Woman in a Dressing Gown (1957)

A married, middle-aged woman is shocked to discover that her husband, who she thought was content in their marriage, has become infatuated with a beautiful younger woman and is planning to leave his family for her.

Director:

J. Lee Thompson

Writers:

Ted Willis (original story), Ted Willis (original screenplay)

Stars:

Yvonne Mitchell, Anthony Quayle, Sylvia Syms

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Yvonne Mitchell	...	Amy
Anthony Quayle	...	Jim
Sylvia Syms	...	Georgie
Andrew Ray	...	Brian
Carole Lesley	...	Hilda
Michael Ripper	...	Pawnbroker
Nora Gordon	...	Mrs. Williams
Marianne Stone	...	Hairdresser
Olga Lindo	...	Manageress
Harry Locke	...	Wine Merchant
Max Butterfield	...	Harold
Roberta Woolley	...	Christine
Melvyn Hayes	...	Newsboy
Cordelia Monsey	...	Hilda's Baby (as Cordelia Mitchell)

Storyline

Amy and Jim Preston have been married for twenty years but, in her husband's eyes, she has become sloppy both about the house and herself. Jim has no problems with falling in love with Georgie Harlow, a fellow-office worker who is pretty and young...and willing. Jim finally asks Amy for a divorce so he can marry Georgie, and Amy pleads for him to stay but he walks out. He soon realizes that he can't go through with the desertion of Amy and their teen-age son, Brian, and returns home.

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Plot Keywords:

middle aged woman | divorce | desertion | dressing gown | domestic drama | 

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Taglines:

Beacasue of the emotion-packed ending NO SEATING DURING THE LAST TEN MINUTES!

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 February 1958 (Denmark)

Also Known As:

Den andra kvinnan

Filming Locations:

Wiltshire Close, Chelsea, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC),Godwin-Willis

Technical Specs

Runtime:

93 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.75 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hilda's baby was played by Cordelia Mitchell, Yvonne Mitchell's real life daughter who was born in 1956.

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Quotes

Hilda Harper: Men are all the same - when they want you, they can't do enough, but when they've got you it's like the never-never - they think they've paid after the first installment.

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Connections

Referenced in Call the Midwife: Episode #4.6 (2015)

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Soundtracks

London by the Sea
(uncredited)
Written by Frank Petch

User Reviews

Even as a pre-teen I was touched by the wife's desperation.

I remember watching this film as a young girl. It was a bit over my head as far as the complexity of emotions but the situation was quite clear. The story of a middle aged couple: the husband, still attractive and a bit worldly, has become attracted to a young woman...the wife, a bit shop-worn and, having been a housewife and entirely devoted only to her family for nearly two decades, appears dull in the eyes of her husband. However, so moving was the performance of Ms. Mitchell as the wife, so clear the pain and desperation she displayed in attempting to keep her husband when it becomes clear she is losing him, that I remembered nearly every bit of the movie and retained it until years later when I could feel full empathy for her. I see this movie as a sad, sweet study of a universal type of woman: the house-bound, devoted and totally self-sacrificing wife who has, perhaps, given too much of herself to her family and kept too little for herself.