{"id":42625,"date":"2019-02-10T18:57:20","date_gmt":"2019-02-11T01:57:20","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42625"},"modified":"2020-12-10T23:41:02","modified_gmt":"2020-12-11T06:41:02","slug":"on-approval-1944","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42625","title":{"rendered":"On Approval (1944)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;Poor George &#8212; it must be very sad coming back to your own house as a guest.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Poster-186x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"186\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-42626\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Poster-186x300.jpg 186w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Poster-79x128.jpg 79w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Poster.jpg 619w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 186px) 100vw, 186px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nA penniless Brit (Roland Culver) attends a soiree hosted at the house of his poverty-stricken friend, the Duke of Bristol (Clive Brook), which Brook is renting to a young American heiress (Googie Withers). A wealthy widow (Beatrice Lillie) offers to live with Culver for a month &#8220;on approval&#8221; at her island in Scotland, to see if they&#8217;re compatible as marriage partners, and they&#8217;re soon joined by Brook and Withers as well. Will Culver live up to Lille&#8217;s expectations &#8212; and will Brook finally realize Withers has a crush on him?\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Clive Brook Films<\/li>\n<li>Play Adaptation<\/li>\n<li>Romantic Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Widows and Widowers<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nClive Brook&#8217;s adaptation of <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/On_Approval_(play)\">Frederick Lonsdale&#8217;s 1926 play<\/a> is a minor but engaging historic trifle that slowly grows on you, and pays off nicely in the end. The premise itself &#8212; about a middle-aged widow proposing spending a month together with her new fiance to ensure they get along well &#8212; is an intriguing one, and makes complete sense; why not try such a momentous choice &#8220;on approval&#8221; before purchase? The film opens with a clever sequence of news clips ensuring 1944&#8217;s audiences that they&#8217;re NOT about to watch yet another noisy war film &#8212; in fact, they&#8217;ll be taken back in time to a much gentler (Victorian) era, and allowed to escape for awhile into this former milieu. (The closing scenes of the film are also highly creative, utilizing sped-up footage and surreal imagery to show how the sticky situation finally resolves itself.) <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Beatrice_Lillie\">Lillie (primarily a stage actress)<\/a> is perfectly cast in the leading female role, and it&#8217;s fun to see Withers &#8212; a strikingly unique looker &#8212; playing someone so diametrically opposed to her character in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=40903\"><em>Night and the City<\/em> (1950)<\/a> just a few years later. The two leading men are fine, but it&#8217;s the women who really make a splash here &#8212; purposely so, as it&#8217;s the penniless boys who ultimately need to prove themselves worthy of the gals&#8217; affections.   <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Fine lead performances<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Lille.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Lille.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42627\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Lille.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Lille-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Lille-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Withers-Brook.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Withers-Brook.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Withers-Brook.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Withers-Brook-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Withers-Brook-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>The surreal closing dream sequence<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing1.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing1.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42629\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing1.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing1-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing1-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"768\" height=\"576\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-42630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing2.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing2-128x96.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/On-Approval-Closing2-300x225.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>A clever script <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nYes, as a droll and witty surprise. Listed in the back of Peary&#8217;s book as a film with Historical Importance. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?page_id=1784#goodshow\">Good Show<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0037149\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/reviews\/60027\/on-approval\/\">DVD Talk Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.chicagotribune.com\/entertainment\/movies\/ct-on-approval-review-20140626-column.html\">Chicago Tribune Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/g00\/movies\/on-approval\/review\/108097\/?i10c.ua=1&#038;i10c.encReferrer=&#038;i10c.dv=13\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Poor George &#8212; it must be very sad coming back to your own house as a guest.&#8221; Synopsis: A penniless Brit (Roland Culver) attends a soiree hosted at the house of his poverty-stricken friend, the Duke of Bristol (Clive Brook), which Brook is renting to a young American heiress (Googie Withers). A wealthy widow (Beatrice Lillie) offers to live with Culver for a month &#8220;on approval&#8221; at her island in Scotland, to see if they&#8217;re compatible as marriage partners, and&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=42625\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-42625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=42625"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57009,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42625\/revisions\/57009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=42625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=42625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=42625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}