THE GYPSY AND THE GENTLEMAN
UK, 1957, 107 minutes, Colour.
Melina Mercouri, Keith Michell, Patrick Mc Goohan, June Laverick, Flora Robson.
Directed by Joseph Losey.
The Gypsy and the Gentleman is a very colourful, even turgid, romantic melodrama from the Regency period. It is based on a novel called 'Darkness I Leave You' by Nina Warner Hooke.
There is vivid colour photography by veteran Jack Hildyard - which has its origins in the art and painting of the period, especially sporting prints. Direction is by American Joseph Losey (The Boy With Green Hair, M, The Prowler, The Dividing Line, The Big Night in the U.S.A.). Losey was blacklisted and worked in England during the early 1950s e.g. The Sleeping Tiger. With Time Without Pity he was able to publicly present his own name. This film followed Time Without Pity. He was then to work in England with great success in the '60s - The Servant, King and Country, Accident and then in France in the '70s and '80s.
The film has a strong cast and gives an opportunity for Melina Mercouri to show her eye-flashing exuberance. Patrick Mc Goohan was at the beginning of his career and there is strong support from a group of veteran British actors and actresses. The film has echoes of the rather lurid melodramas made by Gainsborough Studios in the '40s with Stewart Granger and James Mason. A cinema oddity.
1. Audience enjoyment of period melodramas? The rather high-blown style of the film? Much larger than life? The tradition of British melodrama with the colourful touch?
2. The value of the colour photography - the re-creation of period, homes and mansions, costumes? The lavish style? The wealthy Regency aristocracy and the gypsies? The musical score?
3. How well did the film use its romantic conventions? The Regency rake and his extravagance? The flashing gypsy and her lover? The plot against the aristocracy? The persecution of the younger sister even to madness? Fist-fights, gypsy pursuits? The final melodramatic climax?
4. The importance of the background - the period of the Regency, English aristocracy and their arrogance? Wealth and extravagance? Values, morals? The propriety of society? The role of the gypsies in England? The hot-blooded contrast with the English? The stereotypes of gypsies as villains?
5. The portrait of Sir Paul Deverill? Recklessness, squandering money, wild pleasure? Sport and fighting? Drinking? His obsession with Belle? His pursuing her? The reckless lifestyle? His marrying her? Her discovering the truth about the money? His love for his younger sister? The plot against Sir Paul and Sarah? His reaction to his sister's decline? His drinking and signing the committal papers? The melodramatic build-up and the coach going crashing? His final realisation and his death and his killing Belle?
6. Melina Mercouri's strong and vivid presence as Belle? The gypsy lifestyle? Her relationship with Jess? Her response to Sir Paul? Encouraging him? The marriage? Her reaction to learning he had squandered his fortune? Her place in the household? The reaction of the aristocracy? The discovery about Sarah's wealth? The lawyer and the plots? The persecution of Sarah? Putting her into the asylum? The commitment papers? Her rescue? The finale and her being killed by her husband? Her relationship with Jess - characters, stereotypes?
7. Sarah and her youthfulness, the wealth. place in the household? Her being persecuted? The plot against her? Her escape, capture. the signing of the papers? Her relationship with John? His rescuing her?
8. The background of gypsy life - the details of lifestyle and presence in the English countryside? The contrast with the aristocracy?
9. The picture of Regency England? Morals and manners? Wealth? Expectations? Sir Paul and the gypsies contrasting with these?
10. The gallery of minor characters and their contribution to plot?
