''That Forsyte Woman'' (released in the United Kingdom as ''The Forsyte Saga'') is a 1949 American romantic

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Compton Bennett Herbert William Compton Bennett (15 January 1900 – 11 August 1974), better known as Compton Bennett, was an England, English film director, writer and producer. He is perhaps best known for directing the 1945 film ''The Seventh Veil'' and the ...

and starring

Greer Garson Eileen Evelyn Greer Garson (29 September 1904 – 6 April 1996) was a British-American actress and singer. She was a major star at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer who became popular during the Second World War for her portrayal of strong women on the homef ...

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 ...

Walter Pidgeon Walter Davis Pidgeon (September 23, 1897 – September 25, 1984) was a Canadian-American actor. A major leading man during the Golden Age of Hollywood, known for his "portrayals of men who prove both sturdy and wise," Pidgeon earned two Academy ...

, Robert Young and

Janet Leigh Jeanette Helen Morrison (July 6, 1927 – October 3, 2004), known professionally as Janet Leigh, was an American actress. Raised in Stockton, California, by working-class parents, Leigh was discovered at 18 by actress Norma Shearer, who helped he ...

. It is an adaptation of the 1906 novel ''The Man of Property'', the first book in ''

The Forsyte Saga ''The Forsyte Saga'', first published under that title in 1922, is a series of three novels and two interludes published between 1906 and 1921 by the English author John Galsworthy, who won the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature. They chronicle th ...

'' by

John Galsworthy John Galsworthy (; 14 August 1867 – 31 January 1933) was an English novelist and playwright. He is best known for his trilogy of novels collectively called '' The Forsyte Saga'', and two later trilogies, ''A Modern Comedy'' and ''End of th ...

. Walter Plunkett and

Arlington Valles Fred Arlington Valles (4 May 1886 - April 1970) was a Hollywood costume designer, also professionally known as Valles and J. Arlington Valles. Valles primarily worked at MGM, including as the head of men's wardrobe design. He first provided cos ...

were nominated for an Oscar for Best Costume Design, Color. The original music score was composed by

Bronisław Kaper Bronisław Kaper (; February 5, 1902 – April 26, 1983) was a Polish film composer who scored films and musical theater in Germany, France, and the USA. The American immigration authorities misspelled his name as Bronislau Kaper. He was also v ...

. ''

Filmink ''FilmInk'' is an Australian film magazine published by FKP International Exports. It was founded by current publisher Dov Kornits and Colin Fraser in July 1997, in Sydney. The magazine has been through many changes over the course of its exist ...

'' magazine wrote that the movie featured "perhaps Flynn’s most famous 'capital-A-Acting' performance".

Plot

Irene is the wife of Soames Forsyte, a Victorian "man of property." Irene married without love, after having many proposals. Soames is preoccupied with material possessions, and considers Irene to be one of them. Irene eventually rebels against Soames' treatment of her. Irene falls in love with unconventional architect Philip Bosinney, who is engaged to Soames' niece June. June happens to be one of Irene's closest friends. Soames learns of Irene's affair with Bosinney, and rather than allowing Irene to leave him, he slaps her. When Soames and Bosinney discover that Irene has run away, Bosinney rushes out in the foggy London streets after her. Bosinney is run over in an accident. After Irene learns of Bosinney's death, she takes refuge with Soames' younger brother, Jolyon. Jolyon is June's estranged father, but has sympathy for Irene's plight. Irene and Young Jolyon eventually marry, after Irene spurns Soames' attempts at reconciliation.

Cast

as Soames Forsyte *

as Irene Forsyte *

as Young Jolyon Forsyte * Robert Young as Philip Bosinney *

as June Forsyte * Harry Davenport as Old Jolyon Forsyte *

Aubrey Mather Aubrey Mather (17 December 1885 – 16 January 1958) was an English character actor. Career Mather was born in Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, and began his career on the stage in 1905. He debuted in London in ''Brewster's Millions'' in ...

as James Forsyte *

Gerald Oliver Smith Gerald Wilson Oliver Smith (June 26, 1892 – May 28, 1974) was an English-born actor who spent most of his career in the United States, both in New York City as a stage actor and in the Hollywood film industry. Biography Born in Sidcup, ...

as Wilson *

Lumsden Hare Francis Lumsden Hare (17 October 1874 – 28 August 1964) was an Irish-born American film and theatre actor. He was also a theatre director and theatrical producer. Early years Hare was born in County Tipperary, Ireland. He studied at St. Duns ...

as Roger Forsyte *

Stanley Logan Stanley Logan (born Stanley William Maurice Logan; 12 June 1885 – 30 January 1953) was an English actor, screen writer, theatre director and film director. Biography Stanley Logan was born on 12 June 1885 in Earlsfield, Greater London, Engl ...

as Swithin Forsyte *

Halliwell Hobbes Herbert Halliwell Hobbes (16 November 187720 February 1962) was an English actor. Early years Hobbes's schooling came at Trinity College in Stratford-upon-Avon. Career Hobbes's stage debut was as a member of Frank Benson's company, in th ...

as Nicholas Forsyte * Matt Moore as Timothy Forsyte *

Florence Auer Florence Auer (March 3, 1880 – May 14, 1962) was an American theater and motion picture actress whose career spanned more than five decades. Life and career Born in Albany, New York, Auer began her career on East Coast stages at the turn ...

as Ann Forsyte Heyman * Phyllis Morris as Julia Forsyte Small * Marjorie Eaton as Hester Forsyte *

Lilian Bond Lilian Bond (January 18, 1908 – January 25, 1991) was an English-American actress based in the United States. Life and career Bond was born in London and made her first professional stage appearance at the age of 14 in the pantomime '' Dick W ...

as Maid * Evelyn Beresford as Mrs. Taylor

Background

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer bought the film rights to ''The Forsyte Saga'' in 1937 after much negotiating over a long period of time. Initial plans were to make an all-star film in the vein of '' Dinner at Eight'' or '' Grand Hotel'', with

Norma Shearer Edith Norma Shearer (August 11, 1902June 12, 1983) was a Canadian-American actress who was active on film from 1919 through 1942. Shearer often played spunky, sexually liberated women. She appeared in adaptations of Noël Coward, Eugene O'Neill, ...

Joan Crawford Joan Crawford (born Lucille Fay LeSueur; March 23, 190? was an American actress. She started her career as a dancer in traveling theatrical companies before debuting on Broadway theatre, Broadway. Crawford was signed to a motion-picture cont ...

and

Franchot Tone Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone (February 27, 1905 – September 18, 1968) was an American actor, producer, and director of stage, film and television. He was a leading man in the 1930s and early 1940s, and at the height of his career was known ...

mentioned as possible stars.

Joseph L. Mankiewicz Joseph Leo Mankiewicz (; February 11, 1909 – February 5, 1993) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. A four-time Academy Award winner, he is best known for his witty and literate dialogue and his preference for voice-over ...

was assigned to the project, which at one stage was going to be turned into two films. James Hilton wrote a screenplay in 1938 and in 1939, and it was reported the film would be made as a vehicle for

Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. As a performer, she was known for her ability to adapt to her screen partner's acting style. Born in Helena, Monta ...

Clark Gable William Clark Gable (February 1, 1901November 16, 1960) was an American actor often referred to as the "King of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood". He appeared in more than 60 Film, motion pictures across a variety of Film genre, genres dur ...

was going to star as Soames as his follow-up performance to ''

Gone with the Wind Gone with the Wind most often refers to: * Gone with the Wind (novel), ''Gone with the Wind'' (novel), a 1936 novel by Margaret Mitchell * Gone with the Wind (film), ''Gone with the Wind'' (film), the 1939 adaptation of the novel Gone with the Wind ...

''. This did not proceed. In July 1940, it was announced

would star in the film, which would most likely use many of the supporting cast from MGM's 1940 version of ''

Pride and Prejudice ''Pride and Prejudice'' is the second published novel (but third to be written) by English author Jane Austen, written when she was age 20-21, and later published in 1813. A novel of manners, it follows the character development of Elizabe ...

'' (which had starred Garson). Again, no film was made In 1945, it was announced that Robert Lord was going to produce the first in a series of proposed movies based on the series from a script by Robert Nathan.

Deborah Kerr Deborah Jane Trimmer CBE (30 September 192116 October 2007), known professionally as Deborah Kerr (), was a Scottish actress. She was nominated six times for the Academy Award for Best Actress, becoming the first person from Scotland to be no ...

and Garson were named as possible leads. Eventually, Garson was set for the female lead. She had reservations about the script and threatened to withdraw but changed her mind after further work on it.

signed to direct, and producing duties were taken over by Leon Gordon, who said the film would mostly concentrate on the story of ''A Man of Property'' (written between 1903 and 1906). (When the script went to credit arbitration with the

Writers Guild of America The Writers Guild of America (WGA) is the name of two American labor unions representing writers in film, television, radio, and online media: * The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) is headquartered in New York City and is affiliated wit ...

, it was revealed that 13 writers had done 17 adaptations in all. The writers included James Hilton,

Richard Llewellyn Richard Dafydd Vivian Llewellyn Lloyd (; 8 December 1906, London – 30 November 1983, Dublin), known by his pen name Richard Llewellyn ( , ), was a British novelist of a Welsh background, who is best remembered for his 1939 novel '' How G ...

, Robert Nathan,

Ivan Tors Ivan Tors (born Iván Törzs; June 12, 1916 – June 4, 1983) was a Hungary, Hungarian playwright, film director, screenwriter, and Film producer, film and television producer with an emphasis on non-violent but exciting science fiction, underwat ...

, Robert Lord,

Lawrence Weingarten Lawrence Weingarten (December 30, 1897 – February 5, 1975) was an American film producer. He was best known for working for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and producing some of the studio's most prestigious films such as '' Adam's Rib'' (1949), ''I'll Cr ...

, John Balderston,

Arthur Wimperis Arthur Harold Wimperis (3 December 1874 – 14 October 1953) was an English playwright, lyricist and screenwriter, who contributed lyrics and libretti to popular Edwardian musical comedies written for the stage. But, with the advent of talking f ...

, Ann Cunningham, Franclien McConnell,

John Collier John Collier may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Collier (caricaturist) (1708–1786), English caricaturist and satirical poet *John Payne Collier (1789–1883), English Shakespearian critic and forger *John Collier (painter) (1850–1934) ...

, and J.B. Williams. Under guild rules at the time, only three writers could be credited. These ended up being Tors, Lustig and Williams.) MGM wanted

Michael Wilding Michael Charles Gauntlet Wilding (23 July 1912 – 8 July 1979) was an English stage, television, and film actor. He is best known for a series of films he made with Anna Neagle; he also made two films with Alfred Hitchcock, '' Under Capric ...

for one of the leads but were unable to get him. In November, it was announced Errol Flynn would join the cast – he was under contract to Warners, but MGM had had a one-picture call on his services ever since Warner Bros borrowed

William Powell William Horatio Powell (July 29, 1892 – March 5, 1984) was an American actor, known primarily for his film career. Under contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, he was paired with Myrna Loy in 14 films, including the ''The Thin Man (film), Thin M ...

from MGM for '' Life with Father''. Robert Young, Janet Leigh and Walter Pidgeon rounded out the main stars. Reportedly, Flynn was cast as the

bohemian Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to: *Anything of or relating to Bohemia Culture and arts * Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, originally practised by 19th–20th century European and American artists and writers. * Bohemian style, a ...

artist Jolyon and Pidgeon as the stuffy banker Soames. When they met on the set, and discovered that they both were tired of being typecast, they decided to switch roles. (This casting was publicly confirmed in December.) Filming took place from December 1948 to March 1949. Flynn and Garson were recalled for reshoots in June. Robert Young later claimed he developed his English accent from listening to records of Maurice Evans and

Laurence Olivier Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier ( ; 22 May 1907 – 11 July 1989) was an English actor and director. He and his contemporaries Ralph Richardson and John Gielgud made up a trio of male actors who dominated the British stage of the m ...

. Flynn and Garson got along surprisingly well during filming and discussed making another film together, such as a project about female pirate Mary Burns. However, this movie was not made.

Release

In August 1949, it was announced the film's U.S. title would be ''That Forsyte Woman''. The movie was selected for the Royal Command Performance of 1949. This happened on 17 November, attended by the King, the Queen, and the two princesses.

Reception

The ''Washington Post'' wrote, "while it's long, talkative and musty, there is a certain lush sincerity about it." The ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote the casting of Errol Flynn as Soames "is about the only neat trick with which the filmmakers have succeeded in enlivening a photographed novel and one that is virtually without other surprises."

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 ...

panned the film in his November 11,1949 review 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 ...

,'' beginning with what he saw as the betrayal of Irene, ''“''One of the most intriguing characters in the English fiction of our times….And, to be quite blunt about it, Miss Garson and M-G-M have done just about as cruelly by her as anyone could possibly do. …(making) a production out of her and (letting) the real lady go hang. …the script is a lot of lifeless rhetoric and the direction by Compton Bennett is absurd….” ''That Forsyte Woman'' ranked ninth among popular film at the British box office in 1949. It recorded admissions of 1,341,629 in France. According to MGM records, the film made $1,855,000 in the U.S. and Canada and $1,855,000 overseas, ultimately earning the studio a loss of $574,000.

References

External links

* * * {{The Forsyte Saga 1949 films 1940s historical romance films American historical romance films Films based on romance novels Films based on British novels Films based on works by John Galsworthy Films directed by Compton Bennett Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films 1949 romantic drama films Romantic period films Films set in the Victorian era American romantic drama films Films set in London Films scored by Bronisław Kaper The Forsyte Saga Films about adultery in the United Kingdom Films about rape in the United Kingdom 1940s English-language films 1940s American films English-language romantic drama films English-language historical romance films