The Anna Neagle Collection [DVD]

This DVD boxed set of some of the films of Dame Anna Neagle, is long overdue.
The films featured are Victoria The Great (1937), 60 Glorious Years (1938)
I Live In Grosvenor Square (1945) The Lady With The Lamp (1951) and The Lady Is A Square (1959).
Sixty Glorious Years and its predecessor Victoria The Great (both about the reign of Queen Victoria) were hugely popular in their day and great pains were taken by Director Herbert Wilcox to ensure the authenticity of the scripts. However, both films come across as stilted and too mannered for the 21st Century, a common problem with many films made in the thirties.However, of the two, Sixty Glorious Years was the better picture. After the huge success of Victoria The Great, which made a lot of money at the box office, Wilcox and Neagle were able to make Sixty Glorious Years in colour and it is the better story of the two. Oddly enough, in both films, the death of Prince Albert makes no reference to his rushing off in the middle of a harsh winter to see his son,Bertie who was reported to be behaving with low class women in a manner that shocked both Albert and Victoria. It was upon his return home that he collapsed and became very ill.
Perhaps the reason for leaving that factor out of both pictures was to appease the Royal Family, who were most supportive and enthusiastic about both Victorian films. In fact,Sixty Glorious Years was given permission to film in the actual homes lived in by Albert and Victoria by the Royal Family.
The Lady with the Lamp was a study of the life of Florence Nightingale and the Crimean War.Florence was one of many strong woman portrayed by Miss Neagle throughout her career, and the film was well received by the public.However, Anna's better pictures seemed mostly to occur during the war years and just after.
I Live In Grosvenor Square(1945) is such a film. Miss Neagle co-stars with Rex Harrison and Dean Jagger in this love triangle about an Englishwoman who inadvertently falls in love with an American airman during the the war, much to the consternation of her boyfriend (Rex Harrison) and family.
The war-time story of love and loss, of sacrifice and stoic bravery stands up today as a film about about decent people trying to make the best of a bad situation, being both the war itself, and one man's loss of his long term girlfriend to a Yank !
Derby Day is probably one which gets forgotten today. I was very pleased to see it included in the boxed set. It tells the story of a group from different walks of life on their way the see the English Derby.
The film stars the popular teaming of Anna Neagle with Michael Wilding, as well as Googie Withers, and her husband, actor John McCallum. The film sets out to depict the difference in living styles of the working class (Withers and McCallum) the middle class (Michael Wilding) and the upper class (dare I add a flippant "landed gentry?) with Anna Neagle as Lady Helen Forbes.
The film moves from group to group with ease, and we are witness to crime, despair, humour, irony - all in one day. An entertaining film.
For some reason I've never been able to fathom the film making tean of Neagle and her husband, the Director Herbert Wilcox, after making some very successful dramas and light comedies, suddeny chose the 1950's to go back to the musicals they did in earlier times and paid the the price.
(Unfortunately The Lady Is a Square was one of those and consequently, Anna Neagle's last fim).
The best part about The Lady Is A Square is the fabulous Frankie Vaughan a big British singer of the time - who covered several of Gene McDaniel's hits very successfully as well as proving himself to be a fine entertainer in his own right. He steals the picture. Wilfred Hyde White, Anthony Newley and Janette Scott all co star in this ok movie.
But in between time they made some gems. Piccadilly Incident, Spring In Park Lane (my favourite) Odette (an excellent drama)and the Courtneys of Curzon Street - all soon (we hope ) to be included on another Neagle - Wilcox - Wilding boxed set.
Anna Neagle was fine all rounder, singer,dancer,comedienne, actor, with an adoring husband (Wilcox) who crafted his films to show her off at her best. She doesn't get anywhere near the credit today that she desrves.
When her film career was over, her husband declared a bankrupt, she showed her strength of character by going back to the theatre and treading the boards (which included at least one trip to Australia) with great success.

The Anna Neagle Collection [DVD]
The Box boasts of a "final Diamond Jubilee sequence resplendent in Technicolor" in the feature "Victoria the Great". This statement is not accurate. The sequence in question, as well as the whole film, is shown on dull black-and-white, with some background noise and noticeable wear-and-tear on the copy transferred to DVD format. Buyer's expectations should not be raised this way, to allow them later -upon viewing the actual DVD material- to crash to the floor -so to speak-.

How wonderful to have at last some Anna Neagle films on DVD.
Please can we now have her London series which includes the wonderful Spring in Park Lane etc.