Taking a look at auteur film maker James Whale's IMDb page after seeing his sadly forgotten follow-up to All Quiet on the Western Front,I was surprised to discover,that Whale's had directed a film between his well-known Horror movies Frankenstein and The Old Dark House.Looking round on Amazon Uk,I was disappointed to find that the flick had not come out on DVD/Video.Talking to a DVD seller a few weeks later,I was delighted to receive the news that he had been able to track down a copy of the title,which led to me getting ready to finally meet the impatient maiden.
The plot:
Returning to her flat after spending the entire day working in the divorce office,secretary Ruth Robbins is shocked to discover that her friend Betty Merrick has left the gas on,and has caused a fellow resident of the tower block to become seriously ill.Ringing up for a doctor, Dr. Myron Brown and Clarence Howe rush to the tower block,and treat the patient at the scene.Taken by the care that Brown and Howe show towards the patient,Robbins and Merrick begin to ask if they would both like to go out with them.Whilst Howe is delighted with Merrick's invitation,Brown finds himself having serious doubts over if he could balance his working life,with a settled down,romantic relationship with Robbins.
View on the film:
While the DVD did sadly not offer a sparkling transfer, (with the picture sometimes fading into near black,and the soundtrack having more "hiss" than a box full of snakes!)director James Whale's stylish directing was still able to shine from out of the darkness,with Whale and cinematographer expertly using long tracking shots to subtly reveal Whale's theme of the working class seeing an opportunity to go up the class system in their sights,but finding everyone around them to be determined in bringing them down.Along with the stylised shots of Robbins apartment,Whale also shows a gleefully comedic streak,thanks to Whale smartly using Brown's low- lit hospital as a place to roll out some Comedy Horror riffs.
Adapting Donald Henderson Clarke's novel The Impatient Virgin,the screenplay by Richard Schayer, Winifred Dunn and James Mulhauser is never able to fully decide on if it is a sly Pre-Code,or if it is a far too optimistic Drama.Giving strong hints that the society that Robbins and Merrick are in is one that views single women as being "easy",the writers release the film with daring,suggestive dialogue which scatters across the screen,as Robbins goes from finding a work mate getting a little too close to her,to Brown pushing aside every advance that she tries to make.
With the movie having sharp dialogue running across it,the writers take the rather strange decision of making sure that every sting in the lines snaps back to an ill- fitting,building romance,which destroys the sting in the punchlines,and leads to the ending being on a disappointingly happy note.
Tip-toeing over the sickly sweet nature of her character,the pretty Una Merkel gives a remarkable performance as Merrick,thanks to Merkel showing a growing warmth towards Robbins,and also showing a genuine delight in her great comedy scenes with a very good Andy Devine as Clarence Howe.Showing a great sense of maturity in the role,the beautiful Mae Clarke gives an excellent performance as Ruth Robbins,with Clarke showing Robbins cynical views to be wiped from her life,the moment she becomes a patient maiden to Dr Myron Brown.
The plot:
Returning to her flat after spending the entire day working in the divorce office,secretary Ruth Robbins is shocked to discover that her friend Betty Merrick has left the gas on,and has caused a fellow resident of the tower block to become seriously ill.Ringing up for a doctor, Dr. Myron Brown and Clarence Howe rush to the tower block,and treat the patient at the scene.Taken by the care that Brown and Howe show towards the patient,Robbins and Merrick begin to ask if they would both like to go out with them.Whilst Howe is delighted with Merrick's invitation,Brown finds himself having serious doubts over if he could balance his working life,with a settled down,romantic relationship with Robbins.
View on the film:
While the DVD did sadly not offer a sparkling transfer, (with the picture sometimes fading into near black,and the soundtrack having more "hiss" than a box full of snakes!)director James Whale's stylish directing was still able to shine from out of the darkness,with Whale and cinematographer expertly using long tracking shots to subtly reveal Whale's theme of the working class seeing an opportunity to go up the class system in their sights,but finding everyone around them to be determined in bringing them down.Along with the stylised shots of Robbins apartment,Whale also shows a gleefully comedic streak,thanks to Whale smartly using Brown's low- lit hospital as a place to roll out some Comedy Horror riffs.
Adapting Donald Henderson Clarke's novel The Impatient Virgin,the screenplay by Richard Schayer, Winifred Dunn and James Mulhauser is never able to fully decide on if it is a sly Pre-Code,or if it is a far too optimistic Drama.Giving strong hints that the society that Robbins and Merrick are in is one that views single women as being "easy",the writers release the film with daring,suggestive dialogue which scatters across the screen,as Robbins goes from finding a work mate getting a little too close to her,to Brown pushing aside every advance that she tries to make.
With the movie having sharp dialogue running across it,the writers take the rather strange decision of making sure that every sting in the lines snaps back to an ill- fitting,building romance,which destroys the sting in the punchlines,and leads to the ending being on a disappointingly happy note.
Tip-toeing over the sickly sweet nature of her character,the pretty Una Merkel gives a remarkable performance as Merrick,thanks to Merkel showing a growing warmth towards Robbins,and also showing a genuine delight in her great comedy scenes with a very good Andy Devine as Clarence Howe.Showing a great sense of maturity in the role,the beautiful Mae Clarke gives an excellent performance as Ruth Robbins,with Clarke showing Robbins cynical views to be wiped from her life,the moment she becomes a patient maiden to Dr Myron Brown.