The Divorce of Lady X
| The Divorce of Lady X | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Tim Whelan |
| Written by | Gilbert Wakefield (play) Lajos Bíró (adaptation) Ian Dalrymple (scenario) |
| Produced by | Alexander Korda |
| Starring | Laurence Olivier Merle Oberon Binnie Barnes Ralph Richardson |
| Cinematography | Harry Stradling |
| Edited by | L.J.W. Stokvis |
| Music by | Miklós Rózsa Lionel Salter |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $500,000[1] or £99,000[2] |
The Divorce of Lady X is a 1938 British colour romantic comedy film made by London Films; it stars Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson and Binnie Barnes. It was directed by Tim Whelan and produced by Alexander Korda from a screenplay by Ian Dalrymple and Arthur Wimperis, adapted by Lajos Bíró from the play Counsel's Opinion by Gilbert Wakefield. The music score was by Miklós Rózsa and Lionel Salter and the cinematography by Harry Stradling.
The film was made in Technicolor and is a remake of the 1933 film Counsel's Opinion, also made by London Films and in which Binnie Barnes appeared in the role played by Merle Oberon.
Plot
 | This article needs an improved plot summary. (December 2016) |
Leslie Steele (Merle Oberon), a guest at a costume party, is forced to stay overnight in a hotel because of a particularly bad London fog. As there are no rooms available, Steele talks her way into sharing a suite with Everard Logan (Laurence Olivier), a handsome but somewhat stiff lawyer. They spend the night together, quite chastely, but Logan becomes convinced that Leslie must be married. His conviction is confirmed when an old school friend, Lord Mere (Ralph Richardson), arrives and asks Logan to represent him in a divorce case against his wife, Lady Claire (Binnie Barnes), who had also spent the night in the hotel following the party.
As Leslie had discreetly declined to give him her full name, despite having decided to win and marry him, Logan mistakenly believes that she is Lady Claire, making him the mystery co-respondent in his client's divorce. Leslie encourages the mistaken identity- which also charges her with the three previous divorces of Lady Claire- as a confused and love-struck Logan pursues her against his better judgement, and at risk- he believes- of his career. Eventually Lord and Lady Mere, now reconciled, are drawn into the confusion, much to their own amusement. Logan is furious and humiliated when Leslie and Lord and Lady Mere finally reveal the deception to him, and shutters his practice in order to travel abroad. A penitent Leslie pursues him aboard a ship and wins him back as he battles seasickness.
Cast
- Merle Oberon as Leslie Steele
- Laurence Olivier as Everard Logan
- Binnie Barnes as Lady Claire Mere
- Ralph Richardson as Lord Mere
- Morton Selten as Lord Steele
- Victor Rietti as Hotel Manager
- J.H. Roberts as Slade
- Gertrude Musgrove as Saunders, the Maid
- Gus McNaughton as Room Service Waiter
- H.B. Hallam as Jefferies, the Butler
- Eileen Peel as Mrs. Johnson
- Lewis Gilbert as Tom
References
- ^ http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/73217/The-Divorce-of-Lady-X/notes.html
- ^ Karol Kulik, Alexander Korda: The Man Who Could Work Miracles, Virgin 1990 p 209
External links
- The Divorce of Lady X at IMDb
- The Divorce of Lady X is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive
- The Divorce of Lady X at AllMovie
- The Divorce of Lady X at the TCM Movie Database
 | This article about a romantic comedy film is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Use dmy dates from July 2012
- 1938 films
- 1930s romantic comedy films
- British films
- British romantic comedy films
- Denham Film Studios films
- London Films films
- British film remakes
- Films based on plays
- Films directed by Tim Whelan
- Film scores by Miklós Rózsa
- Films produced by Alexander Korda
- Screenplays by Ian Dalrymple
- Films about divorce
- Romantic comedy film stubs