Rent The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.1 (1935)

On both films (slight spoiler). - The Jessie Matthews Revue: Vol.1 review by Steve

FIRST A GIRL.

Instant remake of German musical-comedy Viktor und Victoria (1933), later adapted as a vehicle for Julie Andrews in 1982. Admittedly, the theme of gender fluidity is probably more congruous to Weimer Berlin than '30s London, but it still works and it's interesting to see British attitudes to sexuality in the period.

Jessie Matthews plays another starving showgirl in the depression. She finds success filling in for Sonnie Hale's female impersonation act. So she is a girl pretending to be a boy, pretending to be a girl. And there's plenty of opportunity for Jessie to exhibit her diverse talents for dancing, singing and comedy.

She and her real life husband (Hale) make a fine double act, and occasionally slip into broad comic routines- like Laurel and Hardy. Anna Lee offers quality support as a waspish aristocrat who wants to expose the deception. She's actually quite broadminded, unlike her fiancé (Griffith Jones) who resents his attraction to the fake boy.

He eventually gets the girl- it's the same thing!- so is not punished for his prejudice. There isn't an an agenda. It's just an entertainment; though quite liberal. While there are good songs and choreography and decent gags, it principally survives due to the star quality of Matthews, who delights with her offbeat screwball x-factor.

FRIDAY THE THIRTEENTH.

First of all, what an amazing lineup of '30s UK stars and support actors! It's an anthology film which scrambles a few separate stories into a single overarching narrative. The characters are ultimately connected by being on a London bus which crashes...

As we know two of them are killed, there is an extra frisson... Who will survive? It's staggering that this is actually the same conclusion as Krzysztof Kieslowski's 1994 arthouse classic, Three Colours: Red! But this is more of a comedy-drama, led by the adorable Jessie Matthews.

She's a hoofer divided between a future on the Parisian stage, or marriage to a dreary schoolmaster (Ralph Richardson). The problem is that the appealing characters get limited screen time. Like Sonnie Hale and Cyril Smith, as the bickering conductor/driver, obsessed with the horses.

Still, it's the same for the annoying performances. Like Emlyn Williams as a slimy blackmailer. Or Max Miller whose fame is now as enigmatic as the Rosetta Stone. The amusing dialogue is co-written by Sidney Gilliat. It's just a diversion, but look again at that cast!