According to the Citadel Film Series book on the Films of Laurence Olivier 21 Days was made immediately after Olivier and Vivien Leigh met on Fire Over England. But was shelved after Alexander Korda was not pleased with the results. Later when after Leigh scored so well in Gone With The Wind and Olivier in Wuthering Heights in Hollywood and became international names it was decided to release this film. The team appeared in Fire Over England and That Hamilton Woman and this film is definitely inferior to both of those.
It did have potential though, the story comes from John Galsworthy though it's hardly the Forsyte Saga. It concerns Olivier as the ne'er do well younger brother of barrister Leslie Banks who is about to get a big judicial appointment. Olivier has been keeping company with Leigh and then Esme Percy shows up claiming to be her husband. During a struggle Olivier comes out the victor and Percy's body is left on the street to be discovered.
A murder involving his brother might just kill that appointment so Banks works a cover-up and Olivier and Leigh get out of town to a romantic idyll.
The suspense and the romance don't really gel that well together in 21 Days. Possibly someone like Alfred Hitchcock could have made this work. I will say the ending is something out of Hitchcock.
21 Days is about 15 days too long.
It did have potential though, the story comes from John Galsworthy though it's hardly the Forsyte Saga. It concerns Olivier as the ne'er do well younger brother of barrister Leslie Banks who is about to get a big judicial appointment. Olivier has been keeping company with Leigh and then Esme Percy shows up claiming to be her husband. During a struggle Olivier comes out the victor and Percy's body is left on the street to be discovered.
A murder involving his brother might just kill that appointment so Banks works a cover-up and Olivier and Leigh get out of town to a romantic idyll.
The suspense and the romance don't really gel that well together in 21 Days. Possibly someone like Alfred Hitchcock could have made this work. I will say the ending is something out of Hitchcock.
21 Days is about 15 days too long.