LAST HOLIDAY

New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 660, 29 February 1952, Page 17

LAST HOLIDAY

(Watergate-Associated British) HERE are a number of things about Last Holiday which should be of interest to the discerning (or inquisitive) filmgoer. For one thing, this is no film adaptation of a_ successful novel, play, or short story. The script, we are told, was written directly for the screen by J. B. Priestley, and Mr Priestley appears a second time in the credits as a producer. There are, in fact, three producers in all-a slight deviation from the normal, which is probably worth noting, too; though perhaps not, on the evidence, so worthy of imitation. Much more interesting thdn these things, however-and more important to the success of the production even than Mr. Priestley-is the appearance of Alec Guinness in the principal role. As it happens, this is the first occasion on which he has headed ay, screen cast. of characters. His Fagin was a classic performance, but he shared honours then with the juvenile John Howard Davies. His protean virtuosity in Kind Hearts was impressive, too, but there Dennis Price had the dominant role, and even in A Run for Your Money he was almost submerged in. a tide of wild Welshmen. But. this time he is the centre and focus of the action and the film gains immeasurably in credibility and interest. Without him, Last. Holiday might have been rather hard going for film enthusiasts. Mr. Priestley may have written it for the screen, but there is no internal evidence to suggest that he recognises any substantial difference between stage and screen techniques. The film, in fact, could be .made over for stage presentation without serious: modification. Of course, Mr, Priestley | may have done that on purpose-it’s: Always hard to keep up. with these shrewd North Countrymen-but . more probably it was justt habit repeating an accustomed patt The story 4 almost a_ stereotype. George . Bird, an insignificant and inoffensive salesman of agricultural machinery, is told by his doctor that he is suffering from Lampington’s’ disease, an obscure and fascinating malady, but one which is inevitably fatal. Having no relatives, dependents, or even friends, George quits work, buys himself a swagger outfit and books in at an exclusive South Coast hotel to enjoy the good life for the short space that still temains to him. There Mr.. Priestley makes certain that he meets as diversified a bunch of characters as one could wish for. There is an attractive young couple living on their wits, a coarse, domineering North Country dowager and her mousey companion, an elderly’ inventor busy spending a £10,000 free-of-tax award for war services, a pompous Cabinet Minister, an industrialist and-the final theatrical twist-Sir Trevor Lampington, the discoverer of the disease. There are also numerous’ minor characters (even An Inspector

Calls at one point), and all are at some time vastly amusing, but you do not feel of any of them that they have an existence extending before or after the play itself. They are no more than dramatic devices. Except for little Mr. Bird. Wherever Guinness moves there is an oasis of reality; he can arouse laughter and at the same time draw compassion, and I felt better for seeing him. In fact, Guinness (if I may coin a phrase) is good for you.