
Review of film at Variety
Review of film at The New York Times
Complete film at Internet Archive

[1] "FACT OR FICTION?". The Sydney Morning Herald. No. 32, 647. 15 August 1942. p. 6. Retrieved 12 April 2016 – via National Library of Australia.

[tcm-2] James Mason, quoted in A Place of One's Own at Turner Classic Movies, archived from the original on 2016-12-21

[3] Margret Lockwood obitury at The Times July 1990

[vernon-4] Fowler, Roy (8 July 1994). "Vernon Sewell". British Entertainment History Project.

[5] Robert Murphy, Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48 2003 p 208

[6] Thumim, Janet. "The popular cash and culture in the postwar British cinema industry". Screen. Vol. 32, no. 3. p. 258.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{short description|1945 film}}
+{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2016}}
+{{Use British English|date=June 2016}}
 {{Infobox film
 | name           = A Place of One's Own
@@ Line 5: / Line 8: @@
 | caption        = Screenshot
 | director       = [[Bernard Knowles]]
-| producer       = R. J. Minney
+| producer       = [[R. J. Minney]]
 | writer         = [[Brock Williams (screenwriter)|Brock Williams]]
-|based on = novel by [[Osbert Sitwell]]
+| based_on       = ''[[A Place of One's Own (novel)|A Place of One's Own]]'' by [[Osbert Sitwell]]
 | starring       = [[James Mason]]<br>[[Barbara Mullen]]<br>[[Margaret Lockwood]]<br>[[Dennis Price]]<br>[[Dulcie Gray]]
 | music          = [[Hubert Bath]]
@@ Line 13: / Line 16: @@
 | editing        = Charles Knott
 | studio         = [[Gainsborough Pictures]]
-| distributor = [[Eagle Lion]] (USA)
+| distributor    = [[Eagle-Lion Distributors]]
-| released       = {{Film date|1945}} (UK)<br>1949 (USA)
+| released       = {{Film date|df=yes|1945|5|28}} (UK)<br>1949 (USA)
 | runtime        = 92 minutes
 | country        = United Kingdom
 | language       = English
 | budget         =
 | gross          =
 }}
-'''''A Place of One's Own''''' (1945) is a [[Cinema of the United Kingdom|British]] film directed by [[Bernard Knowles]]. An atmospheric ghost story based on the novel by [[Osbert Sitwell]], it stars [[James Mason]], [[Barbara Mullen]], [[Margaret Lockwood]], [[Dennis Price]] and [[Dulcie Gray]]. Mason and Mullen are artificially aged to play the old couple. It was one of the cycle of [[Gainsborough Melodramas]].
+'''''A Place of One's Own''''' is a 1945 British film directed by [[Bernard Knowles]]. An atmospheric ghost story based on the 1940 [[A Place of One's Own (novel)|novel of the same title]] by [[Osbert Sitwell]], it stars [[James Mason]], [[Barbara Mullen]], [[Margaret Lockwood]], [[Dennis Price]] and [[Dulcie Gray]]. Mason and Mullen are artificially aged to play the old couple. It was one of the cycle of [[Gainsborough melodramas]].
 == Plot ==
+The Smedhursts, newly retired, buy Bellingham House, which has been vacant for over 40 years and is rumoured to be haunted by the previous owner, Elizabeth, who is widely believed to have been murdered by her guardians. Mrs Smedhurst employs a young lady, Annette, as a companion. Annette becomes haunted by Elizabeth, who is waiting for her lover, Dr Marsham. Mr Smedhurst asks the police to find Dr Marsham, and he comes to visit Annette/Elizabeth. The next morning, everyone in the house feels "lighter" and Annette wakes up recovered. A local policeman arrives and announces that Dr Marsham has been found but will not be able to visit as he has died...
-(The plot summary is copied verbatim from the website "Britmovie".)
-''Mr and Mrs Smedhurst ([[James Mason]] and [[Barbara Mullen]]) are a business couple wanting to retire. They find a  [[mansion]] in the country, Bellingham House, at a bargain price.  They move in along with their servants and soon learn the house is supposedly [[haunted house|haunted]] – but Mr Smedhurst in particular is sceptical of the paranormal myth. They invite a young companion, Annette ([[Margaret Lockwood]]), to join them but within days of arriving she steadily begins hearing strange voices. The new owners learn that a young invalid girl was believed to have been murdered 40 years previously in the house – and their preconceptions of the [[supernatural]] are challenged.
-''When the spirit of the murdered girl possesses Annette, her health declines drastically and soon she’s at death's door. A young doctor, Dr Selbie ([[Dennis Price]]), has fallen deeply in love with Annette and attempts to cure her but to no avail. In a state of delirium, Annette calls for old Dr Marsham ([[Ernest Thesiger]]), the GP who had attended to the dead girl 40 years earlier.''
 ==Cast==
+{{div col}}
 * [[Margaret Lockwood]] as Annette
 * [[James Mason]] as Mr. Smedhurst
 * [[Barbara Mullen]] as Mrs. Smedhurst
-* [[Dennis Price]] as Dr. Selbie
+* [[Dennis Price]] as Dr. Robert Selbie
 * [[Helen Haye]] as Mrs. Manning-Tutthorn
 * [[Michael Shepley]] as Major Manning-Tutthorn
@@ Line 50: / Line 50: @@
 * [[Henry Longhurst (actor)|Henry B. Longhurst]] as Inspector
 * [[Aubrey Mallalieu]] as Canon Mowbray
+{{div col end}}
 ==Production==
-The film was based on a novel published in 1942.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17823027 |title=FACT OR FICTION? |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=32,647 |location=New South Wales, Australia |date=15 August 1942 |accessdate=12 April 2016 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref>
+The film was based on a novel published in 1942.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article17823027 |title=FACT OR FICTION? |newspaper=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]] |issue=32,647 |date=15 August 1942 |accessdate=12 April 2016 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}}</ref>
-James Mason wrote in his memoirs that when he read the script "not only did I enthuse but I even asked that I might be permitted to play the role of the elderly retiree in the story."<ref name="tcm">[http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/245282|0/A-Place-of-One-s-Own.html James Mason, ''Before I Forget'', quoted in ''A Place of One's Own''] at [[Turner Classic Movies]]</ref>
+James Mason wrote in his memoirs that when he read the script "not only did I enthuse but I even asked that I might be permitted to play the role of the elderly retiree in the story."<ref name="tcm">[https://fantasyliterature.com/reviews/a-place-of-ones-own/ James Mason, quoted in ''A Place of One's Own''] at [[Turner Classic Movies]], archived from [http://www.tcm.com/this-month/article/245282%7C0/A-Place-of-One-s-Own.html the original] on 2016-12-21</ref>
 This was the first time Margaret Lockwood used a beauty spot on her cheek in a film, something which became a trademark.<ref>[http://the.hitchcock.zone/wiki/The_Times_%2817/Jul/1990%29_-_Obituary:_Margaret_Lockwood Margret Lockwood obitury at ''The Times'' July 1990]</ref>
+Vernon Sewell says he was going to direct the film but then Maurice Ostrer asked him to make ''Madonna of the Seven Moons'' instead. Sewell refused and left Gainsborough.<ref name="vernon">{{cite web|url=https://historyproject.org.uk/interview/vernon-sewell|website=British Entertainment History Project|title=Vernon Sewell| date=8 July 1994|first=Roy|last= Fowler}}</ref>
 ==Reception==
-According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'' the film performed well at the British box office in 1945.<ref>[https://books.google.com.au/books?id=xtGIAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA209&lpg=PA209&dq=hungry+hill+film+box+office&source=bl&ots=MTsQXadYDw&sig=2h-5aG3Vy4tT_h1mlC4mfRi18JQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiZ8b6P1YHMAhVEFqYKHcy9BF8Q6AEIMzAF#v=onepage&q=hungry%20hill%20film%20box%20office&f=false Robert Murphy, ''Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48'' 2003 p 208]</ref> Considering the popularity at the time of stars James Mason and Margaret Lockwood, the film was considered a financial disappointment. Mason later wrote in his memoirs that the blame needed to be shared between himself, for wanting the play the role, and the producer, for letting him.
+According to ''Kinematograph Weekly'' the film performed well at the British box office in 1945.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=xtGIAgAAQBAJ&dq=hungry+hill+film+box+office&pg=PA209 Robert Murphy, ''Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939-48'' 2003 p 208]</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/details/Screen_Volume_32_Issue_3/page/n17|magazine=Screen|page=258|volume=32|issue=3|title=The popular cash and culture in the postwar British cinema industry|first=Janet|last=Thumim}}</ref>
+Considering the popularity at the time of stars James Mason and Margaret Lockwood, however, the film was considered a financial disappointment. Mason later wrote in his memoirs that the blame needed to be shared between himself, for wanting to play the role, and the producer, for letting him.
 <blockquote>Of course it could have turned out a failure even if the most suitable actor in the world had played that part. But the reactions of the top brass at the studio did nothing to allay my own feeling of guilt for having volunteered my services. In any case it was not that I was incapable of turning my hand to a character part, it was just that I had amassed what I always realized was an absurd degree of popularity, and the fan population wanted me to appear only as some heroic young lady-killer; or better-still, ladybasher.<ref name="tcm"/></blockquote>
 He also blamed director Bernard Knowles:
 <blockquote>Knowles deserved his share [of blame] because he had never got over ''[[Citizen Kane]]'' and still thought that it was a shortcut to success if one had the actors play immensely long sequences without any intercutting or covering shots. In ''Citizen Kane'' the director could afford to do this because [[Herman Mankiewicz]] had revised one strong situation after another.<ref name="tcm"/></blockquote>
 The film was not released in the US until 1949.
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
 ==External links==
 * {{IMDb title|id=0037179|title=A Place of One's Own}}
-*[http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/A-Place-of-Ones-Own_1945 ''A Place of One's Own''] at Britmovie
+*[https://web.archive.org/web/20160603072031/http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/A-Place-of-Ones-Own_1945 ''A Place of One's Own''] at Britmovie
-* {{tcmdb title|id=86771}}
+* {{TCMDb title|id=86771}}
+*[https://archive.org/stream/variety158-1945-05#page/n186/mode/1up Review of film] at ''Variety''
-* {{AllMovie title|id=106183}}
-*[http://www.archive.org/stream/variety158-1945-05#page/n186/mode/1up Review of film] at ''Variety''
+*[https://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9807E7D9173FE03ABC4053DFB4668382659EDE Review of film] at [[The New York Times]]
-*[http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9807E7D9173FE03ABC4053DFB4668382659EDE Review of film] at [[New York Times]]
 *[https://archive.org/details/APlaceOfOnesOwn Complete film] at [[Internet Archive]]
 {{Gainsborough Pictures}}
@@ Line 78: / Line 85: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Place of One's Own, A}}
 [[Category:1945 films]]
-[[Category:1940s drama films]]
+[[Category:1945 drama films]]
-[[Category:British films]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
 [[Category:British black-and-white films]]
 [[Category:Gainsborough Pictures films]]
 [[Category:1940s thriller films]]
-[[Category:Haunted house films]]
+[[Category:British haunted house films]]
+[[Category:Films set in England]]
+[[Category:Films set in the 1900s]]
+[[Category:British historical films]]
+[[Category:1940s historical films]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Bernard Knowles]]
 [[Category:British drama films]]
+[[Category:Islington Studios films]]
+[[Category:Films based on British novels]]
+[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
+[[Category:1940s British films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Hubert Bath]]
+[[Category:English-language historical films]]
+[[Category:English-language thriller films]]