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AUSTRALIANS IN
G. & S. FILM
"Herald" London Service
Two Australians have leading roles in
Britain's biggest Coronation year film
musical. The film is "The Story of Gilbert
and Sullivan", and Australians are Peter
Finch, actor and Harold Williams, singer.
Peter Finch plays the part
of Richard D'Oyley Carte,
backer and friend of the fam-
ous light operatic partnership.
He sings a few snatches of
songs in several scenes.
Harold Williams sings the
main role in a sequence from
Trial by Jury."
Two other Australian sing-
ers— Elsie Morison and John
Cameron — are heard but not
seen. Their voices are "dub-
bed" into the mouths of art-
ists who mimed their parts.
"Gilbert and Sullivan," pro-
duced by Sir Alexander Kor-
dan's London Films Com-
nany is Korda's technicolor
celebration of 21 years of
film-making. It is obviously
destined to be a thumping
box-office success and a very
pleasant "coming of age" pre-
sent for him. It had its Lon-
don preview on Wednesday.
The film is beautifully
photographed and lavishly
mounted. Robert Morley con-
tributes another of his bril-
liant acting cameos as Gil-
bert; Maurice Evans con-
vinces as the quieter, more
sensitive Sullivan. Peter Finch
is an effective foil to them
in his role as their lifelong
companion, counsellor and
peacemaker.
The film records accurately
the strained relations and tem-
peramental clashes of the part-
nership. Morley is sardoni-
cally witty, blustering and
melodramatic. Evens depicts
movingly Sullivan's constant
battle between composing light
operatic music and his more
serious ambitions.
The story plays second
fiddle to the music. The only
criticism is the film's staginess
and the fact that so much has
been included that it some
times begins to look like a
series of animated tableaus
instead of one complete pro-
duction.
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