''Canaries Sometimes Sing'' is a 1931 British romantic comedy film, directed by

Tom Walls Thomas Kirby Walls (18 February 1883 – 27 November 1949) was an English stage and film actor, producer and director, best known for presenting and co-starring in the Aldwych farces in the 1920s and for starring in and directing the film adapt ...

. The film is a four-hander, starring Walls,

Cathleen Nesbitt Cathleen Nesbitt (born Kathleen Mary Nesbitt; 24 November 18882 August 1982) was an English actress. Biography Born in Birkenhead, Cheshire,Before 1 April 1974 Birkenhead was in Cheshire England to Thomas and Mary Catherine (née Parry) Nesb ...

Athole Stewart Athole Chalmers Stewart (25 June 1879 – 18 October 1940) was a British stage and latterly film actor, often in authoritarian or aristocratic roles. On stage, he played in the original production of Noël Coward's ''Hay Fever'' at the Ambassad ...

and Yvonne Arnaud. It is a screen version of the witty and sophisticated

comedy of manners In English literature, the term comedy of manners (also anti-sentimental comedy) describes a genre of realistic, satirical comedy of the Restoration period (1660–1710) that questions and comments upon the manners and social conventions of a gr ...

play of the same title by

Frederick Lonsdale Frederick Lonsdale (5 February 1881 – 4 April 1954) was a British playwright known for his librettos to several successful musicals early in the 20th century, including ''King of Cadonia'' (1908), ''The Balkan Princess'' (1910), '' Betty'' (1 ...

, which had been a big critical and popular success when premiered at London's

Globe Theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and ...

in 1929, with Stewart and Arnaud cast in the roles which they would recreate in the film. A surviving review of the film notes favourably: "Glittering, superficial, but very skilful...superbly played."

Plot

Over the course of their marriage, Geoffrey Lymes (Walls) has become increasingly exasperated by the shallowness and

superficiality What social psychologists call "the principle of superficiality versus depth" has pervaded Western culture since at least the time of Plato. Historical sketch Socrates sought to convince his debaters to turn from the superficiality of a worldview ...

of his wife Anne (Nesbitt). He despairs of her ridiculous affectations, social-climbing aspirations and constant embarrassing attempts in company to show herself as an elegant, cultured sophisticate. He feels trapped in a relationship where, as he observes, a wife "does nothing to entitle her husband to divorce her, but a thousand things that entitle him to murder her". Geoffrey's old college friend Ernest Melton (Stewart) and his French wife Elma (Arnaud) arrive at the Lymes' country home for a weekend visit. Ernest is an archetypal upper-class twit, wealthy but not overly bright, and completely cowed and dominated by the self-assured and outspoken Elma. He too finds married life less than satisfactory. Anne immediately goes into full desperate-to-impress mode and, to Geoffrey's amusement, Ernest seems completely charmed and captivated by her ludicrous airs and pretensions, while Anne is thrilled to have found an appreciative audience. Geoffrey meanwhile is strongly attracted to the feisty Elma, and his interest is apparently reciprocated. As the pair discuss their respective spouses with withering scorn, they realise that all four are married to the wrong person. They hatch a plan to throw Anne and Ernest together as much as possible in the hope that they will compromise themselves. Matters reach a head when it appears that Ernest and Anne are about to run away together. Geoffrey sees this as the perfect opportunity to achieve his aims without any blame attaching to himself or Elma. He confronts Ernest in feigned outrage, expressing his shock and disgust at his friend's conduct, while slyly stressing that if Ernest and Anne wish to be together, he can do nothing to prevent it and will give Anne a divorce. To Geoffrey's astonishment, the confused Ernest says that while he finds Anne pleasant and amusing, he does not love her and there has never been any question of the two eloping. The tables are turned, as Geoffrey is forced to admit to Ernest that he and Elma are in love.

Cast

as Geoffrey Lymes *

as Anne Lymes *

as Ernest Melton * Yvonne Arnaud as Elma Melton

References

External links

* *
''Canaries Sometimes Sing''
at BFI Film & TV Database {{DEFAULTSORT:Canaries Sometimes Sing 1931 films 1931 romantic comedy films British romantic comedy films British black-and-white films British films based on plays Films directed by Tom Walls British and Dominions Studios films Films shot at Imperial Studios, Elstree 1931 comedy films 1930s English-language films Films shot in Hertfordshire 1930s British films