Seen today for the first time, some seventy years after its initial release, this movie is showing its age. Rex Harrison is invariably described as one of the finest light comedians in the business yet here he comes across as stilted and one longs to see Cary Grant in the role. On the other hand Harrison's real life wife at the time, Lili Palmer, is delightful and walks off with every scene she appears in. As written the leading role of Vivian Kenway calls for a total s**t with no redeeming features and ironically this is exactly how the real-life Harrison has been described by everyone who ever met him, being a movie, however, and a movie circa 1945, the leading role must be seen to undergo a complete volte-face thus Kenway sacrifices his life for the greater good. There's a half-decent supporting cast and it has a certain novelty value.
Review of Notorious Gentleman
