Reviews (4)

Yipes!
This is VERY loosely based on Book One of John Galsworthy's "The Forsyte Saga". The story is so altered from the original that it's barely distinguishable, aside from the fact that the main characters are Soames Forsyte, Irene "Herrinford" Forsyte, and Phillip Bosinney. Despite being set in 1880s London, there is no real sense of the period, and no one really has an English accent--but that's the least of the film's woes. In the original book and subsequent mini-series adaptations, Irene is a beautiful, free-spirited woman who wants to marry for love. She is forced into marriage with Soames Forsyte, who is an extremely repressed individual who loves her but cannot express it. Irene does not have any feelings for Soames, which makes the one-sided love affair all the more heart-wrenching. Here, in this film version, Irene seems not to mind Soames at all. She smiles and laughs and actually seems to enjoy his company during their courtship. She then inexplicably rejects his proposals of marriage, even though she seemed to be pretty well taken with him. Later she begins to drift away, but even then it isn't the coldness that comes through in the novel. Irene remains the focus of the rest of the film, which does borrow some plot elements from the original work, but it deters greatly towards the end. Like Irene, Soames is not quite the character that Galsworthy described, though he is given a few chances to exhibit that Forsyteian preoccupation with property. His treatment of Irene is somewhat believeable; he has a formalness around her, as though dealing with a valuable object, but he does not show that underneath it all he really loves her. The film is lacking in scenes with the entire Forsyte clan. This is possibly the most damaging to the film, since just about every Forsyte has something unique and entertaining to give to the story. If you like old period films, this one is worth a look. But if you are a fan of the books and/or the mini-series, it's not.

MGM costume drama at its best
THAT FORSYTE WOMAN is the film of part one of John Galsworthy's "The Forsyte Saga", and stars Greer Garson and Errol Flynn in two of their finest performances.

Irene (Greer Garson), reluctantly marries Soames Forsyte (Errol Flynn) a charming and genteel man. After the marriage, however, Soames shows his true colors; cold, controlling and manipulative.

Two years go by, and Irene's niece (Janet Leigh) introduces her to her beau, an architect (Robert Young). Without knowing it, Irene and the architect begin a torrid love affair that ends in tragedy..........

Stunning Oscar-nominated costumes and lush, plush sets abound in this engrossing film. Very good indeed.

A classic MGM film
"That Forsyte Woman" is the type of movie that MGM is known for-- a first rate cast, good script, excellent scenic and costume design, and top notch direction.

An adaptation of a classic novel, MGM legend Greer Garson is cast as Irene, a piano teacher who not only marries well-to-do lawyer Errol Flynn, but also into his family, the Forsytes.

At first, all seems like a perfect little Victorian era marriage, however there is a dark side to Flynn's character. Ms. Garson ends up falling for her niece's fiancee, a young architecht, played by Robert Young. Garson tries to stop Young's pursual of her, however, they both succumb to their love. When niece Janet Leigh learns of the affair between her aunt and fiancee, she does a deed that will bring turmoil to the good Forsyte family name. The film co-stars Walter Pidgeon, as Leigh's black sheep father, and Harry Davenport, as Leigh's grandfather, patriach of the Forsyte clan.

The film is a jewel in the crown of MGM and deserves a place in the classic film library of someone who appreciates Hollywood greatness.

Errol Flynn Acts
Offered his choice of the two heroes in this lavish MGM soap opera, Errol Flynn demonstrated his integrity by opting to play the unsympathetic role of Soames Forsyte. He does some really memorable work portraying the Victorian "man of property" who unwittingly loses his wife because he can't see her as anything more than a possession. In the Galsworthy novel, we only see the wife through Soames' eyes, but she is made into the protagonist of the movie, with motivations noble enough to suit tedious Greer Garson, who ends up yet again with Mr. Miniver, Walter Pidgeon. There is also, you should be warned, a poisonously bad performance by Robert Young as a dashing, dreamy architect (the role Flynn wisely refused). But from the first images of the tortured characters emerging from the Technicolor fog, this is a gripping and intelligent film. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

One of James Mason's Best
I love this movie. I fell in love with in when I saw it the first and was hooked ever since to James Mason. I didn't know that Todd and Mason were having an affair but no matter, they certainly made a good couple. It astounds me how Todd acted so well to her character and how Mason protrays the deep love that he had for her in his way of rejecting her time and time again. How he slams his cane over her hands as she dares to leave him for someone else. In the end though, I kinda felt that she should have ended up with the doctor but I know that she and Mason were meant to be together. Mason has always fascinated me as an actor that never got his true claim. When he played in Lolita, he did very well though I was surprised that he would do a movie like that. But the Seventh Veil was very good and I recommend it to everyone who likes in the old classics that the modern stuff would never obtain.

An understated and elegant movie
This is a fascinating and intense movie, a classic of its genre and one which is teeming with repressed sexuality. The two lead performers, James Mason and Ann Todd, were romantically involved throughout the making of this film and had an affair in real life (as Todd later admitted). Their chemistry is quite palpable, though not in the same way as Tracy and Hepburn; the entire movie is an exercise is repression, caution and masked motions. In fact, with a few exceptions, neither star even touches one another throughout the movie, but there is more overt sex here than in many more graphic films. One must simply strain harder to discern it.

Mason is beautifully wicked here, his evil nature and sadism are extremely attractive to watch. Ann Todd is a repressed and frightened pianist who suffers to horror of having Mason slam his cane down upon her hands while she scales the keyboard. Delicious! This scene, above any other, catapulted James Mason to the forefront of British cinema stars. Watch the scene where a white kitty is curled on his lap as he dourly pets it and stares daggers as Todd in the background. You can cut the psychological melodrama here with a thick butter knife.

This isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you appreciate a beautiful man in Mason, a terrified lamb of a starlet like Ann Todd, and an adroit and mature screenplay, then watch "The Seventh Veil." It has worn very well in the ensuing decades and still makes for gripping viewing.

Haunting psychological drama
A young James Mason molds a distant relative into a world-class pianist (Ann Todd). The film begins in the present with Francesca (Ann Todd) being hypnotized by a psychiatrist to probe her fear of injury to her hands. Through flashbacks the story of an orphaned young girl and a controlling guardian is told amid beautiful piano music. I loved the focus of Beethoven's Adagio from the Pathetique as well as the ever popular Rachmaninoff 2nd piano concerto. The title, "The Seventh Veil" refers to each level of disclosure a person reveals about themselves. The psychiatrist must reveal the last and most deep..."The Seventh Veil". Superb acting and wonderful music make this film at the top of my list of classics. Ann Todd is especially withdrawn and emotionless dealing with her guardian, James Mason. James Mason is quite handsome and sometimes infuriating. Turn off your phone and curl up with this magnetic movie, you won't be disappointed!! (It won a best original screenplay oscar in 1946). ... Read more

Reviews (15)

One of the best of the jungle epics
This should be on every true film lovers top 10 adventure list What
is sad is that this is the only version still not avalible on disc.

The story is that of legendary hunter Allen Quatermain and his trip
into the deep, heart of Africa where he himself has never even been
Along with him are sister/brother Deborah Kerr & Richard Carlson
who hire him to find not only her lost husband and fabled treasure
of the title but perhaps Quatermain's lost soul as well.

Filmed on location this '50's jungle adventure is nothing less than
magnificent in it's techincolor glory and should have been one of
the first films to be released on dvd. I wish mgm would get their
pace together and release this gem. The vhs tape in the meantime
tries it's best to capture all the films splendor such as jungle
stampede by over 1000 animals and the native tribe ritual dances
to name a few. Come on mgm get the lead out!

Classic Hollywood Blockbuster
I was about 9-years old when this was released. Double-pagefull-color ads in the major news-feature magazines and billboardseverywhere.Everyone--but everyone--saw it. And I fell in love withit. I have rented it several times on video and it is always asentertaining as can be. This was, indeed, the "Raiders of theLost Ark," of its day. The first time I saw a poster for"Raiders," I practically whopped out-loud. I knew it wouldbe another "King Solomon's Mines," and it was. The Africanlocation color photgraphy is magnificent, the story wonderful fantasyand Kerr never looked more gorgeous. Note, that there is no studiomusic score, but only the music recorded in Africa. And it createsjust the right mood. If you like real adventure, with the best kindof M-G-M craftsmanship, to spare, this is for you. Get comfy andenjoy what an adventure film can be. A Saturday matinee film that mostadults love. The sexual inuendo is fun and innocent.

Jungle adventure is a Hollywood classic
This colorful outdoor adventure is great entertainment and has excellent work by Stewart Granger and Deborah Kerr. Ms. Curtis' search for her lost husband in Africa is the basis for the film's plot and she has all she can do to convince Mr. Quartermain that her map will help locate Mr. Curtis whom she believes is still alive and is waiting for a search party to rescue him. The safari braves several dangers from wild animals and savage tribesmen and happens upon a Watusi prince whose power and royal place in the tribe has been usurped by an evil king. Mr. Curtis' skeletal remains are later found in a diamond mine and the condemned party's safety hinges on a death duel between the Watusi prince and Twala. The location lensing in Kenya and the Belgian Congo is superb and the tension and antagonism between Mr. Quartermain and Ms. Curtis develops into a tender, romantic coupling at film's end.

Not Chamberlain's version, but OK
This isn't bad, but where's the giany cooking pot? How can you have King Solomon's Mines without a giant cooking pot? Where's the giant spider? It's just not the same without the giant spider from the Richard Chamberlain movie. David McCallum's version gave us dinosaurs, but we don't get them either in this one. In LXG there were invisible men, monsters and vampires, but not in this one. It's just not the same as the other Quartermain movies, but it's not a bad movie.

Manages to make Rider Haggard boring
This is a dull, stodgy, static version of Rider Haggard's superb adventure story. It is hard to beleive anyone could make this story dull, but the makers of this dreary film managed it. I mean, they even leave out Gagool the Witch, how CAN you have King Solomon's Mines without Gagool? Forget about this bland, tedious version, watch the 1937 version and see a REAL film. ... Read more