Jo Morrow
Just watched the UK dvd. Guinness is good, always splendid to see Noel Coward do what he did. But Jo Morrow's cheekbones have been sadly underused on sreen. What a sweetie she was.
And John Le Mesurier pops up!
She was cute but Greene thought she ruined the film!
shareToo much sweetness and light perhaps.
sharePerhaps, though his editor said in a documentary that he thought she was the worst actor he'd ever seen :|
shareDidn't strike me as bad - I wonder what he objected to.
shareI didn't think she was particularly bad but I guess when you create the characters you have a different connection to them. Reed was the one who pushed for her and Greene just didn't agree, plus it was supposed to be a much younger girl I think. Reed got his way the whole incident came between them, they didn't work together again despite the success of 'the third man' and 'our man in havana'. I know Reed wanted to make 'the comedians' but Greene refused. Pity.
shareGreat pity.
sharehey miles, interesting comments. I'm very interested in the stories behind Greene's and Reed's collaborations, is there some source you have for your "insider" info? Maybe a biography on one of the two that discusses their work together, or some documentary? They made some good pictures, but from what I've heard bickered quite frequently!
shareYes; did Carol Reed do his memoirs?
shareThe character was supposed to be 17, but talked half in baby-talk, which is probably why it seemed she was supposed to be much younger.
But I don't place the blame on the actress. Millie never behaved like a spoiled brat, and the remarks about the A's in school means that she wasn't stupid. So why would a smart girl go off and purchase a horse, given her father's financial situation? Perhaps a 5-year-old (or an emotional 5-year-old) might do such a thing.
Now, I'm not the kind of guy to engage in parlor psychoanalysis, but if I were, I would guess that Morrow's portrayal of Millie made Greene realize Millie's character was rather badly conceived, and this embarrassed him.
Well put, aschmidt-1! I too have puzzled over the feeble interpretation of Millie in the film and wondered whether the novel is in any way to blame. Was Millie expecting her father to put his foot down and force her to get rid of the horse? Was she hoping, if Wormold did so, that the police chief Segura would help her? Or, as you tellingly suggest, did Greene leave this crucial plot element a bit too underdeveloped?
shareYes, she seemed much too adult for 17...she seemed more like 23...which was my only serious problem with her performance. Her acting seemed fine to me. Her character was a catalyst to much of what happened (but passively just by existing), but she didn't have to do much heavy duty acting.
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