The Ware Case (1938 film)
5.4 /10 1 Votes
Director Robert Stevenson Music director Ernest Irving Duration Country United Kingdom | 5.2/10 IMDb Genre Drama, Mystery Production Ealing Studios Language English | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Writer E.V.H. Emmett , Roland Pertwee Release date 2 December 1938 Cast Clive Brook (Sir Hubert Ware), Jane Baxter (Lady Margaret 'Meg' Ware), Barry K. Barnes (Michael Adye), C.V. France (Judge), Francis L. Sullivan (Attorney General), Frank Cellier (Skinner - the Jeweler)Similar movies Brief Encounter (1945) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The Ware Case is a 1938 British drama film directed by Robert Stevenson and starring Clive Brook, Jane Baxter and Barry K. Barnes. It is an adaptation of the play The Ware Case (1915) by George Pleydell Bancroft, which had previously been made into two silent films, in 1917 and 1928. It had been a celebrated stage vehicle for Sir Gerald Du Maurier. The film was made at Ealing Studios with Stately home exteriors shot in the grounds of Pinewood. Oscar Friedrich Werndorff worked as set designer.
Contents
In Forever Ealing, George Perry wrote, "The Ware Case is a stagey, melodramatic piece. But it was made on schedule within its budget, and was thus able to go into profit."
Plot
The jury looks back on events that lead to profligate baronet Sir Hubert Ware being tried for murder. His brother-in-law's corpse has been found floating in Sir Hubert's garden pond. The baronet is eventually found not guilty, but upon returning home, finds his lawyer is having an affair with his wife. In the ensuing argument, and on discovering his wife loves another man, Sir Hubert confesses his guilt and then makes a suicidal leap from a balcony.
Cast
Critical reception
The New York Times reviewer commented that "you may find some enjoyment in the film. But this reporter found Sir Hubert such an insufferable snob—even though he was played with velvet grace by Clive Brook—and the turning out of the pseudo-mystery story such a chunk of maudlin claptrap that it stirs him to nothing more fervid than a thoroughly indifferent "So what?" And this in spite of the fact that a very good cast does its best". According to TV Guide it is a "strong, tense drama with convincing motivations".
References
The Ware Case (1938 film) WikipediaThe Ware Case (1938 film) IMDb The Ware Case (1938 film) themoviedb.org