Sunday Sermon: An Enigma Of Berkeley Square

Recently, Mike, at Genial Misanthrope , listed some pivotal points in history he'd like to visit. He and Armchair Squid, with his cinematic fun,  have got me thinking about time-travel movies. On my blog profile page, in 2008, I listed "I'll Never Forget You" as one of my favorites. It was made in 1951. I had only seen it once.

It was summer 50 years ago, in another century,  I was watching tv and saw a movie that permanently and romantically affected my sense of space-time continuum. It starred Tyrone Power, Ann Blyth and Michael Rennie, and then it was gone --it was gone for half a century! I looked in film catalogues in the '70s,  video stores in the'80s and '90s, then lately in Hulu and Netflix. It was never available, until last night. I found it on Youtube. For  those who wish to spend a pleasant hour and a half (and do click the "full screen" box, lower right) I will post it here:

Video Clip:"I'll Never Forget You"

                       
The story is an interesting one. The story of the story is interesting too. It was first used as the plot for the book, A Sense Of The Past, by New York-born novelist Henry James, brother of philosopher William James, who often went famously east --not to be confused with brothers Jesse and Frank James, who  went infamously west. The novel was left unfinished. However, playwright John L. Balderston was so taken with it that he used the story for the stage production, Berkeley Square, in 1926.  The play was successful, and Mr. Balderston was invited to adapt the script to cinema for the 1933 film, which was also successful and not lost for 50 years. It was lost only 40 years, and pieced back together in the 1970s. I found it (also on Youtube) this morning. Here is a clickable link.

The 1933 adaptation is remarkable in that it has Leslie Howard's character insulting a female lead: "Madam, I've seen you in Sheridan's plays. I've read you in Jane Austen's novels...you roll over things like a tank!" --something he never consented to do again. I find I prefer the 1951 film because it better uses stock characters of Restoration Drama, and the sound didn't exacerbate my tinnitus.

I would like to thank the congregation for a kind welcome and assure you your regular pastor will be back next Sunday, or after he settles his gambling debts in 1784 --whichever comes first. Go thou and do likewise.