After the Ball (1957 film)

Last updated

After the Ball
"After the Ball" (1957 film).jpg
trade ad from Kinematograph Weekly
Directed by Compton Bennett
Written by Peter Blackmore
Hubert Gregg
Produced by Peter Rogers
Starring Pat Kirkwood
Laurence Harvey
Jerry Stovin
Cinematography Jack Asher
Edited byPeter Boita
Music by Ken Jones (Uncredited)
Eric Rogers (Uncredited)
Production
company
Distributed by Independent Film Distributors
Release date
  • 13 August 1957 (1957-08-13)
Running time
89 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

After the Ball is a 1957 British biographical film directed by Compton Bennett and starring Pat Kirkwood, Laurence Harvey and Jerry Stovin. [1] [2] It portrays the life of the stage performer Vesta Tilley. [3]

Contents

Cast

Production

It was made at Beaconsfield Studios with sets designed by the art director Norman G. Arnold.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "The problems of recreating on the screen the life of great artists is a constant one. On the one hand it is impossible to convey directly the quality of their artistic achievement; on the other hand it is difficult, without extravagant fictionalisation, to find much drama in a life so unsensational as that of Vesta Tilley (1864–1952). ...Pat Kirkwood performs Vesta Tilley's songs well and wears male costume with rare success; though she can hardly capture the quality Grein described: "Her face was like a city in illumination". Tame and artless though the film in general is, Pat Kirkwood's performance, the shameless sentimentality, the associations with the great music-hall days and above all, the marvellous old songs carry it along quite well." [4]

TV Guide gave the film two out of four stars, and wrote, "(Pat) Kirkwood puts zest into the rousing music-hall numbers that made Tilley an enduring star, but the script trudges on and the wait between musical moments may not be worth the reward. It's incomprehensible how director Compton Bennett and writers Hubert Gregg and Peter Blackmore could have made such a yawn out of such a good true story." [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laurence Harvey</span> Lithuanian-British actor (1928–1973)

Laurence Harvey was a Lithuanian-born actor and film director. He was born to Lithuanian Jewish parents and emigrated to South Africa at an early age, before later settling in the United Kingdom after World War II. In a career that spanned a quarter of a century, Harvey appeared in stage, film and television productions primarily in the United Kingdom and the United States.

<i>BUtterfield 8</i> 1960 film by Daniel Mann

BUtterfield 8 is a 1960 American drama film directed by Daniel Mann, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Laurence Harvey. Taylor won her first Academy Award for her performance in a leading role. The film was based on a 1935 novel of the same name by John O'Hara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fay Compton</span> English actress (1894–1978)

Virginia Lilian Emmeline Compton-Mackenzie,, known professionally as Fay Compton, was an English actress. She appeared in several films, and made many broadcasts, but was best known for her stage performances. She was known for her versatility, and appeared in Shakespeare, drawing room comedy, pantomime, modern drama, and classics such as Ibsen and Chekhov. In 1921 she was the eponymous star of the play Mary Rose written especially for her by J. M. Barrie. This work was partly inspired by Compton's own tragic marriage to the West End satirist H. G. Pélissier and her subsequent youthful widowhood. In addition to performing in Britain, Compton appeared several times in the US, and toured Australia and New Zealand in a variety of stage plays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vesta Tilley</span> English music hall performer and male impersonator

Matilda Alice Powles, Lady de Frece was an English music hall performer. She adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley and became one of the best-known male impersonators of her era. Her career lasted from 1869 until 1920. Starting in provincial theatres with her father as manager, she performed her first season in London in 1874. She typically performed as a dandy or fop, also playing other roles. She found additional success as a principal boy in pantomime.

Herbert William Compton Bennett, better known as Compton Bennett, was an English film director, writer and producer. He is perhaps best known for directing the 1945 film The Seventh Veil and the 1950 version of the film King Solomon's Mines, an adaptation of an Allan Quatermain story.

<i>Life at the Top</i> (film) 1965 British film by Ted Kotcheff

Life at the Top is a 1965 British drama film, a production of Romulus Films released by Columbia Pictures. The screenplay was by Mordecai Richler, based on the 1962 novel Life at the Top by John Braine, and is a sequel to the film Room at the Top (1959). It was directed by Ted Kotcheff and produced by James Woolf, with William Kirby as associate producer. The music score was by Richard Addinsell and the cinematography by Oswald Morris. The film's art director, Edward Marshall, received a 1966 BAFTA Award nomination.

Sir Abraham Walter de Frece was a British theatre impresario, and later Conservative Party politician, who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1920 to 1931. His wife was the celebrated male impersonator Vesta Tilley.

<i>King Solomons Mines</i> (1950 film) 1950 film by Andrew Marton, Compton Bennett

King Solomon's Mines is a 1950 Technicolor adventure film, and the second film adaptation of the 1885 novel of the same name by Henry Rider Haggard. It stars Deborah Kerr, Stewart Granger and Richard Carlson. It was adapted by Helen Deutsch, directed by Compton Bennett and Andrew Marton and released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

After the Ball may refer to:

<i>The Birthday Present</i> 1957 British film by Pat Jackson

The Birthday Present is a 1957 British drama film directed by Pat Jackson and starring Tony Britton and Sylvia Syms. The screenplay was by Jack Whittingham who also produced the film for British Lion Films.

<i>Once a Sinner</i> (1950 film) 1950 British film by Lewis Gilbert

Once a Sinner is a 1950 British drama film directed by Lewis Gilbert and starring Pat Kirkwood, Jack Watling and Joy Shelton.

<i>The Horror of It All</i> 1964 British horror comedy movie by Terence Fisher

The Horror of It All is a 1964 British horror comedy film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Pat Boone and Erica Rogers. The screenplay was by Ray Russell.

<i>Kill Me Tomorrow</i> 1957 British film by Terence Fisher

Kill Me Tomorrow is a 1957 British crime film directed by Terence Fisher starring Pat O'Brien and Lois Maxwell. It was made by Tempean Films at Southall Studios in West London.

<i>Dutchman</i> (film) 1966 film by Anthony Harvey

Dutchman is a 1966 British drama film directed by Anthony Harvey and starring Shirley Knight and Al Freeman, Jr. It was based on the 1964 play Dutchman by Amiri Baraka, who wrote the screenplay adaptation. John Barry wrote the score. The movie tells the story of a black man who meets a white woman while riding the subway in New York City.

<i>That Woman Opposite</i> 1957 British film by Compton Bennett

That Woman Opposite is a 1957 British crime drama, directed by Compton Bennett and starring Phyllis Kirk, Dan O'Herlihy and William Franklyn. The screenplay, by Bennett, was adapted from John Dickson Carr's 1942 novel The Emperor's Snuff-Box.

<i>Bleak Moments</i> 1971 British film by Mike Leigh

Bleak Moments is a 1971 British comedy-drama film by Mike Leigh in his directorial debut. Leigh's screenplay is based on a 1970 stage play at the Open Space Theatre, about the dysfunctional life of a young secretary.

<i>The Flying Scot</i> (film) 1957 British film by Compton Bennett

The Flying Scot is a 1957 British 'B' crime film produced and directed by Compton Bennett and starring Lee Patterson, Kay Callard and Alan Gifford. The screenplay was by Norman Hudis based on a story by Jan Read and Ralph Smart.

<i>Rock You Sinners</i> 1957 British film by Denis Kavanagh

Rock You Sinners is a 1957 British second feature black and white musical film directed by Denis Kavanagh and featuring early British rock and roll artistes, including Art Baxter and His Rock 'n' Roll Sinners, known for their song "Rock You Sinners".

<i>Expresso Bongo</i> (film) 1959 British film by Val Guest

Expresso Bongo is a 1959 British drama musical film directed by Val Guest, shot in uncredited black & white Dyaliscope and starring Laurence Harvey, Cliff Richard, and Yolande Donlan. It is adapted from the stage musical of the same name, which was first produced on the stage at the Saville Theatre, London, on 23 April 1958.

Lauri de Frece was an English actor and singer who appeared in musical theatre and in films of the silent era. He was the younger brother of Walter de Frece and the husband of Fay Compton.

References

  1. "After the Ball". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 19 June 2024.
  2. "After The Ball (1957)". BFI. Archived from the original on 15 April 2014. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  3. "After the Ball (1953) - Compton Bennett - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie".
  4. "After the Ball". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 24 (276): 99. 1 January 1957 via ProQuest.
  5. "After The Ball".