Genevieve

The admirer of old cars should find Genevieve in automotive paradise. The lover of English comedy will be no less pleased, for J. Arthur Rank's latest film has been compared favorably to Tight Little Island and the Alex Guinness series. Though such praise may be a bit thick, the film makes the annual motor-car parade from London to Brighton with ease and good humor.

When British motor club members drive their Stanley Steamers over the seventy mile route, the pace is slow and racing is forbidden. Genevieve puts some extra pressure into the yearly pageantry with an indiscreet race between two old rivals whose jealousies extend from women to automobiles. Breakdowns, sly tricks, and unlikely delays plague the contestants and usually amuse the audience. The humor of racing in cars of 1910 vintage has an almost amazing durability, at least for about three-fourths of the journey.

The last miles home, unfortunately, plod by with an almost unavoidable repetition of earlier gags, and though the winner remains in doubt until the end, the drivers have been behind the wheel too long to generate much suspense. Wise pruning would have helped a cast whose acting is sharp and understand.

Of the four leads, Kenneth More and Kay Kendel are pleasantly cccentric in their respective roles of bachelor and pseudo-sophisticate. A married couple, played by John Gregson and Dinah Sheridon, supply arch opposition. More dialogue for the cast, instead of reliance on the same comedy situation, might have boosted Genevieve even higher. As it stands, the film is an excellent comedy.