The Magic Bow ** (1946, Stewart Granger, Phyllis Calvert, Jean Kent, Dennis Price, Cecil Parker, Felix Aylmer) – Classic Movie Review 6963

Director Bernard Knowles’s 1946 historical biographical music drama stars Stewart Granger, who unfortunately is hopelessly miscast and all at sea as the Italian violin virtuoso and composer Niccolo Paganini (1782-1840), who falls for the French aristocratic lady Jeanne de Vermond (Phyllis Calvert), whose betrothed, Paul de la Rochelle (Dennis Price), challenges him to a duel.

The Magic Bow is entertaining enough as a lusty, utterly vulgar, underwritten biopic, often with unconvincing musical and period detail, a rather typical product of its British studio Gainsborough Pictures. But it is professionally handled by director Bernard Knowles and the good cast makes sweet music even when the screenplay by Roland Pertwee and Norman Ginsbury (additional dialogue), based on a novel by Manuel Komroff, does not. And it is shot at Gainsborough Studios, Islington, London, in black and white when colour is needed.

Yehudi Menuhin (22 April 1916 – 12 March 1999).

What we hear is the violin playing of Yehudi Menuhin, one of the greatest violinists of the 20th century. And that is how it was advertised: ‘The entire violin score by YEHUDI MENUHIN’.  Yehudi Menuhin, Baron Menuhin, OM KBE (22 April 1916 – 12 March 1999).

Also in the cast are Jean Kent, Cecil Parker, Felix Aylmer, Frank Cellier, Marie Lohr, Henry Edwards, Mary Jerrold, Betty Warren, Charles Victor, Eliot Makeham, O B Clarence, Antony Holles, David Horne and Stewart Rome.

The Magic Bow is directed by Bernard Knowles, run 105 minutes, is made by Gainsborough Pictures, is released by General Film Distributors and Universal, is written by Roland Pertwee and Norman Ginsbury, based on a novel by Manuel Komroff, is shot in black and white by Jack E Cox and Jack Asher, is produced by R J Minney, scored by Henry Geehl, with Art Direction by Andrew Mazzei.

Jean Kent (29 June 1921 − 30 November 2013).

Jean Kent, Gainsborough Pictures’ last surviving top star, died on 30 November 2013, aged 92.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6963

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com