Lloyd's of London (1936)

Film was all right, though a long time since I saw it.But in reference to the comment above from adamshl, British ships may or may not have carried 3.5 million slaves for sale to Americans, yet equally the Portuguese, French and Spanish carried three times that number. The American colonies only took 5% of the total trade.Since the trade was around 1% of British investment it is doubtful if Lloyds benefited from it as a primary source of income. Which is neither to whitewash the trade or Lloyds or the disgusting traders, since no profit, no matter how small, from sin is allowable.Virginia Field was very pretty.

OK, so here's the deal, this movie ruined my life. How can such a thing be? Well, listen up: At the age of five (or thereabouts) I watched this movie on television. I fell in love with Ms. Carroll. Her golden-ringletted cloying prettiness was perfectly suited to a five-year-old's notion of female beauty. She was married to Mr. Saunders, who dressed REALLY well, spoke beautifully, was rich and was exceptionally urbane. Naturally, she didn't care for him. She was in love with Mr. Powers, who was, frankly, breathtakingly beautiful -- much more beautiful than Ms. Carroll at her best.But I digress. Anyway, my five year old brain decides, "In order to win M.C., you have to look like T.P." Well, it's been over 50 years and I'm STILL WAITING to be as handsome as Mr. Power (probably NOT going to happen -- what's your guess?). So, here I am in (advanced) middle age, still functioning under the delusion that you have to look like Mr. Power in order to secure the attentions of the lady of your dreams. How messed up is THAT? Silliness aside, the movie is thin on (rational) plot but long on star-magic. Enjoy Mr. Power and Ms. Carroll at their loveliest and Mr. Saunders at his most vile. The rest of the flic is just and excuse to watch them dress up in period costumes.

A life-long friendship is maintained although Lord Nelson and Blake never see each other again.Blake grows up to become an important person of Lloyd's of London, the syndicates that insured English shipping. We don't have to go into Nelson's part of history.This is the story of Blake being befriended and taken into the business as a young lad by the elderly gentleman.It is also the story of Blake rescuing a British damsel, Madeleine Carroll, from Napoleon's decree and getting her back to England, only to find out that she is married to the aristocratic George Sanders, up to no good as usual.We see history coming forth via the bells being rung at Lloyd's. The ending is tragic, but very meaningful.Tyrone Power was only 22 years of age when he made this excellent film. He gave a terrific performance and was destined for stardom. How ironic that 22 years later,while in a dueling scene with Sanders in "Solomon and Sheba," Power suffered a fatal coronary which stunned the movie kingdom.Look for E.E. Clive, the magistrate in this film. A year before, he took the same exact part in "A Tale of Two Cities."You will really appreciate investments after viewing this film. It was basically a story of putting country first before the all-mighty pound.

This is one of a sort of sub-genre that appeared on screens in the late 1930s. Let's see, there were biographies of all these tycoons, inventors, and successful businessmen -- Alexander Graham Bell, Reuters, Dr. Ehrlich, Robert Koch, and even Diamond Jim Brady. It's hard to imagine why these stories were so popular in the depths of the Great Depression. Maybe hope sells.Handsome Tyrone Power is the fictional Jonathan Blake who rises to a position of importance within the insurance company, Lloyd's of London, in the late 1790s, earnest here, rather than dashing. His girl is Madeleine Carrol. His friend from boyhood is Horatio Nelson. You know, Nelson? Trafalgar Square? His enemy is the dandyish, rich George Sanders who plays a snobbish cad for a change. He's marvelous with all that frothy lace at his neck. He's adopted a tendency to speak with a patina of elegance, pronouncing the word "me" as "meh." As in, "She died and left meh her entire faw-tyune." I have no idea how much of this tale is fabricated, though I doubt that a man pulled up in front of the tavern that housed the original Lloyd's and asked to see Doctor Johnson. (That would be Samuel Johnson, who said: "Of all noises, I think music is the least disagreeable.") Who is asking? the doorman replies. "Benjamin Franklin." It's a nice little touch anyway.There is no poetry here, so don't look for it. The movie is to art as a Boston rocker is to furniture. It is hard and functional. It's designed to get the job done and it accomplishes its goal. It represents old-fashioned Hollywood craftsmanship. It's mostly studio bound but atmospheric as all get out. And it not only entertains, it "educates", as the Moguls would have phrased it.