''French Leave'' is a 1930 British

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by

Jack Raymond Jack Raymond (1886–1953) was an English actor and film director. Born in Wimborne, Dorset in 1886, he began acting before the First World War in '' A Detective for a Day''. In 1921 he directed his first film and gradually he wound down his a ...

and starring

Madeleine Carroll Edith Madeleine Carroll (26 February 1906 – 2 October 1987) was an English actress, popular both in Britain and America in the 1930s and 1940s. At the peak of her success in 1938, she was the world's highest-paid actress. Carroll is rememb ...

, Sydney Howard and

Arthur Chesney Arthur William Kellaway (21 November 1881 – 27 August 1949), known as Arthur Chesney, was an English character actor who worked on stage and screen. Biography He was born 21 November 1881 in Hampstead, London, the son of John and Catherine K ...

. It was made at British and Dominions Elstree Studios. It is based on a play by

Reginald Berkeley Reginald Cheyne Berkeley (18 August 1890 – 30 March 1935) was a Liberal Party politician in the United Kingdom, and later a writer of stage plays, then a screenwriter in Hollywood. He had trained as a lawyer. He died in Los Angeles from pneumo ...

, a "light comedy in three acts", set during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. It was remade in 1937 by

Norman Lee Norman Lee (10 October 1898 – 2 June 1964) was a British screenwriter and film director. Selected filmography * '' The Lure of the Atlantic'' (1929) * '' The Streets of London'' (1929) * '' Night Patrol'' (1930, documentary) * '' Doctor ...

Plot

During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, Captain's wife Dorothy Glenister finds it hard being separated from her husband, so she travels to France to the village where he's stationed. Dorothy disguises herself as the daughter of a local, which leads to complications when she's suspected of being a German spy.

Cast

as Mlle. Juliette / Dorothy Glenister * Sydney Howard as Cpl. Sykes *

as General Root *

Haddon Mason Haddon Mason (21 February 1898 – 30 April 1966) was a British film actor. Selected filmography * ''Every Mother's Son'' (1926) * ''Dawn'' (1928) * '' The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel'' (1928) * ''The Lady of the Lake'' (1928) * '' The Woma ...

as Captain Harry Glenister * Henry Kendall as Lt. George Graham *May Agate as Mme. Denaux *George Owen as Pvt. Jenks *George De Warfaz as Jules Marnier

Critical reception

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' called it "a moderately amusing British picturization of the stage farce, "''French Leave''," with the charming Madeleine Carroll... the photography is sometimes none too clear, but the voices are nicely recorded"; while more recently, ''

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' thought it a "lame comedy...Long and tedious at 60 minutes; the original British cut ran 100 minutes."

References

Bibliography

*Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. *Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1930 films British World War II films Films directed by Jack Raymond 1930 comedy films British comedy films British black-and-white films Films set in the 1910s Films shot at Imperial Studios, Elstree British films based on plays 1930s English-language films 1930s British films English-language comedy films {{1930s-UK-comedy-film-stub