Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . during the Advent of the "Talkies," Prophecy moved from the exclusive realm of pedantic professorial prattlers into the bailiwick of Joe Blow and Rosie Riveter, the True Blue Union Label "Little People" who buy the vast majority of movie tickets. So during Warner's ESCAPE ME NEVER, what present-day deplorable villainess is this story's cold-hearted Rich Witch home-wrecking Fat Cat heiress "Fenella MacLean" clairvoyantly crafted to represent? Hint: Warner provides us with a whopping clue when Fenella lures "Sebastian" into killing working class single mom "Gemma's" baby "Piccolo" through his gross neglect. Can anyone view these traumatic scenes during the long hot summer of 2018 and NOT instantly think of America's Reincarnated version of "Marie Antoinette," who visits one of her husband's notorious Child Abuse Centers wearing a "designer" frock reading "I just don't care: Let them eat cake"? If "E. In-Like-Flynn" writing ballets seems implausible to you during ESCAPE ME NEVER, ask yourself how better could the eponymous Warner Bros. predict the appointment of an illegal alien porn starlet as America's Third Lady?
edwagreen
The film gets going awfully late and that's only when Ida Lupino is able to pour it on in her usual excitable way.Through an error the Eleanor Parker-Gig Young relationship is curtailed when Eleanor falls for brother Errol Flynn. Both men in the field of music are quite different from each other. Flynn, hoping to compose an opera, takes in Ida Lupino with a young baby. With the right brakes thanks to Parker, it appears that Flynn, who has now wed the Lupino character, will get his opera made. The falling apart of that project brings everyone to a downward spiral. Flynn leaves Lupino for Parker and tragedy comes to the Lupino infant.Of course, Flynn eventually realizes that Parker is not the woman for him as the film ends.It is only Lupino's performance that saves this somewhat. Flynn is terribly miscast and Eleanor Parker, again proves how selfish she could be in motion pictures. Young is rather benign in his part of Parker's suitor.
bkoganbing
After 1945 in which Errol Flynn appeared in typical roles for him in Operation Burma and San Antonio, he obviously must have talked to Jack Warner about getting parts that would broaden his range. He did three films over the next two year designed to do that, Never Say Goodbye, Cry Wolf, and Escape Me Never. The last is probably closest to Flynn, but all three didn't either get great critical notice or did outstanding box office. After Escape Me Never, Flynn was back in traditional action roles like Silver River and The Adventures of Don Juan, the kind of parts his fans like to see him in.Escape Me Never is a four sided triangle story set in the years of the turn of the last century. Errol's a misunderstood genius of a composer who is living with a young widow, Ida Lupino and her baby. Ida's another Bohemian sort who broke into the villa in Venice of an English couple and their daughter. When she's confronted she mentions she's living with Errol. That sends a ripple through the house because daughter Eleanor Parker is engaged to Gig Young who is Errol's brother and they think Errol's a two timer. When she leaves Venice in a huff, Flynn, Lupino, and Young chase after her.The problem is that the daughter may have been wrong on the particulars, but in fact Errol is a two timing cad, though a charming one.Charm Flynn had in abundance, but I could never quite accept him as a musical genius. The best thing about the film is the music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold who wrote a ballet for the film that is the highlight. Korngold scored a lot of Flynn's early swashbucklers, most notably The Adventures Of Robin Hood.This is the second version of this story, the British cinema did one in 1935 with Elisabeth Bergner and Hugh Sinclair. I'm guessing that was a better film.
klasekfilmfan
I give this movie 10-10 because it is captivating from start to finish. Errol Flynn is charming as usual and Ida Lupino has a very strong showing. It was the first time that I've watched a Ida Lupino film, but it will not be the last. She brings a sensitivity to the screen but also strong-willed and her own person. Her on-screen passion compensates for the lack of funds put into this movie. Lupino also compliments Errol Flynn as a great on-screen couple. Escape Me Never has a great feel to it and will not disappoint. The "I hate Errol Flynn" bandwagon may have been emboldened by this film, however, because Errol is flirtatious and is as womanizing as ever. But, if you watch the entire film you will find that he comes around in the end to realizing his true love and commitment. Watch this movie! It will not disappoint.
AD
