She seeks solace from the dashing Count Philip Konigsmark when her husband, later to become King George I of Great Britain, pays her no attention. The lovers are exposed by the jealous Countess Clara Platen, Philip's previous lover.
The novel, by Australian author Helen Simpson, was first published in 1935.[4][5] It was the "book of the month" for the Evening Standard.[6][7][8] Simpson adapted the novel into a play but died in 1940 before any production took place.[9]
Production
Film rights were bought by Ealing Studios, which announced in 1946 its plan to produce the film over the following year, with Basil Dearden to direct.[10] The film was Ealing's first colour production.
Mai Zetterling was originally announced for the lead role,[11][12] but she asked to be excused "on account of a domestic incident" (she was pregnant) and Lilli Palmer was selected to play the role in her place.[13] However, Palmer could not travel to England in time, so Joan Greenwood was given the role.[14][15]
Saraband was a sweet film... and it's one I'm quite proud of. But whereas Gainsborough loved stars, Ealing didn't like them; the production was the star. Saraband was their first big color film. I said I would do it, but I wanted Marlene Dietrich, whom I loved, for Clara. I felt I couldn't be brutal to Flora Robson. Flora was a great actress, but she'd never been beautiful and it was hard to be cruel to a woman who was never beautiful. That's why I wanted Dietrich for the part. The opening sequence was planned in great detail. Francoise Rosay wanted to rehearse... but in the end this wasn't used. You see, Koenigsmark, whom I played, was introduced as penniless, and this was cut out because it involved Jewish moneylenders.[18]
In August 1947, Variety reported that the script was being rewritten in order to comply with the American production code.[19]
Peter Bull recalled: "They made me shave my head for that one in order that, as King George I of England, I could frighten the daylights out of my wife (the delectable Miss Joan Greenwood). They (the director and producer) assured me that my hair would grow ever so quickly and ever so much stronger after the shaving operation. This was not, I fear, strictly true and actually absolute rubbish."[20]
In 1988, George MacDonald Fraser, wrote: "As a screen entertainment it has never been judged remarkable; as an example of what a historical movie should be - a faithful dramatisation of fact - it is near-perfect." He added it "tells the story... with complete fidelity, and only the smallest of romantic touches, and makes an enthralling film of it. Stewart Granger (Konigsmark) was born for this kind of costume picture, and Joan Greenwood is an appealing Sophia. ... Best of all, the film conveys in a few brief scenes, the stifling monotony of court life in a pretentious little German state; in this too, Saraband is good history."[22]
Box office
The film was a box-office disappointment. It earned distributor's gross receipts of £87,338 in the UK, of which £59,034 went to the film's producer.[1]
Michael Relph later said: "it was a magnificent looking film, but it wasn't a success at the time. We were trying to get away from the Gainsborough-type romantic costume picture, which was totally unreal, and to do a serious historical epic. I think the public probably wasn't ready for it and also it ended up being a bit heavy."[23]
The film became one of Ealing's most successful in Germany.[24]
Awards
The acclaimed production design and art direction (nominated for an Academy Award) was complemented by the cinematography of Douglas Slocombe, who employed a muted style of colour filming that drew widely mixed opinions. Some described the approach as unusual and different while others found it pretentiously symbolic and with exterior and interior shots poorly matched.[25]
^ abcChapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 355. Gross is distributor's gross receipts.
^NEW NOVELS: People--Royal, Ordinary, and Odd The Scotsman 7 February 1935: 15.
^Wallace, M. (5 May 1935). Intrigue at court. New York Times
^"A WOMAN'S JEW SUSS". The Telegraph. Queensland, Australia. 8 February 1935. p. 1 (LATE CITY). Retrieved 2 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
^"HELEN SIMPSON'S DEATH". The Newcastle Sun. No. 7124. New South Wales, Australia. 16 October 1940. p. 2. Retrieved 2 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
^"Film News". The Sun. No. 11, 651. New South Wales, Australia. 29 May 1947. p. 18 (LATE FINAL EXTRA). Retrieved 2 June 2018 – via National Library of Australia.
