''Saraband for Dead Lovers'' (released in the United States as ''Saraband'') is a 1948 British historical drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Stewart Granger and

Joan Greenwood Joan Mary Waller Greenwood (4 March 1921 – 28 February 1987) was an English actress. Her husky voice, coupled with her slow, precise elocution, was her trademark. She played Sibella in the 1949 film ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'', and also app ...

. It is based on the 1935 novel by Helen Simpson. Set in seventeenth-century

Hanover Hanover (; german: Hannover ; nds, Hannober) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Lower Saxony. Its 535,932 (2021) inhabitants make it the 13th-largest city in Germany as well as the fourth-largest city in Northern Germany ...

, it depicts the doomed romance between

Philip Christoph von Königsmarck Philip Christoph von Königsmarck (4 March 1665 – 2 July 1694), also spelled Philipp, was a Swedish count and soldier. He was allegedly the lover of Sophia Dorothea, Princess of Celle, the wife of Duke George Louis of Brunswick and Lüneburg, ...

and

Sophia Dorothea of Celle Sophia Dorothea of Brunswick-Lüneburg-Celle (15 September 1666 – 13 November 1726) was the repudiated wife of future King George I of Great Britain. The union with George, her first cousin, was a marriage of state, arranged by her father Geor ...

, the wife of the Elector of Hanover. The

saraband ''Saraband'' is a 2003 Swedish drama film directed by Ingmar Bergman, and his final film. It was made for Swedish television, but released theatrically in a longer cut outside Sweden. Its United States theatrical release, with English subtitles, ...

mentioned in the title is a type of Spanish dance. Jim Morahan, William Kellner and

Michael Relph Michael Leighton George Relph (16 February 1915 – 30 September 2004) was an English film producer, art director, screenwriter and film director. He was the son of actor George Relph. Films Relph began his film career in 1933 as an assistant ...

were nominated for the

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for Best Art Direction - Set Decoration, Color. It was the first

Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...

film shot in colour.

Plot summary

In 1682, Sophie Dorothea (Joan Greenwood) has an arranged marriage at age sixteen to Prince George Louis of Hanover and both parties are very unhappy with this political tryst. She seeks solace from dashing Count Philip Konigsmark (Stewart Granger) when her husband Prince George Louis (

Peter Bull Peter Cecil Bull, (21 March 1912 – 20 May 1984) was a British character actor who appeared in supporting roles in such films as '' The African Queen'', ''Tom Jones'', and ''Dr. Strangelove''. Biography He was the fourth and youngest son o ...

), later to become King

George I of Great Britain George I (George Louis; ; 28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 and ruler of the Electorate of Hanover within the Holy Roman Empire from 23 January 1698 until his death in 1727. He was the first ...

, wants nothing to do with her. The lovers are brought down by a jealous Countess Platen (

Flora Robson Dame Flora McKenzie Robson (28 March 19027 July 1984) was an English actress and star of the theatrical stage and cinema, particularly renowned for her performances in plays demanding dramatic and emotional intensity. Her range extended from q ...

), Philip's previous lover.

Cast

* Stewart Granger as Count Philip Konigsmark *

as Sophie Dorothea *

as Countess Clara Platen * Françoise Rosay as The Electress Sophia *

Frederick Valk Frederick Valk (10 June 1895 – 23 July 1956) was a German-born Jewish stage and screen actor of Czech Jewish descent who fled to the United Kingdom in the late 1930s to escape Nazi persecution, and subsequently became a naturalised British cit ...

as The Elector Ernest Augustus *

as Prince George Louis *

Anthony Quayle Sir John Anthony Quayle (7 September 1913 – 20 October 1989) was a British actor and theatre director. He was nominated for an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his supporting role as Thomas Wolsey in the film '' Anne of the Thousand Days'' (1969 ...

as Durer *

Michael Gough Francis Michael Gough ( ; 23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was a British character actor who made more than 150 film and television appearances. He is known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958, with his first role as Sir Arthu ...

as Prince Charles *

Megs Jenkins Muguette Mary "Megs" Jenkins (21 April 1917 – 5 October 1998) was an English character actress who appeared in British films and television programmes. Life and career Jenkins was born in Birkenhead, Cheshire, the daughter of a construction ...

as Frau Busche *

Jill Balcon Jill Angela Henriette Balcon (3 January 192518 July 2009) was a British actress. She was known for her work in film, television, radio and on stage. She made her film debut in ''Nicholas Nickleby'' (1947). She was the second wife of poet Cecil ...

as Knesbeck * David Horne as Duke George William *Mercia Swinburne as Countess Eleanore *

Cecil Trouncer Cecil Stallard Trouncer (5 April 1898 – 15 December 1953) was an English actor. His daughter Ruth Trouncer also took up acting. Early life Cecil Trouncer was born in Southport on 5 April 1898 and was educated at Clifton College. During the Firs ...

as Major Eck *

Noel Howlett Noel Howlett (22 December 1902 – 26 October 1984) was an English actor, principally remembered as the incompetent headmaster, Morris Cromwell, in the ITV 1970s cult television programme ''Please Sir!'' He was the subject of infatuation by De ...

as Count Platen *Barbara Leake as Maria, Clara's Maid *

Miles Malleson William Miles Malleson (25 May 1888 – 15 March 1969) was an English actor and dramatist, particularly remembered for his appearances in British comedy films of the 1930s to 1960s. Towards the end of his career he also appeared in cameo roles i ...

as Lord of Misrule *Anthony Lang as Young Prince George *Rosemary Lang as Young Princess Sophie *

Edward Sinclair Edward Sinclair Perry (3 February 1914 – 29 August 1977) was an English actor who played the role of verger Maurice Yeatman in ''Dad's Army''. He also made appearances in ''Z-Cars'' and ''Danger Man''. The earliest work in his belated m ...

as Nils *

Allan Jeayes Allan John Jeayes (19 January 1885 – 20 September 1963) was an English stage and film actor. Jeayes was born in Barnet, Hertfordshire, the son of Isaac Herbert Jeayes, archivist and Assistant Keeper of Manuscripts at the British Museum. ...

as Governor of Ahlden *

Aubrey Mallalieu Aubrey Mallalieu (8 June 1873 – 28 May 1948) was an English actor with a prolific career in supporting roles in films in the 1930s and 1940s. Mallalieu began life as George William Mallalieu, the son of William Mallalieu (c. 1845–1927), a ...

as Envoy at Ahlden *

Guy Rolfe Guy Rolfe (born Edwin Arthur Rolfe, 27 December 1911 – 19 October 2003) was a British actor. Career Rolfe was born in Kilburn, London. Before turning to acting at the age of 24 he was a professional boxer and racing driver, making his stage ...

as Envoy at Ahlden * Christopher Lee as Duke Anthony von Wolfenbuttel (scenes deleted)

Original novel

The novel, by Australian author Helen Simpson, was first published in 1935. It was the "book of the month" for the ''Evening Standard''. Simpson adapted the novel into a play but died in 1940 before any production took place.

Production

Film rights were bought by

who announced in 1946 that they would make the film over the following year with Basil Dearden to direct. Stewart Granger signed to star and Ealing elected to make the movie in colour, their first such film.

Mai Zetterling Mai Elisabeth Zetterling (; 24 May 1925 – 17 March 1994) was a Swedish film director, novelist and actor. Early life Zetterling was born in Västerås, Sweden to a working class family. She started her career as an actor at the age of 17 at D ...

was originally announced for the lead role. She then asked to be excused "on account of a domestic incident" (she fell pregnant) and

Lilli Palmer Lilli Palmer (; born Lilli Marie Peiser; 24 May 1914 – 27 January 1986) was a German actress and writer. After beginning her career in British films in the 1930s, she would later transition to major Hollywood productions, earning a Golden Glob ...

was going to play the role instead. She was unable to make it to England in time so eventually Joan Greenwood played it. Filming took place in June 1947 with exterior sequences shot in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and List of cities in the Czech Republic, largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 milli ...

and Blenheim Palace. Stewart Granger later said:

''Saraband'' was a sweet film... and it's one I'm quite proud of. But whereas
Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...
loved stars, Ealing didn't like them; the production was the star. ''Saraband'' was their first big color film. I said I would do it, but I wanted
Marlene Dietrich Marie Magdalene "Marlene" DietrichBorn as Maria Magdalena, not Marie Magdalene, according to Dietrich's biography by her daughter, Maria Riva ; however Dietrich's biography by Charlotte Chandler cites "Marie Magdalene" as her birth name . (, ; ...
, whom I loved, for Clara. I felt I couldn't be brutal to Flora Robson. Flora was a great actress, but she'd never been beautiful and it was hard to be cruel to a woman who was never beautiful. That's why I wanted Dietrich for the part. The opening sequence was planned in great detail. Francoise Dosney wanted to rehearse... but in the end this wasn't used. You see, Koenigsmark, whom I played, was introduced as penniless, and this was cut out because it involved Jewish moneylenders.Brian MacFarlane, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', Methuen 1997 p 231

(In August 1947 ''Variety'' reported that the script was being rewritten in order to comply with American censorship.) Filming finished in October 1947. Anthony Steel has a small role; it was his first film.

Reception

Critical

George MacDonald Fraser, writing in 1988, said of the film,"''Saraband'' tells the story f Sophia and Konigsmarkwith complete fidelity, and only the smallest of romantic touches, and makes an enthralling film of it. Stewart Granger (Konigsmark) was born for this kind of costume picture, and Joan Greenwood is an appealing Sophia. ... Best of all, the film conveys in a few brief scenes, the stifling monotony of court life in a pretentious little German state; in this too, ''Saraband'' is good history."

Box Office

The film was a box office disappointment. Michael Relph later said "it was a magnificent looking film, but it wasn't a success at the time. We were trying to get away from the

Gainsborough Gainsborough or Gainsboro may refer to: Places * Gainsborough, Ipswich, Suffolk, England ** Gainsborough Ward, Ipswich * Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, a town in England ** Gainsborough (UK Parliament constituency) * Gainsborough, New South Wales, ...

-type romantic costume picture, which was totally unreal, and to do a serious historical epic. I think the public probably wasn't ready for it and also it ended up being a bit heavy."Brian MacFarlane, ''An Autobiography of British Cinema'', Methuen 1997 p 482

Awards

The acclaimed production design and art direction (nominated for an

) was complemented by the cinematography by

Douglas Slocombe Ralph Douglas Vladimir SlocombeDuncan Petrie, "Slocombe, (Ralph) Douglas Vladimir (1913–2016)", ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, Jan 202available online Retrieved 8 July 2020. OBE, BSC, ASC, GBCT (10 Feb ...

. Slocombe and the production team chose a muted style of colour filming, which was not universally praised: opinions variously described it as unusual and different, or pretentiously symbolic and leaving exterior and interior shots poorly matched.

Popular culture

*UK goth band Sex Gang Children have a song called "Saraband for Dead Lovers".

Notes

References

* *

External links

*
''Saraband for Dead Lovers''
at

TCMDB Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of A ...

Review of film
at ''Variety''

at

Project Gutenberg Project Gutenberg (PG) is a volunteer effort to digitize and archive cultural works, as well as to "encourage the creation and distribution of eBooks." It was founded in 1971 by American writer Michael S. Hart and is the oldest digital libr ...

Saraband for Dead Lovers
at Letterbox DVD

at BFI Screenonline * {{DEFAULTSORT:Saraband For Dead Lovers 1948 films 1940s historical drama films Ealing Studios films Films set in the 1680s Films set in the 1690s Films directed by Basil Dearden Films produced by Michael Balcon British war drama films British romantic drama films War romance films Adultery in films Films set in Germany British films based on actual events Films based on Australian novels British historical drama films Films shot in Prague 1940s war drama films 1948 romantic drama films 1940s British films