THIS freezing weather seems to have paralysed everything including the
film industry, for there is only one new film this week, The Love Lottery, starring David Niven, Peggy Cummins, Anne Vernon and Herbert Lom. It is a product of Ealing Studios, and although it is not quite up to their usual standard it nevertheless has its moments of Ealing magic, a baroque twist or two to its plain modern facade, and it is above all things frivolous and gay. David Niven is the fan-ridden movie star who escapes from Hollywood to seek a modicum of privacy in an Italian retreat where, owing to a combina- tion of roulette losses and Herbert Lom's well-organised gambling concern, he is forced to agree to become the first prize in a world-wide lottery. Too much time is spent, perhaps, on Mr. Niven's lurid dreams of being torn to pieces by bobby-soxers, and though his charms are manifold the hysteria they engender in females of every shape and age is a little hard to credit ; yet the sale of the lottery tickets in every country from Russia to darkest Africa is so amusing one
can forget the improbability of such a sweep- stake being quite so successful. Women are notoriously silly, but there must be a grand- mother or two somewhere . . . no, perhaps not.
Charles Crichton has directed the film in what can best be called an icing-sugar Cocteau style, fantasy and prettiness, wit and whimsicality in equal parts making a good if oversweet dish. It is well served by the cast, that delightful French actress Miss Vernon giving a much needed adult flavour to this essentially juvenile affair, and Ealing can, on the whole, be complimented oh keeping its flag flying even if it does not, on this occasion, wave as briskly as usual.
VIRGINIA GRAHAM
Previous page
