KITTY
US, 1945, 103 minutes, Black and White.
Paulette Goddard, Ray Milland, Cecil Kellaway, Constance Collier, Reginald Owen, Patric Knowles, Dennis Hoey, Sara Allgood, Eric Blore.
Directed by Mitchell Leisen.
Kitty is an entertaining period piece - set in London of 1783. However, the plot is a rerun of Pygmalion.
The film is attractive in its settings, costumes and decor. Paulette Goddard is quite good as the guttersnipe transformed into a lady. Ray Milland is rather supercilious as the impoverished nobleman who is a cad, uses Kitty for his own purposes and fails to realise her love for him.
Cecil Kellaway is Gainsborough, who paints Kitty as the famous Gainsborough Lady - and introduces her into society. There is some humorous repartee between himself and Sir Joshua Reynolds about the rules of portraiture and use of colour. The film has a good supporting cast with Constance Collier as Aunt Susan, Patric Knowles as the noble Brett and an unrecognisable Sara Allgood as old Meg. Reginald Owen is the pompous duke.
The film was directed by Mitchell Leisen, a specialist in romances at Paramount during the '40s (and directing Paulette Goddard in 1949 as Lucrezia Borgia in Bride of Vengeance).
1. Entertaining costume drama? Period piece? The adaptation of the Pygmalion plot?
2. Costumes, decor, period? The black and white photography? The Victor Young score?
3. The Pygmalion plot, the guttersnipe girl, the bet, the nobleman transforming her, her tests, her entering into high society?
4. Paulette Goddard as Kitty: from the slums, her way of life, the pressure from old Meg? The portrait, with Gainsborough? Her silence with Hugh and Brett? Hugh waiting for her, discovering the truth, giving her a job as a maid? Her relationship with the butler? Serving Aunt Susan, friendship with her? The plan, the transformation, the exasperation of the lessons? Mr Selby and his coming courting? Her motives for marrying Selby, the money to get Hugh out of prison? Her talk - and some slips? Saving the maid from harassment? Her stealing the money for Hugh, the maid seeing her, the young woman hitting Selby and killing herself? The period of mourning, her pregnancy? Love for Hugh and his not realising it? Taking her into society, the duke, marrying him? Ceremony, wealth? The dance and her slip - and mimicking guttersnipes? Hugh and his selfishness? The birth of the child, the death of the duke? In mourning, meeting Brett, courting him? Hugh exposing her, the truth? Her frank admissions to Brett? Her relationship with Hugh - and her fortune?
5. Hugh as a man about town, losing his job, self-centred, waiting for Kitty, the idea, the efforts in transformation, wanting his Foreign Office job? Encounters with the duke? In prison, released through Kitty? His not realising her love? Selby, his death, introducing her to the duke? The death of the duke? Brett, his jealousy? Exposing the truth about Kitty? His love for her - would she change him?
6. Aunt Susan and her drinking, eccentricity, her liking for Kitty, helping in the training, with Mr Selby, her place in society, attempting to faint at Kitty's faux pas at the dance? Her wanting to help Kitty personally?
7. Selby, his wealth, the buying class, not in high society, his visits, his plays, the marriage, giving the money to Kitty, her robbing him, the maid killing him?
8. The duke, his pomposity, his eye on Kitty, buying the paintings? His introduction to her, the marriage? His vanity about his having a child? His long running to see his child, the return and his death?
9. Brett, the gallant gentleman, India, meeting Kitty, honourable, courting her, the truth and letting her go?
10. The world of the servants: the butler in Hugh's house and his comments, the maids and the tyranny of the chief maids? The young woman and her saving Kitty, going to her death?
11. A film of the period and manners, high society, expectations, the contrast between the upper class and old Meg and the gutter? The irony about the guttersnipe being a lady and her son being a duke?
