#3 Encore

Encore (1951)

directed by

Pat Jackson

Anthony Pelissier

Harold French

written by

T.E.B. Clarke

Arthur Macrae

Eric Ambler

Tonight it was Encore, the last of the 3 by Maugham anthologies. Again, wonderful low-key stories with some wonderful mid-century British actors. The first story, "The Ant and the Grasshopper" features a ne'er-do-well brother outdoing his nose-to-the-grindstone brother. With Nigel Patrick, again, and Ronald Culver, I liked it but I'm on the side of the ant in this one. "Winter Cruise" stars Kay Walsh as a talkative but good-hearted passenger on a steamship. I love this one. Like "Mr. Know-All," she's irritating but her energetic nature is all-commanding. The last story, "Gigolo and Gigolette" stars the great Glynis Johns as a daring high-diver on the Riviera facing a crisis of confidence in her abilities and over her husband's devotion.

Verdict: a keeper (once we decided Quartet was a keeper, as it's a 3-disc set we really had to keep them all)

Glynis Johns