''Escape Me Never'' is a 1947 American

melodrama film In film studies and criticism, melodrama may variously refer to a genre, mode, style or sensibility characterized by its emphasis on intense and exaggerated emotions and heightened dramatic situations. There is no fixed definition of the term an ...

directed by Peter Godfrey, and starring

Errol Flynn Errol Leslie Thomson Flynn (20 June 1909 – 14 October 1959) was an Australian and American actor who achieved worldwide fame during the Golden Age of Hollywood. He was known for his romantic swashbuckler roles, frequent partnerships with Oliv ...

Ida Lupino Ida Lupino (4 February 1918Recorded in ''Births Mar 1918'' Camberwell Vol. 1d, p. 1019 (Free BMD). Transcribed as "Lupine" in the official births index – 3 August 1995) was a British actress, director, writer, and producer. Throughout her 48-y ...

Eleanor Parker Eleanor Jean Parker (June 26, 1922 – December 9, 2013) was an American actress. She was nominated for three Academy Awards for her roles in the films ''Caged (1950 film), Caged'' (1950), ''Detective Story (1951 film), Detective Story'' (1951 ...

, and

Gig Young Gig Young (born Byron Elsworth Barr; November 4, 1913 – October 19, 1978) was an American stage, film, and television actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performances in '' Come Fill the Cup'' ...

. It is the second film adaptation (the first was in 1935) of the 1934 play '' Escape Me Never'' by Margaret Kennedy, which was based on her 1930 novel '' The Fool of the Family''. That book was a continuation of her story of the fictional Sanger family of musical geniuses introduced in '' The Constant Nymph'', but there is a disjunct among the books and the films: The Sanger brothers are never mentioned in the 1943 film of ''The Constant Nymph'', and their names are changed in this picture.

Plot

The story takes place in Venice at the turn of the 20th century. A young composer by the name of Caryl Dubrok (

) has a love affair with wealthy English heiress, Fenella MacLean (

), until her parents mistakenly believe that Caryl is living with young widow Gemma Smith (

) and her baby. The MacLean family leaves Venice in a hurry, and takes refuge at a safe distance up in the Dolomite mountains. It turns out that Gemma is really living with Caryl's big brother Sebastian (

), who took pity on the lonely young mother and let her stay with him. Sebastian is set on helping his brother explain the misunderstanding to the MacLeans. Caryl and Sebastian bring Gemma and her baby along on the trip into the mountains. They survive by singing in the streets for money, since both Caryl and Sebastian are aspiring composers and musicians. When Caryl hurts his foot one day, Gemma and Sebastian sing alone in the street, and encounter a very beautiful woman whom Sebastian instantly falls for. He is unaware that it is Fenella whom he has met in the street, and starts pursuing her, while Gemma goes back to Caryl. Thanks to the inspiration Sebastian gets from Fenella's alluring beauty, he composes a music piece as the beginning of a ballet that same night. In the morning, Gemma finds out that it was Fenella they met the night before. To avoid further misunderstandings, Gemma and Sebastian leave, marry, and move to London. Sebastian continues working on the ballet he started in the mountains. A while later, the MacLean family move back to London, and Caryl follows them, taking a job as a music agent. Caryl and Fenella are soon engaged to be married, but as soon as Sebastian is finished composing his ballet, Fenella arranges for him to perform his piece in London. When the ballet is a success, Sebastian and Fenella are again acquainted. Sebastian is so busy with rehearsing and perfecting his ballet that he fails to take Gemma to the hospital when her baby is sick. Fenella gets caught up in her relationship with Sebastian, and breaks off her engagement to Caryl. Fenella and Sebastian spend a weekend at the MacLean's country estate, and are smitten with each other. While they are away, Gemma's baby dies from its illness, and the devastated Gemma vanishes. After the weekend, when Sebastian comes back to London and finds that his wife has disappeared, he is ridden with guilt, realizing how much she meant to him. Sebastian starts reworking the ballet, inspired by his love for Gemma, and when it is finished, and has its first performance, Gemma comes back to watch it and re-unites with Sebastian.

Cast

as Sebastian Dubrok *

as Gemma Smith *

as Fenella MacLean *

as Caryl Dubrok * Reginald Denny as Mr MacLean *

Isobel Elsom Isobel Elsom (born Isabelle Reed; 16 March 1893 – 12 January 1981) was an English film, theatre, and television actress. She was often cast as aristocrats or upper-class women. Early years Born in Chesterton, Cambridge, Elsom attend ...

as Mrs MacLean *

Albert Bassermann Albert Bassermann (7 September 1867 – 15 May 1952) was a German stage and screen actor. He was considered to be one of the greatest German-speaking actors of his generation and received the famous Iffland-Ring. He was married to Elsa Schiff w ...

as Professor Heinrich *

Ludwig Stössel Ludwig Stössel (12 February 1883 – 29 January 1973) was an Austrian actor. He was one of many Jewish actors and actresses who were forced to flee Germany when the Nazis came to power in 1933. Biography Stössel began performing on the stage ...

as Mr Steinach * Milida Mladova as Natrova * George Zoritch as The Dancer * Helen Thimig as The Landlady *

Frank Puglia Francesco Giuseppe "Frank" Puglia (9 March 1892 – 25 October 1975) was an Italian actor. He had small, but memorable roles in films including ''Casablanca'' (a Moroccan rug merchant), ''Now, Voyager'' and ''The Jungle Book''. Biography Born ...

as The Guide *

Frank Reicher Frank Reicher (born Franz Reichert; December 2, 1875 – January 19, 1965) was a German-born American actor, director and producer. He is best known for playing Captain Englehorn in the 1933 film ''King Kong''. Early life Reicher was born in M ...

as The Minister * Anthony Caruso as Dino Carbatto *

Doris Lloyd Hessy Doris Lloyd (3 July 1891 – 21 May 1968) was a British actress. She appeared in ''The Time Machine'' (1960) and ''The Sound of Music'' (1965). Early life Lloyd's parents were Edward Franklin Lloyd and Hessy Jane McCappin. She was bor ...

as Mrs. Cooper *

Leonard Mudie Leonard Mudie (born Leonard Mudie Cheetham; April 11, 1883April 14, 1965) was an English character actor whose career lasted for nearly fifty years. After a successful start as a stage actor in England, he appeared regularly in the US, and made ...

as London Doctor

Production

The original play was first performed in England in 1933, and on Broadway in 1935.

Elisabeth Bergner Elisabeth Bergner (22 August 1897 – 12 May 1986) was an Austrian-British actress. Primarily a stage actress, her career flourished in Berlin and Paris before she moved to London to work in films. Her signature role was Gemma Jones in '' Esca ...

appeared on stage in a revival of the play in 1942. In August 1943, Warner Bros announced that they would make a film version of the play, as a follow-up to the popular '' The Constant Nymph''. Leonore Coffee was reported as working on the script, with Henry Blanke to produce and

Joan Leslie Joan Leslie (born Joan Agnes Theresa Sadie Brodel; January 26, 1925 – October 12, 2015) was an American actress and vaudevillian, who during the Hollywood Golden Age, appeared in films such as '' High Sierra'' (1941), ''Sergeant York'' (1941) ...

mentioned as a possible star. Lupino and Flynn were announced for the film in September 1945, with Peter Godfrey attached to direct. Shooting started later that year. It was completed in February 1946.Tony Thomas, Rudy Behlmer * Clifford McCarty, ''The Films of Errol Flynn'', Citadel Press, 1969 p. 149 Lupino sang two songs in the film. She was meant to be billed after Flynn and Parker, but protested and succeeded in being billed after Flynn. This was the last film to be released with a complete musical score by

Erich Wolfgang Korngold Erich Wolfgang Korngold (; May 29, 1897 – November 29, 1957) was an Austrian composer and conductor, who fled Europe in the mid-1930s and later adopted US nationality. A child prodigy, he became one of the most important and influential comp ...

, who retired from composing for film in 1947. Erich Wolfgang Korngold – Wikipedia(Korngold did later adapt the music of

Richard Wagner Wilhelm Richard Wagner ( ; ; 22 May 181313 February 1883) was a German composer, theatre director, essayist, and conductor who is chiefly known for his operas (or, as some of his mature works were later known, "music dramas"). Unlike most o ...

for

Republic Pictures Republic Pictures is currently an acquisition-only label owned by Paramount Pictures. Its history dates back to Republic Pictures Corporation, an American film studio that originally operated from 1935 to 1967, based in Los Angeles, California ...

' 1955 biography of Wagner, '' Magic Fire''; he wrote some original music for that film as well.)

Reception

Box office

The film took a while to be released. According to ''Variety'', it earned an estimated $2.3 million in rentals in the US and Canada. However, Warner Bros records say it earned $1,221,000 domestically, and $348,000 overseas, less than its production budget, causing it to fail to recover its costs.

Critical

Bosley Crowther Francis Bosley Crowther Jr. (July 13, 1905 – March 7, 1981) was an American journalist, writer, and film critic for ''The New York Times'' for 27 years. His work helped shape the careers of many actors, directors and screenwriters, though some ...

, writing for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', called the film "something harsh and unbelievable, like a terrible faux-pas in a grade-school play". He describes Lupino's performance as "downright embarrassing", and compares Flynn's to a "singing-waiter in a Hoboken café". Crowther gives

his "deepest sympathy". ''Filmink'' magazine called it the "worst film" Flynn made at Warner Bros, adding that, "If you ever see this, you're likely to wonder (a) how the hell it got made, and (b) what's with all the lederhosen?"

References

External links

* * *
Review of film
at ''Variety'' {{Peter Godfrey Films scored by Erich Wolfgang Korngold American films based on plays Films based on British novels American black-and-white films American historical drama films 1947 films 1940s historical drama films Warner Bros. films Films set in Italy Films set in Venice Films set in London Films directed by Peter Godfrey Films about composers American remakes of British films 1947 drama films 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language historical drama films