Jean Kent livened up Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s with some sparky support portrayals as slutty girls. In the late 1940s she was given a few starring roles but none of them particularly struck home, including this.
This was a big vehicle for her - an expensive (for Britain) period musical in colour with Kent front and center, playing the title role: a working class girl who becomes a music hall star and marries a lord (James Donald).
And to be fair Kent gives an accomplished, professional performance. She had a music hall background and can sing and dance and act. But she's not a star. She's just an ordinary nice girl who does her best but you don't care.
The story doesn't help her that much. Trottie wants to be a singer, she is a singer, she falls in love with a guy who flies balloons but they can't get it together, so she marries a Lord (James Donald) who is a nice guy, she lives in the aristocracy, their marriage has a bit of a strain with both worried the other is cheating but they work it out.
No real conflict or baddies or development. I guess it was interesting to hear the characters talk about adultery and for Trottie to think her desires were as important as men. Bill Owen - Trottie's co star who loves her - really should have been the rival, not Andrew Crawford, who is awful as the balloon guy.
But there are still pleasures to be had - the art design, photography, colour, songs, period re-creation. Kent is likeable enough and James Donald very good. Christopher Lee and Roger Moore have blink and you'll miss them appearances. The Brits don't have a great reputation for movie musicals but they could do a pretty decent job.
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