The Moon and Sixpence (1942)

Director:

Albert Lewin

Writers:

W. Somerset Maugham (novel) and
Albert Lewin

Release Date:

27 October 1942 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Strange DREAMS - He had ideas he never told her about...He didn't dare!

Plot:

Loosely inspired from Gauguin's life, the story of Charles Strickland, a middle-aged stockbrocker who abandons his middle-classed life...

Plot Keywords:

Painting | Tahiti | Devotion | Love | Reference To Gauguin

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins

Cast

George Sanders	...	Charles Strickland
Herbert Marshall	...	Geoffrey Wolfe
Doris Dudley	...	Blanche Stroeve
Eric Blore	...	Capt. Nichols
Albert Bassermann	...	Dr. Coutras
Florence Bates	...	Tiare Johnson
Steven Geray	...	Dirk Stroeve (as Steve Geray)
Elena Verdugo	...	Ata
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Fernando Alvarado	...	Native Boy at Wedding (uncredited)
Willie Fung	...	Tiara's Chinese Cook (uncredited)
Gibson Gowland	...	Party Guest (uncredited)
Robert Greig	...	Maitland - Wolfe's Valet (uncredited)
Rondo Hatton	...	The Leper (uncredited)
Kenneth Hunter	...	Col. Fred MacAndrew (uncredited)
Molly Lamont	...	Mrs. Any Strickland (uncredited)
Mike Mazurki	...	Tough Bill (uncredited)
Gerta Rozan	...	French Floozie (uncredited)
Irene Tedrow	...	Mrs. MacAndrew (uncredited)
Heather Thatcher	...	Rose Waterford (uncredited)

Directed by
Albert Lewin

Writing credits
W. Somerset Maugham		(novel)
Albert Lewin

Produced by
Stanley Kramer	....	associate producer
David L. Loew	....	producer

Original Music by
Dimitri Tiomkin		(as Dmitri Tiomkin)

Cinematography by
John F. Seitz

Film Editing by
Richard L. Van Enger

Production Design by
Gordon Wiles

Art Direction by
Frank Paul Sylos		(as F. Paul Sylos)

Makeup Department
Ern Westmore	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Ray Heinz	....	production manager

Art Department
Nina Saemundsson	....	sculptor
Dolya Goutman	....	paintings (uncredited)

Sound Department
Ferrol Redd	....	sound (as Ferol Redd)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Albert Deano	....	wardrober

Editorial Department
George Hively	....	supervising editor

Music Department
Joseph Nussbaum	....	orchestrator (uncredited)
Max Reese	....	orchestrator (uncredited)

Other crew
Devi Dja	....	choreographer (uncredited)
Devi Dja	....	technical advisor (uncredited)
Barbara Gray	....	researcher (uncredited)

Production Companies

• David L. Loew-Albert Lewin

Distributors

• United Artists (1942) (USA) (theatrical)
• Favorite Films (1949) (USA) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1955) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• VCI Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)

Also Known As:

"W. Somerset Maugham's The Moon and Sixpence" - USA (complete title)

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White (gold tint) (reels 6-10) | Black and White (Sepiatone) (reels 1-5) | Color (Technicolor) (some sequences) (last reel)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

Sweden:Btl | West Germany:12 | USA:Approved (PCA #8564)

Company:

David L. Loew-Albert Lewin

Trivia:

The rights to this film were originally bought by RKO in 1932 as a vehicle for John Barrymore.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Dick Van Dyke Show: The Secret Life of Buddy and Sally (#2.10)" (1962)

Based on Somerset Maugham's novel

George Sanders stars in "The Moon and Sixpence," a 1942 film also starring Herbert Marshall, Doris Dudley, Eric Blore, Steven Geray, and Albert Basserman. Loosely based on the life of Gauguin, the screenplay by Albert Lewin is based on the book by Somerset Maugham.

As in the later "The Razor's Edge," Maugham, here also played by Herbert Marshall, serves as narrator for most of the film. Sanders is the unpleasant, self-involved Charles Strickland, a stock broker who deserts his family and leaves London to go to Paris and become a painter. There he meets Dirk Stroeve (Geray), who becomes a friend. When Strickland becomes ill, Stroeve over the strong objections of his wife Blanche (Dudley) moves Strickland to their home to nurse him back to health. Stroeve then gets the impression that his wife is in love with Srrickland, and that Strickland has no intention of leaving. So he throws him out. His wife says that she's leaving with him. Stroeve leaves instead.

Strickland eventually tires of Blanche and then leaves for Tahiti. There he continues to paint and even falls in love with a native girl, Ata (Elena Verdugo). There Dr. Coutras (Bassermann) picks up the narration.

As the unapologetic user obsessed with his work, George Sanders is excellent. Like many in the studio system, he was typecast into playing one type of role, but he was capable of so much more. Another revelation in this film is Eric Blore, who was always typecast as a butler. Here he is a different kind of character and is absolutely wonderful. Herbert Marshall does not register much in what is basically a thankless role - he had more to do in The Razor's Edge.

Good movie. If this and Lust for Life are any indication, Gauguin, even if this character just hints at him, was a most unpleasant character.