CinemaSerf

Nigel Patrick and Valerie Hobson are both on good form as the spatting siblings in this love quadrangle of a film. Sadly, though - Anthony Kimmins' direction is way too theatrical in style to allow their characters to breathe to anything like the extent needed to bring out the best in this quite witty little story. George Cole is good as the rather hapless "Pte. Crisp" who loves a girl "Christine" (Peggy Cummins), but so to does commanding officer "Maj. Ashley" (Anthony Bushell). The siblings interfere for their own reasons in the affairs of the girl and ultimately it all just gets out of hand. I suspect it would work quite well on the stage, the dialogue has a pace and a sort of hand-to-hand combat about it that if not quite a battle, offers a skirmish of the sexes; but neither star is let loose enough to really soar and what we are left with is all just too predictable. There's a nice cameo from AE Matthews near the end, but otherwise it's all just a bit hollow. Worth watching for the scenes with Hobson and Patrick; but it's really quite a missed opportunity.