Lease of Life ** (1954, Robert Donat, Kay Walsh, Adrienne Corri, Denholm Elliott, Walter Fitzgerald) – Classic Movie Review 7944

Director Charles Frend’s 1954 Ealing Studios drama Lease of Life stars Robert Donat, who tugs at the heartstrings as William Thorne, a kindly Yorkshire vicar in the village of Hinton St John who discovers that he has less than a year to live.

When Thorne re-evaluates his life, he finds himself happier, able to speak to his parishioners honestly about his beliefs, controversially declaring religion is a freedom to act according to conscience.

The problem of how he can pay for his gifted pianist daughter to be taught music in London is solved after a parishioner leaves him his money. Going for a prestige production, it is the one and only time Ealing Studios directly tackled religion as its main theme.

The acting is sensitive and careful, but the respectful tale does not really go anywhere, despite being told with an elegant simplicity that thankfully avoids pathos in Eric Ambler’s careful screenplay, based on a story by Frank Baker and an idea by Patrick Jenkins. Kay Walsh (as the vicar’s wife Vera) and Adrienne Corri (as their daughter Susan) work hard to flesh out unrewarding roles, while there is plenty of North Country rural flavour, charmingly photographed by Douglas Slocombe.

Also in the cast are Denholm Elliott, Walter Fitzgerald as the Dean, Reginald Beckwith, Vida Hope, Cyril Raymond as the Headmaster, Jean Anderson, Richard Wattis as the Solicitor, Robert Sandford, Frank Atkinson as the Verger, Alan Webb, Frederick Piper as the Jeweller, Beckett Bould, Richard Leech, Mark Daly, Russell Waters, John Salew as the Doctor, Edie Martin, Mark Dignam and Charles Saynor as the Policeman.

Lease of Life is directed by Charles Frend, runs 95 minutes, is made by Ealing Studios, J Arthur Rank Organisation and Michael Balcon Productions, is released by General Film Distributors, is written by Eric Ambler, based on a story by Frank Baker and an idea by Patrick Jenkins, is shot in
Eastmancolor by Douglas Slocombe, is produced by Michael Balcon and Jack Rix (associate producer) and is scored by Alan Rawsthorne, with art direction by Jim Morahan.

Location filming took place in nearby villages Beverley and Lund (standing in for Hinton St John) in the East Riding of Yorkshire and the railway scenes were filmed at Windsor and Eton Central station.

 © Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 7944

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