The Seventh Veil
Encyclopedia
The Seventh Veil is a 1945 British melodrama
film made by Ortus Films, a company established by producer Sydney Box
, who here released through General Film Distributors
in the UK and Universal Pictures
in the United States.
) is a suicidal, silent, mental patient under the care of Dr. Larsen (Herbert Lom
). Via hypnosis Larsen leads her to describe her life history so he can investigate the events that brought her to attempt suicide. The film largely consists of a series of flashbacks in which Francesca talks about her life, removing successive “veils” to recover memories.
Only her second cousin and guardian Nicholas, a crippled musician (James Mason
), is interested in her. Nicholas though is a bitter man, faintly jealous of her talent and very misogynistic because of his relationship with his mother, but a divine music teacher who encourages her to excel but also to avoid all emotional entanglements. While at the Royal College of Music
Peter (Hugh McDermott
), an American studying in London, becomes romantically interested in her. Although she is initially unresponsive, Francesca and Peter become engaged, but she has not yet reached her majority, then 21, and Nicholas withholds his consent. He insists they leave for Paris in the morning; she completes her education, and begins her career, on the continent.
Years pass. Nicholas and Francesca return to Britain when she is invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall
, but she discovers Peter has married someone else. An artist, Maxwell Leyden (Albert Lieven
), is invited to paint her portrait by Nicholas; they soon fall in love and agree to live together. Still apparently her guardian, Nicholas becomes angry at the news and strikes her hands with his cane while she plays. She flees from him, but while with Max, is involved in a serious car accident where she suffers burns to her hands. Francesca becomes convinced she will never play again.
After therapy, now cured according to Dr Larsen, Francesca finds Nicholas is her real love rather than Peter (now divorced) or Max.
(credited as Ben Frankel) with original piano works by Chopin
, Mozart
, and Beethoven
as well as parts of the Grieg
and Rachmaninoff 2nd
piano concertos.
Eileen Joyce
, whose name does not appear in the credits, was the pianist who substituted for Todd on the soundtrack, and also made a short film for Ann Todd to practise to, and even coached Todd personally in her arm movements. It is Joyce's hands that are seen in all the close-ups.
and won an Academy Award
for Best Original Screenplay (for Sydney and Muriel Box
) in 1947. The film has the 10th top audience of all films, 17.9 million, placing it above most modern "blockbusters".
, Herbert Lom
and Leo Genn
appeared in a stage adaptation in London.
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
film made by Ortus Films, a company established by producer Sydney Box
Sydney Box
Sydney Box was a British film producer and screenwriter, brother of another prominent British filmmaker, Betty Box. He produced the postwar screenplay, The Seventh Veil, which earned him the 1946 Oscar for best original screenplay with his then wife Muriel Box after which the couple were hired by...
, who here released through General Film Distributors
General Film Distributors
General Film Distributors , was a British film distribution company based in London. It was established in 1935 by the British producer C. M. Woolf together with J. Arthur Rank. The company was incorporated in Rank's General Cinema Finance Corporation in 1936, but continued to operate under its...
in the UK and Universal Pictures
Universal Pictures
-1920:* White Youth* The Flaming Disc* Am I Dreaming?* The Dragon's Net* The Adorable Savage* Putting It Over* The Line Runners-1921:* The Fire Eater* A Battle of Wits* Dream Girl* The Millionaire...
in the United States.
Plot
Francesca Cunningham (Ann ToddAnn Todd
Dorothy Anne Todd was an English actress and producer.She was born in Hartford, Cheshire and was educated at St. Winifrid's School, Eastbourne. She became a popular actress from appearing in such films as Perfect Strangers and The Seventh Veil...
) is a suicidal, silent, mental patient under the care of Dr. Larsen (Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
). Via hypnosis Larsen leads her to describe her life history so he can investigate the events that brought her to attempt suicide. The film largely consists of a series of flashbacks in which Francesca talks about her life, removing successive “veils” to recover memories.
Only her second cousin and guardian Nicholas, a crippled musician (James Mason
James Mason
James Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
), is interested in her. Nicholas though is a bitter man, faintly jealous of her talent and very misogynistic because of his relationship with his mother, but a divine music teacher who encourages her to excel but also to avoid all emotional entanglements. While at the Royal College of Music
Royal College of Music
The Royal College of Music is a conservatoire founded by Royal Charter in 1882, located in South Kensington, London, England.-Background:The first director was Sir George Grove and he was followed by Sir Hubert Parry...
Peter (Hugh McDermott
Hugh McDermott (actor)
Hugh McDermott was a British actor who made a number of film and television appearances between 1936 and 1972. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1908 and made his screen debut in Well Done, Henry and followed it up with an appearance as HM Stanley in David Livingstone...
), an American studying in London, becomes romantically interested in her. Although she is initially unresponsive, Francesca and Peter become engaged, but she has not yet reached her majority, then 21, and Nicholas withholds his consent. He insists they leave for Paris in the morning; she completes her education, and begins her career, on the continent.
Years pass. Nicholas and Francesca return to Britain when she is invited to perform at the Royal Albert Hall
Royal Albert Hall
The Royal Albert Hall is a concert hall situated on the northern edge of the South Kensington area, in the City of Westminster, London, England, best known for holding the annual summer Proms concerts since 1941....
, but she discovers Peter has married someone else. An artist, Maxwell Leyden (Albert Lieven
Albert Lieven
Albert Lieven was a German actor. He was born Albert Fritz Liévin in Hohenstein, East Prussia. He died in London, England. He was married four times, including to the actresses Susan Shaw and Valerie White....
), is invited to paint her portrait by Nicholas; they soon fall in love and agree to live together. Still apparently her guardian, Nicholas becomes angry at the news and strikes her hands with his cane while she plays. She flees from him, but while with Max, is involved in a serious car accident where she suffers burns to her hands. Francesca becomes convinced she will never play again.
After therapy, now cured according to Dr Larsen, Francesca finds Nicholas is her real love rather than Peter (now divorced) or Max.
Production
The film score was written by Benjamin FrankelBenjamin Frankel
Benjamin Frankel was a British composer. Frankel's most famous pieces include a cycle of five string quartets and eight symphonies as well as a number of concertos for violin and viola; his single best-known piece is probably the First Sonata for Solo Violin, which, like his concertos, resulted...
(credited as Ben Frankel) with original piano works by Chopin
Frédéric Chopin
Frédéric François Chopin was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist. He is considered one of the great masters of Romantic music and has been called "the poet of the piano"....
, Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart , baptismal name Johannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart , was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical era. He composed over 600 works, many acknowledged as pinnacles of symphonic, concertante, chamber, piano, operatic, and choral music...
, and Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
as well as parts of the Grieg
Piano Concerto (Grieg)
The Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 16, composed by Edvard Grieg in 1868, was the only concerto Grieg completed. It is one of his most popular works and among the most popular of all piano concerti.-Structure :The concerto is in three movements:...
and Rachmaninoff 2nd
Piano Concerto No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)
The Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, is a concerto for piano and orchestra composed by Sergei Rachmaninoff between the autumn of 1900 and April 1901. The second and third movements were first performed with the composer as soloist on 2 December 1900...
piano concertos.
Eileen Joyce
Eileen Joyce
Eileen Alannah Joyce CMG was an Australian pianist whose career spanned more than 30 years. She lived in England in her adult years....
, whose name does not appear in the credits, was the pianist who substituted for Todd on the soundtrack, and also made a short film for Ann Todd to practise to, and even coached Todd personally in her arm movements. It is Joyce's hands that are seen in all the close-ups.
Reception
Filmed for £100,000, the film was the biggest British box-office success of its year. The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival1946 Cannes Film Festival
The 1st Cannes Film Festival was held from September 20 to October 5, 1946.- Jury :*Georges Huisman *Iris Barry *Beaulieu *Antonin Brousil *J.H.J...
and won an Academy Award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
for Best Original Screenplay (for Sydney and Muriel Box
Muriel Box
Muriel Box was a prolific English screenwriter and director in what at the time was basically a male industry, and is generally considered to be one of the most successful females in the history of British film....
) in 1947. The film has the 10th top audience of all films, 17.9 million, placing it above most modern "blockbusters".
Cast
- James MasonJames MasonJames Neville Mason was an English actor who attained stardom in both British and American films. Mason remained a powerful figure in the industry throughout his career and was nominated for three Academy Awards as well as three Golden Globes .- Early life :Mason was born in Huddersfield, in the...
as Nicholas - Ann ToddAnn ToddDorothy Anne Todd was an English actress and producer.She was born in Hartford, Cheshire and was educated at St. Winifrid's School, Eastbourne. She became a popular actress from appearing in such films as Perfect Strangers and The Seventh Veil...
as Francesca - Herbert LomHerbert LomHerbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
as Dr. Larsen - Hugh McDermottHugh McDermott (actor)Hugh McDermott was a British actor who made a number of film and television appearances between 1936 and 1972. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland in 1908 and made his screen debut in Well Done, Henry and followed it up with an appearance as HM Stanley in David Livingstone...
as Peter Gay - Albert LievenAlbert LievenAlbert Lieven was a German actor. He was born Albert Fritz Liévin in Hohenstein, East Prussia. He died in London, England. He was married four times, including to the actresses Susan Shaw and Valerie White....
as Maxwell Leyden - Yvonne OwenYvonne Owen-Selected filmography:* The Seventh Veil * The Years Between * Holiday Camp * My Brother's Keeper * Third Time Lucky * Miranda * Easy Money * Portrait from Life...
as Susan Brook - David HorneDavid Horne (actor)-Biography:British actor and playwright David Horne began his film career in the 1930s, after a distinguished early career in the theatre. He was generally seen portraying pompous, self-satisfied characters...
as Dr. Kendall - Manning WhileyManning Whiley-Selected filmography:* Pack Up Your Troubles * The Ghost of St. Michael's * Pimpernel' Smith * The Dummy Talks * Bell-Bottom George * The Seventh Veil * Tehran...
as Dr. Irving - Grace Allardyce as Nurse
- Ernest Davies as Parker
- John SlaterJohn Slater (actor)John Slater was a British character actor usually seen as lugubrious, amiable cockney types.His father was an antiques dealer. After attending St. Clement Danes School, Slater began acting in farce at the Whitehall Theatre. He first appeared on film in 1938, remaining active in the industry up to...
as James
Stage adaptation
In 1951 Ann ToddAnn Todd
Dorothy Anne Todd was an English actress and producer.She was born in Hartford, Cheshire and was educated at St. Winifrid's School, Eastbourne. She became a popular actress from appearing in such films as Perfect Strangers and The Seventh Veil...
, Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
and Leo Genn
Leo Genn
- Early life :He was born at 144 Kyverdale Road, Stamford Hill, Hackney, London, England to a Jewish family. His father, Woolfe Genn, was a jewellery salesman and the maiden name of his mother, Rachel, was Asserson....
appeared in a stage adaptation in London.