Castle in the Air (1952)

One of the comic themes of post-War England was the suddenly impoverished nobility trying to deal with their crumbling stately homes -- bad drains was a common trope. In this one, David Tomlinson is the Earl of Locharne, whose house is haunted, not only by a ghost played by Patricia Dainton, but by holidayers dissatisfied by the poor conditions, neighbors who resent his poaching, a bureaucrat from the Coal Board who wants to requisition the place for convalescing miners, an American millionairess (played by Barbara Kelly) who wants to buy the place, and Margaret Rutherford, who insists he is rightful King of Scotland. Can his manager, Helen Cherry, get him out of debt and get him to notice she's been in love with him for years? It's based on a stage show, and whatever subtext may have existed at some point has been rubbed out. Still, the director is Henry Cass, who directed one of my favorite non-Ealing comedies of the era, LAST HOLIDAY, so he knows how to direct for laughs. If some of the lines come out a trifle fast for emotional weight, this is not the first movie from a stage play I've seen that happen in. The cast handles the comedy very well, even if some of the characterizations are a bit standard. I expect you'll have a good time watching this.

'Castle in the Air' was practically forgotten for a long time, and still is not that well known. While it is not a great film by any stretch of the imagination, it is a nice way to pass the time if with not enough for it to be a personal favourite or watched over and over.The cast are definitely the reason to see 'Castle in the Air' and they are the best thing about it. Margaret Rutherford's splendidly dotty performance steals the show and Patricia Dainton makes the most of her role. Helen Cherry is very charming and it was a shame that she didn't make it bigger. Pre-'Mary Poppins' and 'Bedknobs and Broomsticks' David Tomlinson may be unconvincing as a Scot but he has the authority and also the lightness for his role and is always in keeping with the film's tone.It looks attractive and atmospheric, it is not a cinematic-looking film but looked like it was made with skill and not in an amateur way. The music may not be classic standard but it has a pleasant energy and sounds appealing. Throughout 'Castle in the Air' has a cosy charm and gentle wit, it is not dull and it makes sense on the whole. The direction is competent.However, 'Castle in the Air' drags slightly in the middle and has an over-stuffed and muddled ending. It also tries to do a little too much genre-wise and in a way that while coherent it doesn't quite come together.Parts at times feel tossed in and don't add as much to everything as much as they should, or are just about necessary but not enough is done with them.Summing up, nice enough and worth watching, a decent time-passer if you will, but not much more than that. 6/10 Bethany Cox

There is a good cast for this mildly amusing but unexceptional comedy by Alan Melville who wrote many plays,films and TV series in the fifties and sixties.Margaret Rutherford seems rather underused and relying far too much on her Madame Arcati role.David Tomlinson is on his way up to stardom.Barbara Kelly would find more fame on TV.Helen Cherry was married to Trevor Howard but never really found true stardom for herself.Lots of well known character actors such as A.E>Matthes do their thing.However this film is never more than faintly amusing.Not worth 7/10its current rating.At the end it is really nothing more than a filmed stage play.

The Earl Of Locharne (David Tomlinson) is an impoverished Scottish laird who rents out his castle as a bed and breakfast. He relies on his assistant Bess Trent (Helen Cherry) for practical matters and she, in turn, is in love with him. One of his tenants is Miss Nicholson (Margaret Rutherford) who is a genealogist convinced that the Earl is the true King Of Scotland. The castle is also haunted by a mischevious ghost of Ermyntrude (Patricia Dainton). The action starts went two visitors come to the castle. Rich American divorcee Mrs. Clodfelter Dunne (Barbara Kelly) claims a Scottish heritage and is interested in buying the castle. Meanwhile National Coal Board official Mr. Phillips (Brian Oulton) is interested in requisitioning the castle as a rest home for miners. Assorted character actors (A.E. Matthews as a disgruntled tenant, Ewan Roberts as a butler and Clive Morton as an adjacent landowner) round out the cast. Obviously Mrs. Dunne competes with Miss Trent for the Earl's affection and with Mr. Phillips for the castle. Although this is a relatively modest effort I enjoyed it significantly. The young David Tomlinson plays a more adult character than his usual type as a "silly ass" Englishmen. I wasn't familiar with Helen Cherry, primarily a stage actress who was the real life wife of Trevor Howard, but she is attractive and charming. While I had often seen Brian Oulton over his long film career it was usually in one scene comedic character roles. It was Pleasant to see him in a much larger role with a greater range of emotion. Both Barbara Kelly and Patricia Dainton, like all the players, seemed to be enjoying themselves in the film. A special note on Margaret Rutherford who is single handedly worth the price of admission. The scene where she drags the Earl and Mrs. Dunne off to a meeting of the supporters for the Earl's claim to the throne of Scotland is delightful. Technical credits are good but modest, given the funding limits on British quota quickies of the period. All things considered a very pleasant way to spend time.