Vacation from Marriage

Director: Alexander Korda Alexander Korda

Overview

A couple's wartime separation provides an unexpected tonic for their romance in this drama. Robert and Catherine Wilson (Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr) are a married couple whose relationship has hit a dry patch; neither of them have much enthusiasm for each other, and when Robert is drafted into the Royal Navy during the war, they almost welcome the separation. Life in the Navy gives Robert a more easygoing outlook on life, especially after he has a brief fling with Elena (Anne Todd), a nurse who recently lost her husband. On the home front, Catherine makes friends with Dizzy (Glynis Johns), a free spirit who encourages her to smoke, wear makeup, and enjoy a dalliance of her own with a man named Richard (Roland Culver). After the end of the war, Robert and Catherine both dread their reunion, but each find that they're pleasantly surprised with the changes that time has brought to their mate. Perfect Strangers was also released under the highly appropriate title Vacation from Marriage.

Product Details

Release Date:	06/14/2012
UPC:	0883316498767
Original Release:	1945
Rating:	NR
Source:	Warner Archives
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[B&W]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:32:00
Sales rank:	26,937

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert Donat	Robert Wilson
Deborah Kerr	Catherine Wilson
Glynis Johns	Dizzy Clayton
Ann Todd	Elena
Roland Culver	Richard
Elliot Mason	Mrs. Hemmings
Eliot Makeham	Mr. Staines
Brefni O'Rorke	Mr. Hargrove
Edward Rigby	Charlie
Muriel George	Minnie
Allan Jeayes	Commander
Ivor Barnard	Chemist
Henry Longhurst	Petty Officer
Bill Shine	Webster
Billy Thatcher	Essex
Brian Weske	Gordon
Rosamund Taylor	Irene
Harry Ross	Bill
Vincent Holman	ARP Warden
Leslie Dwyer	Stripey
Caven Watson	Scotty
Jeanine Carre	Jeannie
Molly Munks	Meg
Roger Moore	Sailor in Lifeboat
Bill Owen	Ironing Sailor
Clifton Parker	Composer

Technical Credits

Clemence Dane

Anthony Pelissier

W. Percy Day	Special Effects
Alexander Korda	Director,Producer
Clemence Dane	Screenwriter
Anthony Pelissier	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

A moderately enjoyable romantic comedy, Vacation From Marriage is also a bit of a disappointment because it doesn't fulfill its potential. With an excellent cast, a capable director, and a screenplay that deals with a worthy and fairly unusual subject, one expects much more than one gets. Primary responsibility lies with the screenplay; it purports to explore a marriage from which the magic has long been gone and the manner in which the husband and wife discover a new life for each other only by undergoing new experiences apart from each other, when in fact that exploration barely peeks beneath the surface. Aside from keeping things too superficial, the writing also isn't consistently sparkling enough. Alexander Korda also shares a bit of the blame, for if his direction is certainly fine, it is also rarely more than that; aside from a few nice touches as the couple travels toward each other after their long separation, there's little in his work here that is truly inspired. Fortunately, Vacation has a simply marvelous cast, with Robert Donat and Deborah Kerr in top form, and Glynis Johns threatening to walk away with scene after scene. The actors are so good they make you wonder what a Vacation From Marriage this would have been with more powerful material.