Madonna Of The Seven Moons (1945)
Madeleine (1950)
The Winslow Boy (1948)
Whistle Down The Wind (1961) ///
The Wicked Lady (1945) Stagy setups and pacing undermines the potential of Margaret Lockwood's gender playfulness as a highwayman chasing physical and emotional release. Design and costume, as well as the wedding party and James Mason hanging sequences, deliver more persuasive pleasures.
Madonna Of The Seven Moons (1945) Suffused with religious imagery, a mesmerizing, heady brew of costume melodrama, aided by a fervent Hans May score. Frustrated Phyllis Calvert leads split life, demure housewife and wild gypsy, while Stewart Granger and Patricia Roc glide amid the lush silver and black visuals.
Madeleine (1950) Sublimely made, intelligently revealed drama, with impressively ambiguous Ann Todd scandalizing society after being accused of lover Ivan Desny's murder. Visually and aurally intoxicating, culminating with a gripping, claustrophobic trial and an everlasting stare.
The Winslow Boy (1948) Solidly told and performed, literate and tasteful adaptation benefits enormously from emotional nuance and conviction of Robert Donat allied with assured resilience of Margaret Leighton. Family's fight for son's innocence extols individual rights, despite personal sacrifices, on eve of war.
Whistle Down The Wind (1961) Stark humanity of relationships and sense of community is conjured through evocative photography, Malcolm Arnold's insightful score and natural performances, as innocent Hayley Mills believes fugitive Alan Bates is Jesus. Low-key and movingly conceived.
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