A Man About the House (1947 film)
Encyclopedia
A Man About the House is a black-and-white
British film directed by Leslie Arliss
and released in 1947. The film is a melodrama
, adapted for the screen by J.B. Williams from the 1942 novel of the same name by Francis Brett Young
. It was produced by Edward Black
and edited by Russell Lloyd
, with cinematography by Georges Périnal
and music by Nicholas Brodszky.
and Margaret Johnston
), unexpectedly inherit a Neapolitan villa from a deceased uncle and move to Italy to view and sell their property. A local man, Salvatore (Kieron Moore
), has since a boy been employed by the deceased uncle becoming major domo and he now manages the villa and its vineyard. Exploring her late uncles' studio, Ellen uncovers a painting of a fully nude Salvatore as Bacchus. Soon Ellen becomes drawn to the carefree life of the locals and the romantic charisma of Salvatore, while the prudish Agnes resists. During the raucous revelry of the grape-treading festival, Agnes succumbs to her suppressed desire. Rushing to the balcony she cries out for Salvatore who drops Ellen and climbs from the grape vat and to her bed. The pair are quickly married, and husband Salvatore now is master of the estate. Soon, Ellen becomes aware of a change in Salvatore's behaviour towards Agnes. Not long after the marriage, Agnes' health begins to deteriorate and Ellen's suspicions are aroused. She expresses her concerns to a visiting English doctor, Benjamin Dench (Guy Middleton
) who is Agnes's former fiance'. Ellen is convinced that Agnes is being poisoned. She enlists Dench's help in trying to prove that Salvatore is slowly murdering her sister with arsenic. The villa once belonged to Salvatore's family and he has long been determined to regain ownership. Having poisoned his employer to inherit he had not anticipated the sisters arrival on the scene. The film culminates in a clifftop struggle between Salvatore and Dench, who beats Salvatore and tells him to leave at once or face the consequences. Ellen and Dench return to the villa to tend the sickened and weak Agnes. Suddenly they learn that Salvatore is dead. His body is borne from the bay by villagers, having cast himself from the clifftop in despair rather than lose his family property. Ellen and Dench, who have fallen in love, depart together and leave the recovered Agnes who is determined to remain at the villa and to fulfil her dead husbands' wishes restoring the vineyards.
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
British film directed by Leslie Arliss
Leslie Arliss
Leslie Arliss was an English screenwriter and director. He is best known for his work on the Gainsborough melodramas directing films such as The Man in Grey and The Wicked Lady. during the 1940s...
and released in 1947. The film is a melodrama
Melodrama
The term melodrama refers to a dramatic work that exaggerates plot and characters in order to appeal to the emotions. It may also refer to the genre which includes such works, or to language, behavior, or events which resemble them...
, adapted for the screen by J.B. Williams from the 1942 novel of the same name by Francis Brett Young
Francis Brett Young
Francis Brett Young was an English novelist, poet, playwright, and composer.-Life:Brett Young was born in Halesowen, Worcestershire. He schooled first at a private school in Sutton Coldfield...
. It was produced by Edward Black
Edward Black (producer)
Edward Black was an English film producer.-Partial filmography:* Oh, Mr Porter! * Good Morning, Boys * Doctor Syn * Convict 99 * The Lady Vanishes...
and edited by Russell Lloyd
Russell Lloyd (film editor)
Russell Lloyd was a British-born American film editor who amassed fifty credits on feature films. Lloyd had a notable collaboration with the director John Huston that extended over eleven films...
, with cinematography by Georges Périnal
Georges Périnal
Georges Périnal was a French cinematographer.- Partial filmography :* The Blood of a Poet * Under the Roofs of Paris * À nous la liberté * Catherine the Great...
and music by Nicholas Brodszky.
Plot
Two impecunious English sisters, Ellen and Agnes Isit (Dulcie GrayDulcie Gray
Dulcie Gray, CBE was a British singer and actress of stage, screen and television, a mystery writer and lepidopterist.-Early life and career:...
and Margaret Johnston
Margaret Johnston
Margaret Johnston was an Australian-born British actress. Johnston was most widely admired for her stage performances, but also appeared in 12 films and a handful of TV productions before retiring from acting in 1968 to devote herself to running a theatrical agency.-Early life:Johnston was the...
), unexpectedly inherit a Neapolitan villa from a deceased uncle and move to Italy to view and sell their property. A local man, Salvatore (Kieron Moore
Kieron Moore
Kieron Moore was an Irish film and television actor whose career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s...
), has since a boy been employed by the deceased uncle becoming major domo and he now manages the villa and its vineyard. Exploring her late uncles' studio, Ellen uncovers a painting of a fully nude Salvatore as Bacchus. Soon Ellen becomes drawn to the carefree life of the locals and the romantic charisma of Salvatore, while the prudish Agnes resists. During the raucous revelry of the grape-treading festival, Agnes succumbs to her suppressed desire. Rushing to the balcony she cries out for Salvatore who drops Ellen and climbs from the grape vat and to her bed. The pair are quickly married, and husband Salvatore now is master of the estate. Soon, Ellen becomes aware of a change in Salvatore's behaviour towards Agnes. Not long after the marriage, Agnes' health begins to deteriorate and Ellen's suspicions are aroused. She expresses her concerns to a visiting English doctor, Benjamin Dench (Guy Middleton
Guy Middleton
Guy Middleton Powell, usually credited as Guy Middleton, was an English film character actor.Middleton was born in Hove, England and originally worked in the London Stock Exchange, before turning to acting in the 1930s...
) who is Agnes's former fiance'. Ellen is convinced that Agnes is being poisoned. She enlists Dench's help in trying to prove that Salvatore is slowly murdering her sister with arsenic. The villa once belonged to Salvatore's family and he has long been determined to regain ownership. Having poisoned his employer to inherit he had not anticipated the sisters arrival on the scene. The film culminates in a clifftop struggle between Salvatore and Dench, who beats Salvatore and tells him to leave at once or face the consequences. Ellen and Dench return to the villa to tend the sickened and weak Agnes. Suddenly they learn that Salvatore is dead. His body is borne from the bay by villagers, having cast himself from the clifftop in despair rather than lose his family property. Ellen and Dench, who have fallen in love, depart together and leave the recovered Agnes who is determined to remain at the villa and to fulfil her dead husbands' wishes restoring the vineyards.
Cast
- Dulcie GrayDulcie GrayDulcie Gray, CBE was a British singer and actress of stage, screen and television, a mystery writer and lepidopterist.-Early life and career:...
as Ellen Isit - Margaret JohnstonMargaret JohnstonMargaret Johnston was an Australian-born British actress. Johnston was most widely admired for her stage performances, but also appeared in 12 films and a handful of TV productions before retiring from acting in 1968 to devote herself to running a theatrical agency.-Early life:Johnston was the...
as Agnes Isit - Kieron MooreKieron MooreKieron Moore was an Irish film and television actor whose career was at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s...
as Salvatore - Guy MiddletonGuy MiddletonGuy Middleton Powell, usually credited as Guy Middleton, was an English film character actor.Middleton was born in Hove, England and originally worked in the London Stock Exchange, before turning to acting in the 1930s...
as Dr. Benjamin Dench - Felix AylmerFelix AylmerSir Felix Edward Aylmer Jones, OBE was an English stage actor who also appeared in the cinema and on television.-Early life and career:...
as Richard Sanctuary - Lilian BraithwaiteLilian BraithwaiteDame Lilian Braithwaite DBE , born Florence Lilian Braithwaite, was an English actress.She was the daughter of a clergyman, and born in Ramsgate, Kent. She was educated at Croydon High School, and married actor-manager Gerald Lawrence, first acting with amateur companies...
as Mrs. Armitage - Reginald PurdellReginald PurdellReginald Purdell was an English actor and screenwriter who appeared in over 40 films between 1930 and 1951...
as Higgs - Wilfred Caithness as Solicitor
- Gina LollobrigidaGina LollobrigidaGina Lollobrigida is an Italian actress, photojournalist and sculptress. She was one of the most popular European actresses of the 1950s and early 1960s. She was also an iconic sex symbol of the 1950s. Today, she remains an active supporter of Italian and Italian American causes, particularly the...
as a young girl