''Connecting Rooms'' is a 1970 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

written and directed by Franklin Gollings. The screenplay is based on the play ''The Cellist'' by Marion Hart. The film stars

Bette Davis Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her pe ...

Michael Redgrave Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave CBE (20 March 1908 – 21 March 1985) was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author. He received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance in ''Mourning Becomes Elect ...

, and

Leo Genn Leopold John Genn (9 August 190526 January 1978) was an English actor and barrister. Distinguished by his relaxed charm and smooth, "black velvet" voice, he had a lengthy career in theatre, film, television, and radio; often playing aristocr ...

Plot

The plot explores the relationships shared by the residents of a seedy boarding house owned by dour Mrs. Brent. Among them are busker Wanda Fleming, who is flattered by the attention paid her by rebellious pop songwriter wannabe Mickey Hollister, and former schoolmaster James Wallraven, who has been accused of pedophilia and reduced to working as a janitor in an art gallery.

Cast

as Wanda Fleming *

as James Wallraven *

Alexis Kanner Alexis Kanner (born Henri Alex Kanner; 2 May 1942 – 13 December 2003) was a French born-Canadian film and television actor, based in England. His most notable role was the " Living in Harmony" episode of ''The Prisoner''. Biography Henri Alex ...

as Mickey Hollister *

Kay Walsh Kathleen "Kay" Walsh (15 November 1911 – 16 April 2005) was an English actress, dancer, and screenwriter. Her film career prospered after she met her future husband film director David Lean, with whom she worked on prestige productions such a ...

as Mrs. Brent *

as Dr. Norman *

Olga Georges-Picot Olga Georges-Picot (6 January 1940 – 19 June 1997) was a French actress. She was a great-niece of François Georges-Picot. Early life Born in Shanghai, in Japanese-occupied China, she was the daughter of Guillaume Georges-Picot, the French Am ...

as Claudia Fouchet *

Richard Wyler Richard Stapley (20 June 1923 – 5 March 2010), also known by the stage name Richard Wyler, was a British actor and writer. Early life Stapley was born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, England in 1923. A writer, Stapley published his first nove ...

as Dick Grayson * Mark Jones as Johnny *

Gabrielle Drake Gabrielle Drake (born 30 March 1944) is a British actress. She appeared in the 1970s in television series '' The Brothers'' and ''UFO''. In the early 1970s she appeared in several erotic roles on screen. She later took parts in soap operas ''Cr ...

as Jean *

Brian Wilde Brian George Wilde (13 June 1927 – 20 March 2008) was an English actor, best known for his roles in television comedy, most notably Mr Barrowclough in '' Porridge'' and Walter "Foggy" Dewhurst in ''Last of the Summer Wine''. His lugubrious ...

as Ellerman *

John Woodnutt John Edward Arthur Woodnutt (3 March 1924 – 2 January 2006) was an English character actor, often cast in villainous roles. Early life and education The younger son of Harold Frederick Woodnutt and brother of the Conservative MP Mark Woodnutt ...

as Doctor

Production

The

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

release was filmed on location in

Bayswater Bayswater is an area within the City of Westminster in West London. It is a built-up district with a population density of 17,500 per square kilometre, and is located between Kensington Gardens to the south, Paddington to the north-east, and ...

. It was made in 1969, was given a limited release in the United States in 1970, and opened in the UK in 1972. Scenes in which Wanda Fleming played the cello featured close-ups of the hands of British classical cellist

Amaryllis Fleming Amaryllis Marie-Louise Fleming (10 December 1925 – 27 July 1999) was a British cello performer and teacher. Early life and education Fleming was born in 1925, reportedly in Switzerland.G. R. Seaman, 'Fleming, Amaryllis Marie-Louise (1925? ...

. In a scene set in the West End theatre district, a theatre marquee lists Margo Channing as one of the cast of the play it is housing. Margo Channing was the name of the character

portrayed in ''

All About Eve ''All About Eve'' is a 1950 American Drama (film and television), drama film written and directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz, and produced by Darryl F. Zanuck. It is based on the 1946 short story "The Wisdom of Eve" by Mary Orr, although Orr does ...

''.

Critical reception

In his review in ''Film Threat'', Phil Hall describes the film as "a compelling and often heartbreaking drama" and adds "Redgrave, who was never the most subtle screen actor...manages to reign in his hammy tendencies and find the angst and isolation in the disgraced teacher's existence." Regarding Davis, Hall writes: "When her secret is revealed, Davis' character says absolutely nothing. Instead, her body freezes slightly while her eyes (yes, those Bette Davis eyes) give a look which is initially shameful, but then suddenly appear to present endless relief. In her silence and her ocular expression, Davis achieves a state of grace which is astonishing to behold." ''Time Out London'' wrote "Riddled with act and scene pauses...it's a fairly classic condensation of several fetishistic concerns endemic to British cinema." ''TV Guide'' calls it a "dull, sappy melodrama."

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, id=0066943, title=Connecting Rooms 1970 films 1970 drama films British drama films British films based on plays Paramount Pictures films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films shot in England Films set in London Films produced by Dimitri de Grunwald 1970s English-language films 1970s British films