When We Are Married (film)
Encyclopedia
When We Are Married is a 1943
British comedy-drama film, directed by Lance Comfort
and starring Sydney Howard
, Raymond Huntley
and Olga Lindo
.
The film is a screen version of the well-known 1938 stage play by J. B. Priestley
, in which three Edwardian Yorkshire couples, who were all married on the same day 25 years earlier, gather to celebrate their joint silver wedding anniversary
, only to be told that due to a legal technicality, their marriages were not valid and that for the past quarter-century they have all effectively been living in sin. Some react with horror at potential scandal, while others glimpse the possibility of freedom from a deadbeat spouse, or regret potential loves that got away after they were "married". Much drama ensues as the couples each re-evaluate their respective marriages, but after grievances have been aired and new understandings forged, all ends happily. The Monthly Film Bulletin
, known for its exacting standards, complimented the film as "an exceedingly amusing, if somewhat unkind, picture of a Yorkshire chapel-going fraternity...under the skilful direction of Lance Comfort all the cast bring the characters to life".
1943 in film
The year 1943 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* January 3 - 1st missing persons telecast * February 20 - American film studio executives agree to allow the Office of War Information to censor films....
British comedy-drama film, directed by Lance Comfort
Lance Comfort
Lance Comfort was an English film director and producer born in Harrow, London.With a career spanning over 25 years he became one of the most prolific film directors in Britain though never gained critical attention and remained on the fringes of the film industry creating mostly B movies.Comfort...
and starring Sydney Howard
Sydney Howard
Sydney Howard was an English stage comedian and motion-picture actor born in Leeds, Yorkshire.Already a major stage star, Howard made his feature film début in 1929's Jack Raymond's Splinters, and went on appearing in unique roles in films such as French Leave, Up for the Cup and Mayor's Nest...
, Raymond Huntley
Raymond Huntley
Raymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s through to the 1970s...
and Olga Lindo
Olga Lindo
-Filmography:* The Shadow Between * Royal Cavalcade * Dark World * The Last Journey * A Romance in Flanders * Luck of the Navy * The Stars Look Down * What Men Live By...
.
The film is a screen version of the well-known 1938 stage play by J. B. Priestley
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
, in which three Edwardian Yorkshire couples, who were all married on the same day 25 years earlier, gather to celebrate their joint silver wedding anniversary
Wedding anniversary
-Official recognition:In the Commonwealth realms, one can receive a message from the monarch for 60th, 65th, and 70th wedding anniversaries, and any wedding anniversary after that...
, only to be told that due to a legal technicality, their marriages were not valid and that for the past quarter-century they have all effectively been living in sin. Some react with horror at potential scandal, while others glimpse the possibility of freedom from a deadbeat spouse, or regret potential loves that got away after they were "married". Much drama ensues as the couples each re-evaluate their respective marriages, but after grievances have been aired and new understandings forged, all ends happily. The Monthly Film Bulletin
Monthly Film Bulletin
The Monthly Film Bulletin was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a narrow arthouse release. The MFB was edited in the mid-1950s by David Robinson, in the late...
, known for its exacting standards, complimented the film as "an exceedingly amusing, if somewhat unkind, picture of a Yorkshire chapel-going fraternity...under the skilful direction of Lance Comfort all the cast bring the characters to life".
Cast
- Sydney HowardSydney HowardSydney Howard was an English stage comedian and motion-picture actor born in Leeds, Yorkshire.Already a major stage star, Howard made his feature film début in 1929's Jack Raymond's Splinters, and went on appearing in unique roles in films such as French Leave, Up for the Cup and Mayor's Nest...
as Henry Ormondroyd - Raymond HuntleyRaymond HuntleyRaymond Huntley was an English actor who appeared in dozens of British films from the 1930s through to the 1970s...
as Albert Parker - Olga LindoOlga Lindo-Filmography:* The Shadow Between * Royal Cavalcade * Dark World * The Last Journey * A Romance in Flanders * Luck of the Navy * The Stars Look Down * What Men Live By...
as Maria Helliwell - Marian Spencer as Annie Parker
- Ethel ColeridgeEthel Coleridge-Selected filmography:* Rookery Nook * Plunder * Laburnum Grove * The Lonely Road * Feather Your Nest * Penny Paradise * When We Are Married * The Loves of Joanna Godden...
as Clara Soppitt - Lloyd PearsonLloyd Pearson-Selected filmography:* The Challenge * Kipps * Banana Ridge * When We Are Married * Schweik's New Adventures * My Learned Friend * Time Flies * The Agitator...
as Joe Helliwell - Ernest ButcherErnest Butcher-Selected filmography:* Stepping Toes * Me and My Pal * Black Eyes * Pack Up Your Troubles * Freedom Radio * Old Mother Riley in Business * Pimpernel' Smith * When We Are Married...
as Herbert Soppitt - Barry MorseBarry MorseHerbert "Barry" Morse was an Anglo-Canadian actor of stage, screen, and radio best known for his roles in the ABC television series The Fugitive and the British sci-fi drama Space: 1999...
as Gerald Forbes - Lesley BrookLesley Brook-Selected filmography:* The Vulture * The Man Who Made Diamonds * The Viper * The Dark Stairway * The Nursemaid Who Disappeared * The Bells Go Down * When We Are Married...
as Nancy Holmes - Marjorie RhodesMarjorie RhodesMarjorie Rhodes was a British actress.One of her best-known roles was as Lucy Fitton, the mother of Bill Naughton's northern comedy All in Good Time. She played the role on Broadway, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award in 1965...
as Mrs. Northup - Charles VictorCharles VictorCharles Victor was a British actor who appeared in a number of films and television between 1938 and 1965.-Selected filmography:* Return of the Frog * Hell's Cargo * Contraband...
as Mr. Northup - Cyril SmithCyril Smith (actor)Cyril Bruce Smith was a Scottish actor who began his career as a child in the 1900s and went on to appear in over 100 films between 1914 and his death almost 50 years later.-Career:...
as Fred Dyson - George CarneyGeorge CarneyGeorge Carney was a British film actor.He worked in the Liverpool Cotton Exchange, in a furniture business, then in the Belfast shipping yards...
as Landlord - Lydia SherwoodLydia Sherwood-Selected filmography:* Adventures of Don Quixote * The King of Paris * Little Friend * Spring in the Air * Midnight at Madame Tussaud's * The Four Just Men * When We Are Married...
as Lottie Grady - Patricia HayesPatricia HayesPatricia Lawlor Hayes, OBE was an English comedy actress.Hayes was born in Streatham, London. As a child Hayes attended Sacred Heart School in Wandsworth....
as Ruby Birtle
External links
- When We Are Married at BFI Film & TV Database