precinct3035 Maybe some day movie execs will realize that Americans can and do appreciate dry humor and witty dialog. That we do appreciate movies that deal with eccentric individualists rising above class inequities. I really don't see that Great Britain or Spain are more open minded to these issues. But in the meantime, good luck finding this film. It appears to only be available in the PAL format. :-/ I really love Cluny Brown, and it infuriates me that it is not available for sale in NTSC. Maybe some day. But it definitely is one of Ernst Lubitsch's better films if you can find a copy.

PudgyPandaMan This was an okay way to spend a cold January afternoon. I wouldn't rate it up there with my favorites,but it has some redeeming qualities.First, it stars a delightful actress, Jennifer Jones. She has such a natural beauty and charm to her, and her acting seems so genuine. Not to mention, she is quite beautiful, has stunning eyes and prominent cheekbones. Quite a face. MY main fault of her performance is her British accent doesn't quite work the majority of the time, then suddenly reappears briefly.Charles Boyer is the other star. At times, his french accent is quite heavy. But as you adjust to it, his voice has a very pleasant and melodious tone to it.The film is mainly poking fun at stuffy British aristocracy and their class system. While this is billed as a comedy, I never really found it too funny. There are some cute moments. My favorite was Ms. Jones adaptation of a Persian cat. No doubt this drove all the fellas crazy! We've all heard of the Lubitsch touch (for the director), but I'm not quite sure it was apparent here - as say it was in "Shop around the corner". Although there are amusing characters here, there's not quite the depth and detail. I also found it move a little slow at times.This ran on TCM Christmas Eve 2008. Robert Osborne said the movie was quite a success in its day and still has quite a cult following, although it is not very well known now. With that remark, I was surprised there were only 12 comments and some 600 votes on IMDb. It seems quite obscure.There are some good supporting performances here. My favorite was Col. Graham played by C. Aubrey Smith but he appeared only briefly. The snobby and dim witted couple, Mr. and Mrs. Carmel, played by Reginald Owen and Margaret Bannerman were also amusing to watch. I also think Richard Haydn turned in a superb performance as the chemist/pharmacist Mr. Wilson. His voice sounds quite like a cartoon character (reminds of Mr. Peabody).

writers_reign This was the last film completed by Ernst Lubitsch - he began shooting That Lady In Ermine but died halfway through and it was completed by Otto Preminger - and though not quite up there with the likes of Ninotchka and The Shop Around The Corner it remains a fine movie. I've always had a problem with Jennifer Jones and it's basically the same problem I have with Gloria Grahame, overblown, faux sultriness and the impression that their underwear is soiled; strangely enough both of them were able to manage comedy, Graham in Oklahoma and Jones here. It seems that the movie bombed both in the US and here on its release in 1946 and in retrospect perhaps that was too close to the recent war for fluffy, polished satire (Prevert-Carne' had similar problems with La Port de la nuit the same year, albeit with a fantasy rather than a satire and both titles have now been reassessed). Seen today it's difficult to fault the targets, each hit squarely, and the idea of two nonconformists winding up together and here at least Lubitsch was on well-trodden ground given that Cary Grant and Kate Hepburn had done the same thing in Philip Barry's Holiday which was released in 1938, the year in which Cluny Brown is set. There's strong support from the cameo by C. Aubrey Smith downwards and if, predictably, Peter Lawford is the weakest element there are compensations in the shape of Margaret Bannerman, Reginald Ownen, Reginald Gardiner, Richard Haydn, Una O'Connor and Sara Allgood. For a swansong it's something of a trumpeter swan.

bearian Cluny Brown is an orphaned teenage girl working as a plumber's apprentice for her uncle, and living in London between the World Wars --and between classes. While cleaning out a clogged sink, she meets an older, expatriate Czech freedom-fighter, Professor Bilinsky, and starts a battle of the genders. She is also romanced by the scion of a gentry family and a local middle-class chemist (pharmacist).Cluny is lost in Britain between the wars. The British class system is still strong in the late 1930's. Cluny, however, does not fit into the rigid castes of the day. She's not exactly working class (she has too much natural intelligence and style) -- nor is she middle class (too independent) -- nor manor born (cockney through and through). She too practical for the chemist and too rough for the gentry. She ends up being hired as a maid, and not a very good one at that, dropping food and not knowing when, where, and to whom to speak. Of course, the Professor is also outside the system -- he has to borrow evening dress just for dinner and has no visible means of support.Cluny dates the other men before she realizes that she's a better match for Bilinsky -- and for the US, where class strictures are less strict.The acting is all-around excellent. Peter Fonda shows his chops at this early phase of his career. The screenplay and direction are especially fine. "Cluny Brown" is a wonderful treat. I saw it at a revival, but I urge you to rent it if you can.