Review: Libel

War veteran Paul Massie starts stirring up trouble for now privileged Dirk Bogarde by suggesting that he is an impostor (a slimy actor by the name of Frank Welney who was in the same POW camp as the other two men), and has clearly murdered the real Sir Mark Loddon. Wife Olivia De Havilland at first scoffs at such a ridiculous suggestion, but then again, there are whole sections of his own life that Loddon conveniently cannot remember (a side-effect of the war experience, apparently). The matter is taken to court, with Wilfrid Hyde-White the prodding prosecutor and Robert Morley the polite Defense attorney. Richard Wattis, sans spectacles, plays the judge, whilst veteran character actor Anthony M. Dawson is terrific as a distant and extraordinarily opportunistic relative of Sir Mark’s.

Dated, disappointing 1959 Anthony Asquith (“The Winslow Boy”, “The V.I.P.s”) film is like a mostly British, 50s version of “The Return of Martin Guerre” and like that famous case, it just seems so bloody hard to believe. Maybe it was based on fact, but I never believed the situation in “Sommersby”, and I certainly never bought the idea here that Olivia De Havilland couldn’t immediately tell if Bogarde was her husband or not. War doesn’t physically change a person that much, surely, and having Bogarde play the two roles doesn’t sell the idea any easier, despite the actor’s very fine efforts. An unbelievably happy ending doesn’t help, either.

What makes the film watchable are the performances, which are almost persuasive enough, especially Bogarde (in a tour-de-force) and a scene-stealing Hyde-White (for once not playing the kindly servant) and Dawson. Morley and De Havilland aren’t given nearly enough to do, I’m afraid. Look for Geoffrey Bayldon and a young Robert Shaw as reporters (Shaw’s the one with the unmistakably piercing eyes that damn near burn one’s retinas). The screenplay is by Anatole de Grunwald (“The Winslow Boy”), and Karl Tunberg (“Ben-Hur”, “Beau Brummel”) from an Edward Wooll play.

Rating: C+