The Gentle Sex
| The Gentle Sex | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Leslie Howard |
| Produced by | Derrick de Marney |
| Written by | Moie Charles [1] |
| Starring |
Joan Gates Jean Gillie Joan Greenwood Joyce Howard Rosamund John Lilli Palmer Ronald Shiner |
| Narrated by | Leslie Howard |
| Music by | John D. H. Greenwood |
| Cinematography | Robert Krasker |
| Edited by | Charles Saunders |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release dates | 15 April 1943 |
Running time | 92 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Gentle Sex is a 1943 British, black-and-white romantic comedy-drama war film directed and narrated by Leslie Howard. It was produced by Concanen Productions, Two Cities Films and Derrick de Marney.[1] The Gentle Sex was Howard's last film before his death.[2]
Synopsis
The documentary-drama follows seven women from different backgrounds who meet at an Auxiliary Territorial Service training camp. "Gentle" British girls, now doing their bit to help out in World War II: drilling, driving lorries, and manning ack-ack batteries. Leslie Howard provides narration through the course of the film.[3][4]
Cast
- Joan Gates as Gwen Hayden
- Jean Gillie as Dot Hopkins
- Joan Greenwood as Betty Miller
- Joyce Howard as Anne Lawrence
- Rosamund John as Maggie Fraser
- Lilli Palmer as Erna Debruski
- Barbara Waring as Joan Simpson
- John Justin as Flying Officer David Sheridan
- Mary Jerrold as Mrs. Sheridan
- John Laurie as Scots Corporal
- Elliott Mason as Mrs. Fraser
- Harry Welchman as Captain Ferrier
- Miles Malleson as Train Guard
- Jimmy Hanley as 1st Soldier
- Meriel Forbes as Junior Commander Davis
- Rosalyn Boulter as Telephonist
- Tony Bazell as Ted
- Noreen Craven as Convoy Sergeant
- Frederick Peisley as 2nd Soldier
- Ronald Shiner (as Ronnie Shiner) as the Racing Punter in the Pub
Critical reception
TV Guide noted, "some lucid and funny moments in a capable and intelligent production for its time";[5] and Billy Mowbray wrote, for Film 4, "if only social history was this good at school. Funny, fascinating and probably unlike any film you've seen before, The Gentle Sex is a bona fide cultural treasure." [6]
References
- 1 2 "The Gentle Sex". BFI.
- ↑ "BFI Screenonline: Gentle Sex, The (1943)". screenonline.org.uk.
- ↑ "The Gentle Sex". britmovie.co.uk.
- ↑ "The Gentle Sex (1943) directed by Leslie Howard • Film + cast • Letterboxd". letterboxd.com.
- ↑ "The Gentle Sex". TV Guide.
- ↑ "The Gentle Sex". film4.com.
Further reading
- Lejeune, C. A. (1947) Chestnuts in her Lap. London: "Mädchen in Uniform: The Gentle Sex", pp. 95–96
External links
- The Gentle Sex at AllMovie
- The Gentle Sex at the British Film Institute's Film and TV Database
- The Gentle Sex at the Internet Movie Database
- The Gentle Sex is available for free download at the Internet Archive
- The Gentle Sex at BFI Screenonline