Korda Gives Us An Eyeful of Colour

Radio Record, 1 July 1938, Page 27

Korda Gives Us An Eyeful of Colour

"The Divorce of Lady X." London Films-United Artists. Directed by Tim Whelan. Starring Merle Oberon, Laurence Olivier. Just released.

nearly all Korda produc‘tions is accentuated in Alexander’s first technicolour venture, "The Divorce of Lady xX." Having spent about. £300,000 on it, Korda was hot going to give us any: ‘chance to overlook hig colour.. He sent ‘Merle Oberon to a fancy-dress-ball in.a. London fog illuminated by Neon signs, put her into a man’s pair of ‘gaily-s pyjamas, covered her ‘with a magnificent silk evening-cloak for breakfast, made. her write in technicolour lipstick on. a mirror, "dressed her, thereafter: in a striking variety of gowns, costumes and. nail polish, and sent her.down to the country at the last:so that she and the rest of the cast (the. men most : gor geously. clothed in red) could. ride to hounds: Across: lush-green- meadows. . Bright Young Thing F thé story of "Lady X" had demand- . ed concentration from the audience, the ‘obi rusiveness pf, the colour might havé been a fault rather than an asset, But "Lady X" is a fairy- tale, for all.ifs modern settings, its witty dialogue and its ‘sophisticated manner, It is the "story of a judge’s bright young granddaughter who set out to marry a rising barrixi°> and ‘teach him that he did not knuw everything about women. To this end, she usurped his bed in a hatel, and pretended to..be a most notorious woman, If you can believe that, anyone as girlish and innocent-looking as — Tne: Oriental richness of

Merle Oberon could get away with the pretence of having had four marriages and one or two of the other thing, then I'll take back what I said about this being a fairy-tale, Peer and Judge I COULD, if necessary quote. other equally good reasons for accepting the picture in a spirit of disbelief

but I won’t, because it is easy to take ‘this show as it comes and like it very much. ‘Particularly easy to like are Merle Oberon’s exotic, almost Eurasian, ‘beauty, and the superb performance of Ralph Richardson as a dunderheaded -peer of the realm, and of Morton Selten ag a mellow old judge. Richardson’s portrayal of fatuous irresolution when faced with the prospect of a faithless wife is a minor triumph. So is Morton Selten’s breakfast conversation .with his butler, Of Lawrence Olivier, as the embarpassed barrister, I am not quite so sure,

James Agate probably summed it up pretty well when he said that Olivier’s light comedy mannér always seems to be slightly wristwatch-conscious. Still, that manner is by no means out of keeping with this role of a barrister briefed to appear for the complainant in a divorce in which he believes himself to be the co-respondent, Thinking it over, "The Divorce of Lady X" strikes me as one of the best English comedies I’ve. seen for a long time. Mark you, I said English.