lasttimeisaw An Ealing Studio comedy in 1953, about a annual vintage car rally from London to Brighton and back in two days on a sunny weekend, which is the most exciting activity for lawyer Alan(Gregson) and his best friend Ambrose (More), but for ladies, Alan's wife Wendy (Sheridan) and Ambrose's new date Rosalind (Kendall), they are less psyched, a gesture of support means they cannot renege their full participation.Genevieve, a 1904 Darracq, is Alan's beloved treasure, doesn't function too well en route, slapstick antics and lively squabbles are befitting companies between him and the apathetic Wendy, while Ambrose's harmless teasing of Genevieve (driving his equally unstable 1905 Spyker with the grand Rosalind) comes as handy and formulaic. During their short stay in Brighton, Alan and Wendy scrape in a crummy hotel room (Joyce Grenfell is the high point as the proprietress in a cameo appearance), and there is long-lasting jealousy simmering in Alan's heart, since it is Ambrose, who introduced Wendy to him, he is quite sulky to see Wendy intimately dances with Ambrose, and is intrigued by Rosalind to know what exactly had happened between them before their 3-years-old marriage, especially once Wendy was Ambrose's date in the annual rally. As expected, the topic turns sour quickly, on their way back to London, Alan and Ambrose have a wager on 100 pounds to be the first to reach Westminster Bridge. So the second half is a comical contest, the two teams encounter malfunctions of the cars, patrol officers, road accidents, uninvited interlopers, even skulduggery and a strategic lie to buy their time. At the same time, the hiccup is soft-pedaled among the jovial hullabaloo, we never have another chance to know the history between Wendy and Ambrose. But in the very end, if a man is willing to give up his most treasured thing for a woman, she is the real winner. The quartet performers are sterling and enjoyable, John Gregson brings about a touch of suaveness which reminiscent of James Stewart and Sheridan is a dexterous player exemplifies what a perfect wife should be, they are the immaculate pair on screen; More is outstanding in his carefree mannerism while Kendall neatly nails the face-contorting trumpet mimicking and it is not an easy piece of cake for trophy girlfriends.GENEVIEVE is a light-hearted laughter-generator full of beans, its relatable skits encapsulate Britain's national spirit and character with intuitive zest, at least for its native audience, it is the all-time guilty pleasure.

Tweekums I had seen 'Genevieve' on television as a child but since then had only caught bits of it till I decided to watch it again. The first think that surprised me was seeing the date 1953 printed on the DVD... I thought I must have got it confused with another film as I'd recalled it being in fairly good colour; surely a film that old would be black and white... No I had remembered correctly it was in surprisingly good colour for the time! The story follows Alan McKim, a vintage car enthusiast who is taking part in the London to Brighton rally in his 1904 Darracq, 'Genevieve' along with his less than enthusiastic wife Wendy. Also taking part is his friend Ambrose Claverhouse and his guest Rosalind. It is rather surprising that they are friends as nothing pleases them more than seeing the other's car breaking down! Despite various difficulties both cars eventually get to Brighton and after an argument with his wife Alan goes to work on his car; it is here that Ambrose bumps into him and suggests a wager; the first one back to London wins one hundred pounds, a large sun in those days. There race starts well enough but soon they are resorting to dirty tricks to ensure victory; much to the disapproval of the women.This film has a lot going for it; the cast do a good job although the male characters are much less sympathetic than I expected; not only are Alan and Ambrose rude to each other they are rude to their female passengers and even to people who have stopped to help them! Wendy, played by Dinah Sheridan, is the most sympathetic character with her willingness to put up with her husbands obsession and her mischievous sense of humour! The funny moments cause chuckles rather than laughter but were good enough. Fans of old cars should enjoy this of course; even the 'new cars' that feature are sixty years old now... although modern drivers might envy the '50s motorist's empty roads!

fung0 There's nothing I can say that would increase anyone's enjoyment of this near-perfect film. What I would like to point out is simply that it deserves wider recognition from the film community. Genevieve is probably the 'smallest' film that I'd put among the top five or ten best of all time, but I would include it without hesitation in the same ranks with Citizen Kane, 2001 A Space Odyssey or any of the other Great Films you'd care to mention.Unlike many classics, Genevieve is not a film that should be over-analyzed. It's not a calculated work of cinematic Art, but a delicate, almost accidental masterpiece. In a way, it's very much the British equivalent of Jacques Tati's Mr Hulot's Holiday. Like Hulot, Genevieve deserves 'classic' status not just for its brilliant humor, impeccable characterizations, and unique cinematography... but also for how perfectly it manages to encapsulate all of human nature. We have the lows (playing dirty tricks on your friends), the highs (giving up your competitiveness to share your passion with a passing stranger). And we have the ridiculous, as characters go into hysterics at each others' antics. Like Hulot, Genevieve also has a unique and absolutely perfect musical backdrop. Larry Adler's nostalgic harmonica score is one of the all-time greats, offering a perfect counterpoint to the visual antics.Watching Genevieve recently, I was also put in mind of a more serious British film, The Third Man. Both provide a deep insight into human nature via intense imagery and brilliantly unusual music. But where Hulot and Genevieve are parallel British and French visions, Genevieve and Third Man are perfect yin-and-yang opposites: color vs monochrome, dark vs light, comedy vs tragedy. It's not fair that one is a mandatory study for film scholars, the other an obscure rarity. (Especially outside of the UK.)Recognizing Genevieve as a classic won't increase my enjoyment of it. Nothing can do that. I watched it recently for perhaps the tenth time, and it still seemed fresh and wonderful as ever. But I would like to know that the film's creators - especially writer William Rose and director Henry Cornelius - are getting the credit they so richly deserve. The former is probably best known for It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World, or the Ladykillers, while the latter is more likely to be associated with Passport to Pimlico. But Genevieve is their greatest work, one of the few truly perfect films.

Scaramouche2004 Genevieve is a great nostalgic movie and was always meant to be.However at the time it was made in 1953, the only nostalgic value intended was the featured vintage motor cars themselves.But now 54 years later and with the passing of time, the contemporary setting of an England now long since gone, has attained a nostalgic value of its own, doubling the nostalgia theme and making this film more interesting and enjoyable than ever.John Gregson and Kenneth More play vintage car owners all set to make their annual pilgrimage to Brighton in the London to Brighton Antique Car Rally. With them on this eventful trip is Gregson's wife played by Dinah Sheriden and More's latest bit of squeeze, a hard drinking, trumpet playing upper crust fashion model played by Kay Kendall.Although the Gregson and More characters are in essence best friends, the yearly car rally brings out in them an overwhelming and bitter rivalry on the subject of who's museum piece car is better.Taunts, break downs, gloats and insults are exchanged between the two all the way down to Brighton building up the tension between them which finally explodes the following day on their return run, when Gregson finally pushed to the limit bets an astronomical (for it's day) £100, that Genevieve, his 1904 Darracq can beat More's 1904 Spyker back to London.Then the action turns hilariously nasty as sabotage, double crossings and dirty dealings take a hand, as each is determined to beat the other to Westminster Bridge by hook or by crook.This is a contradiction of the word race as speed does not play a factor at all, as both cars are so old and out of condition that between the frequent breakdowns the most they can do is about 50 mph.It needs to be said however that although, the plot, the dialogue, the acting and the directing are faultless, there is only one star of this entire film and that is the great English country side.Village pubs, Village Greens, country life and clean, clear uncongested roads, all now practically a thing of the past are once again brought to life in glorious Technicolour. A cinematic trip back to a bygone age.Its also worthy of note that the attitude of people back then was a lot better too. Special notice was made to the two motorcycle Policemen, who do not overreact to a race being held on a public highway, a fight breaking out on a village green and are only slightly stern when a false crime is reported. They even manage to show sympathy and mercy in the right situation. Such a refreshing change seeing that how today you can get hauled off to prison for being armed with a cigarette with intent to smoke. How things have changed.A great film and a great British Comedy.