MartinHafer This British film is very similar to the earlier Warner Brothers film "The Sisters". It follows the lives of three sisters from when they were dating to many years later after they have been married for some time. Vera is a selfish and vain woman who is more concerned with her affairs than her husband. Lucy is very happily married to a very good man but she's the only sister who has no children. And Charlotte is pitiful...devoted to a horrible and abusive husband (James Mason). While the husband is rather cold and nasty towards his two youngest children, he's unnaturally attached to his oldest daughter, Margaret--a substitute for the wife he disdains. Despite this being a film about sisters, the stand out actor in the film was Mason. He dominated the scenes he was in and his character was so caustic and evil he is hard NOT to notice!This is an exceptional film and I like how it shows how each sister makes choices--for good or evil. I also LOVE that it shows the impact of these decisions on the children. A sad, moving movie...well worth seeing though I must admit it starts VERY slowly. Stick with this one. It's worth it...and the ending is very, very sweet...but in the best of ways.

kidboots Was there ever a more sadistic character masked in a disguise of normality than Geoffrey Lee (James Mason) from "They Were Sisters" "From the famous novel by Dorothy Whipple" - that's what the opening credits say. Dorothy Whipple was a popular English writer of the 1930s and 40s. Two of her books were made into films - "They Knew Mr. Knight" and "They Were Sisters".The film begins in 1919 with a dance, establishing the sister's personalities. Lucy (in a role tailor made for top British star, Phyliss Calvert) the sensible, dependable one, Vera (Anne Heywood) the flirtatious one and Charlotte (Dulcie Gray) the quiet sister who lacks confidence. Also at the dance is Geoffrey Lee, a selfish opportunist who at first tries to interest Vera, then turns his attentions to Charlotte. He marries Charlotte but his boorish behaviour at the reception doesn't bode well for their married life.Sensible Brian has always loved Vera (even though she says she doesn't love him) proposes to her and is accepted. Lucy marries William Worth, an architect employed by her father.Eighteen years later the sisters are reunited for a weekend. Charlotte is scared and worn down and Vera has still got her flirty ways. When Charlotte arrives home it is obvious the whole family (except for Margaret (Pamela Kellino) - there is an odd element between father and daughter) are petrified of Geoffrey. He is a sadistic brute who locks Charlotte out of their room and when she arranges to leave, feigns a heart attack to induce her to stay. Charlotte then turns to drink.At a dinner at Vera's house, Margaret finds an admirer and Judith makes friends with Vera's daughter Sarah. The children all have problems from their upbringing and find a haven at the home of Lucy and William.After being beaten by Geoffrey, Charlotte is visited by Lucy, who brings her and the children home for a visit. Stephen brings their dog, Crusoe, even though Geoffrey has forbidden the dog to go. When Geoffrey finds out, the dog is given to the Worth's housekeeper.Vera has her own problems - she is having an affair and this time she is really in love. She plans to run away with him and her husband, who knows about it, plans to give her a divorce. She was to have met Geoffrey, to keep him busy while Lucy secretly brings a doctor to check out Charlotte. Vera misses the appointment and Charlotte tries for the last time to leave him, running straight into the path of an approaching car. Charlotte dies and Lucy creates a sensation at the inquest by exposing Geoffrey and his sadistic ways. The film ends with Lucy and William, who have never been able to have children, looking after the children of Vera and Charlotte.It is a melodramatic film but it keeps you watching. All the stars are excellent in their roles although James Mason and Phyliss Calvert, are, for me, the standouts.Highly Recommended.

Jem Odewahn This rarely seen film is a fairly average British Gainsborough drama that is lifted by a sneering, saturnine performance from darkly handsome James Mason. The sheer presence of the excellent British actor enhances the film by a mile, and it's interesting theme of spousal abuse make it worth watching.Mason stars as the husband who taunts his wife with verbal (and occasionally physical) abuse. His constant abuse and his general disinterest in the union cause his wife to turn to drink, and she eventually degrades into an alcoholic. The film follows the wife's plight as her two sisters try to save her from this nightmare marriage as well as focus on their own lives.Mason enhances the rather dry script, taken from a novel, with his characteristic smooth, sardonic dialogue delivery. You've seen him in this role for Gainsborough films at least half a dozen times, yet his portrayal still works. Mason provides the film's highlights and his character is far more interesting than any of the transparent, thinly created sisters. That said, Phyllis Calvert gives a strong performance, the film's second best, as a concerned sister who is childless.If one does not know of the off-screen relationship Mason has with the actress playing his daughter (later Pamela Mason)one would assume their scenes together as father and daughter are tinged with incest. His embraces are frankly disturbing in their affection and his wish to dominate over her life is paramount. This incest angle could be due to Mason's real-life affection for the woman, or the film-maker's actual intent. Freudian theory and psychological explanations were very much in vogue in the mid 1940's (see Spellbound, The Seventh Veil). Mason's suffocating love for his daughter projects what little humanity and affection he possesses-it is a dastardly love but a love he is still capable of. In some strange way, this could redeem his character.Overall, watch it for Mason. He is terrific in all of his films and he does well with his role in this one.

calvertfan I once read an article which stated that Phyllis Calvert and Peter Murray-Hill would have been "Britain's Nick and Nora" had they made more films together. On seeing them act separately in films, I took that commentary to be a bit too hopeful. Then, I saw "They Were Sisters". And - move over Myrna and Bill! When together, Phyl and Peter did not seem at all like they were acting, they were just a happily married couple bantering, teasing the other lightly and ad-libbing as if they were not in a movie at all, but just out for a weekend picnic. Their scenes together were by far the movie's best.At the other end of the scale is James Mason and Pamela Kellino (later Pamela Mason). They were playing father and daughter in the movie, and if you hadn't known about their off-screen relationship, seeing the way they interacted on the screen would have been a bit worrying.With the wrong actors, "They Were Sisters" could have easily been a ridiculous farce, and at times it does begin to stray towards over-acting. But with the right actors, including the three youngest children, it comes across perfectly and is a movie well worth watching. 10/10