Product Details

• Actors: James Mason, Stewart Granger, Phyllis Calvert, Margaret Lockwood
• Directors: Leslie Arliss
• Format: Black & White, NTSC
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Uav Corporation
• VHS Release Date: October 11, 1991
• Run Time: 90 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 6300255980
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,959 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars This is the gothic romance that tops them all, January 3, 2008

By 

M. Durham "andiam" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Man in Grey [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ] (DVD)

I think this was the first time I ever laid eyes on James Mason and Stewart Granger, and they were in their prime. The acting style was crisp British, the costumes were just right, and the story was pretty much as it had been written by one Lady Eleanor Smith, a writer I then proceeded to read every word of, at the age of 13. I'm sorry that this DVD is in Region 2. But time will tell. To the sophisticated of today this will be a laughable film, but to those who can roll in its pseudo-Jane Austen tale-telling, or just wallow in an old fashioned melodrama, this would be a lark. The heroine has a taste for 'sugared violets.' The villainous Mason has a taste for the riding whip, and Stewart Granger -- well, one could just eat him with a spoon. He gets to play an early 19th century Othello in the great 'Put out the light' scene, then smother Margaret Lockwood, the be-all and end-all of 'bad girl' characters in the Arthur Rank films of the 40's.

4.0 out of 5 stars "I never thought I'd find a woman with a spirit as willful as mine. You take what you want and the devil with the consequences", April 21, 2011

By 

Byron Kolln (the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Man in Grey [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - United Kingdom ] (DVD)

The Gainsborough films of the early 1940's cannot be easily dismissed, for although most were featherweight, they were amongst the all-time favourites for audiences during the war. THE MAN IN GREY (1943) is one of the most fondly-remembered of the Gainsborough titles, the romantic story of a love affair and the machinations which tear it apart.

Lovely, gentle Clarissa Richmond (Phyllis Calvert) strikes up a friendship with Hesther Shaw (Margaret Lockwood) at Miss Patchett's School for Young Ladies. The two couldn't be more different, for whilst Clarissa is one of Miss Patchett's star pupils and wildly popular thanks to her kind nature; Hesther is moody, sullen and selfish. Resentful of having to pull herself up by the bootstraps in order to improve her social standing, Hesther has been sent to Miss Patchett's in order to train as a teacher. When Hesther finally runs away, Clarissa too leaves the school in protest. Back in London, Clarissa finds herself wed to notorious rake Lord Rohan (James Mason), known by all as "the man in grey". The marriage is loveless from the start - Clarissa is a trophy and all Rohan wants from her is an heir. Once Clarissa fulfils his wish, she can go about life without him.

An unexpected chain of events leads Hesther - now an actress in a third-rate Shakespearian company - back into Clarissa's life. Clarissa offers Hesther a permanent place in her household, a tantalising prospect which the greedy Heather grabs with both hands. Striking up a strong rapport with Lord Rohan, Hesther sets into motion a plan to usurp Clarissa, not only in Rohan's bed, but also as the lady of the manor. All of this is observed by Peter Rokeby (Stewart Granger), a fellow actor from Hesther's troupe, who falls in love with Clarissa and is determined to protect her from Hesther's devilish plot...

Based on a novel by Eleanor Smith, THE MAN IN GREY is a fun Regency period romance with a little something for everyone - action, comedy, intrigue. Bookended by an auction set in modern-day (ie: WW2) London where the personal effects of Rohan and Clarissa go under the hammer - and the descendants of Clarissa and Rokeby meet and fall in love - it's also just a wee bit sappy, but in the best sense. Wartime audiences ate this stuff up.

The performances are sublime - Phyllis Calvert never looked as radiant in any of her later films, and young Stewart Granger displays the matinee idol qualities that would eventually launch him into a popular series of MGM costume swashbucklers in the 1950's. Margaret Lockwood (Gainsborough's reigning "Wicked Lady") and James Mason ("Odd Man Out") are hissably evil. And don't we love it?!

Perfect entertainment for a cold and rainy Saturday afternoon. The current DVD available from Network UK has a well-worn print (lots of damage but still watchable) of the original 112-minute theatrical version (some later prints were chopped down to 90 minutes) plus the 1984 British TV special, "James Mason: The Man They Loved to Hate".

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Man in Grey, August 4, 2010

By 

Jane's Sister "Bronte Fan" (Texas) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Man in Grey [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is a very atmospheric and haunting version of an excellent Gothic story. The original book was somewhat different, but both are good and James Mason did a great job with the title role. Very enjoyable.