Bank Holiday (also known as Three on a Weekend) is a 1938 British drama film directed by Carol Reed and starring John Lodge, Margaret Lockwood, Hugh Williams and Kathleen Harrison.[1] The film was popular and helped establish Carol Reed's reputation.[2]
| Bank Holiday | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Carol Reed |
| Written by | Rodney Ackland Roger Burford |
| Based on | story by Hans Wilhelm Rodney Ackland |
| Produced by | Edward Black |
| Starring | John Lodge Margaret Lockwood Hugh Williams |
| Cinematography | Arthur Crabtree |
| Edited by | R. E. Dearing |
| Music by | Louis Levy |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes 81 minutes (censored) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editOn a 1930s bank holiday weekend, a number of people rush for trains to head to the seaside. They include: an unmarried couple, nurse Catherine Lawrence and her boyfriend Geoffrey. Catherine is distracted by thoughts of Stephen Howard, widower of a patient who died in childbirth; May and Arthur and their working-class family; two female friends, Doreen and Milly, looking for romance and Doreen to win a beauty contest.[3]
Cast
edit- John Lodge as Stephen Howard
- Margaret Lockwood as Catherine Lawrence
- Hugh Williams as Geoffrey
- Rene Ray as Doreen Richards
- Merle Tottenham as Milly
- Linden Travers as Ann Howard
- Wally Patch as Arthur
- Kathleen Harrison as May
- Garry Marsh as 'Follies' manager
- Jeanne Stuart as Miss Mayfair
- Wilfrid Lawson as Police sergeant
- Felix Aylmer as surgeon
- Leonard Sharp as Jack, the petrol pump attendant
- Michael Rennie as Welsh Guardsman (uncredited)
Production
editIt was the third collaboration between Reed and Lockwood. Actor Michael Rennie appeared (uncredited) as a Welsh Guardsman in the film.
Reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The comedy of the Cockney family, and of "Miss Balham" the would-be beauty queen and her confidante, is rather hackneyed also the playing of the cockney characters is inclined to be theatrical, except in the case of Wally Patch, who gives a delightfully naturalistic performance. The dramatic element is extremely well-served by John Lodge, who is really moving as the young husband, and by Margaret Lockwood. An unforgettable piece of character acting is provided by Wilfred Lawson as a police sergeant who has to interrogate Margaret Lockwood when the car in which she has begged a lift to London is stopped by the police. There are many minor improbabilities in the plot, and the use of strong tragedy as a kind of subplot is perhaps open to question; but the excellent acting and brilliant direction, coupled with the fact that the plot deals with the realities of English life, give it a vividness that makes it definitely a film to see."[4]
The Sunday Express called it "'one of the ablest pieces of picture-making to come out of a British studio."[5]
Lockwood was voted third best actress of 1938 by the readers of Film Weekly.[6]
References
edit- ^ "Bank Holiday". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 28 July 2024.
- ^ PAUL P. KENNEDY (30 November 1947). "THE CAROL REED FORMULA: Or How a Leading British Director Goes About the Business of Making a Film". New York Times. p. X5.
- ^ BFI.org
- ^ "Bank Holiday". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 5 (49): 64. 1 January 1938 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "Three on a Week-End (1938)". Turner Classic Movies.
- ^ ""PYGMALION" WINS". The West Australian. Vol. 55, no. 16, 564. Western Australia. 4 August 1939. p. 2. Retrieved 1 May 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
External links
edit- Three on a Weekend at IMDb
- Bank Holiday at the TCM Movie Database
- Bank Holiday at BFI Screenonline
- Bank Holiday at Britmovie
- Review of film at Variety
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