The Passionate Sentry (1952) User Reviews (6)

Witty Rather Than Funny

[boblipton · 6/10 · 15 January 2020]

Nigel Patrick, a diplomatic type who lives in St. James' Palace with his father, A.E. Matthews, is in love with Peggy Cummins, an Irish lass who has wound up in his family's apartments. She is in love with George Cole, a sentry guard at the Palace. Cole and his commanding officer, Anthony Bushell, are in love with Valerie Hobson, who is Patrick's sister. She takes care of her father and brother, and doesn't seem to love anyone, although Bushell has been asking her to marry him for years, and she won't say yes or no.

It's effectively a stage play, from one written by John Dighton. Except for a few establishing shots outside the Palace, where tourists gather and Guards parade, it's all set in two of the rooms of Matthews' family. It's directed by Anthony Kimmins. He had started out as a writer, and rose to prominence for the screenplays to George Formby Jr's early movies. Soon after, he began to direct, and largely specialized in high-class comedies like this one.

It's not scintillating. Everyone is witty, rather than funny or heartfelt, and the plot seems to be a matter of untangling a snarled situation rather than making characters happy. The actors are good in their line readings, and I suppose that's as much as you can ask for a piece like this one.

Minor UK comedy.

[gnok2002 · 6/10 · 28 December 2013]

I am inserting reviews for all films that I've seen that currently lack one, my very brief review from time of viewing follows... 'Minor British comedy about a rather scatty Irish girl who falls for a guard at St James Palace, slight but watchable.' I saw the film on itv in the UK on 30 Apr 1984, so almost 30 years ago, I have no memory now of the film to add to the brief note, but looking at the cast & crew, it has Valerie Hobson who was always good, here playing an Irish girl, she was in fact born in what is now N.Ireland. The director A.Kimmins was a writer director who is now almost forgotten, but made many watchable films, including writing the screenplay for the first 3 films directed by C.Reed, he is not responsible for the script here, hopefully I have waffled sufficiently to get this up to minimum length.

Dull filmed stageplay

[malcolmgsw · 4/10 · 22 April 2018]

This is a rather dull filmed version of a stageplay.There is no attempt to open out the film.Most of the film is photographed in medium closeup.There is some camera movement but this must tends to emphasise the fact that this is taking place in a film studio.The actors,good S they may be,are only as good as their lines.I think that the RSM is played by Tibby Brittain

The most cumbersome type of comedy, nearly dislikeable from the start.

[mark.waltz · 3/10 · 4 May 2022]

Frivolous female characters in comedies are Troublesome enough without adding the situation of them showing up to the job of man whom they love and unintentionally causing trouble simply by hanging around. For Peggy Cummins, her annoying young character showing up at the box of centry George Cole, grabbing him into an embrace and refusing to let go makes her difficult to like. Her constant chattering is another reason to just be irritated by her continued presence, dropped in the home of Nigel Patrick by Cole who intends to collect her later, but that being ruined by Patrick's arrival as well as the presence of his sister, Valerie Hobson. It turns out that Cole believes that he is in love with Hobson and has broken off with Cummins who is determined to win him back at all costs.

Usually, I dislike a film based upon a horrid screenplay or bad acting or a ridiculous situation, and this encompasses all three. I was more annoyed by it than hating it, but I really couldn't wait for it to end simply because the juvenile and ridiculous characters played by Cole and Cummins were not fun to watch, especially Cummins whose self-centered character is not ready for marriage, and whose actions could get Cole dishonorably discharged, yes she only sees the situation from her selfish viewpoint. A. E. Matthews and Anthony Bushell play pompous supporting characters. The usually wonderful Patrick and Hobson do their best in this irritating comedy that's very stagy in its direction, but even their classy participation can't rise this above bringing on an enormous headache.

Barely raises a smile

[geoffm60295 · 3/10 · 7 October 2020]

A film which is essentially a series a misunderstandings in the stiff upper lip military world of the royal guards. It centres around the dim witted, hapless and very working class sentry Arthur Crisp, played by George Cole and his love for the diminutive Christine, played by Peggy Cummins. I found it hard going with the contrived scenes where George Cole, who is seen frequently coming in and out of the Cornwall's grand house, simpering and being cringingly deferential to his social superiors. I found the cut glass accents of the smarmy, caddish, Miles Cornwall, played by Nigel Patrick, and the always delightful Valerie Hobson, playing Patrick's wife grating and frankly tiresome. The cast try as they may to wring out as much gentle humour as they can out of this mediocre script but eventually, even Hobson and Patrick are defeated by the banal and yawn inducing storyline. The film itself runs for 85 minutes, which on hindsight could have been easily reduced to an hour for the sake of the audience.

Who Goes There!

[CinemaSerf · 5/10 · 20 October 2022]

Nigel Patrick and Valerie Hobson are both on good form as the spatting siblings in this love quadrangle of a film. Sadly, though - Anthony Kimmins' direction is way too theatrical in style to allow their characters to breathe to anything like the extent needed to bring out the best in this quite witty little story. George Cole is good as the rather hapless "Pte. Crisp" who loves a girl "Christine" (Peggy Cummins), but so too does commanding officer "Maj. Ashley" (Anthony Bushell). The siblings interfere for their own reasons in the affairs of the girl and ultimately it all just gets out of hand. I suspect it would work quite well on the stage, the dialogue has a pace and a sort of hand-to-hand combat about it that if not quite a battle, offers a skirmish of the sexes; but neither star is let loose enough to really soar and what we are left with is all just too predictable. There's a nice cameo from AE Matthews near the end, but otherwise it's all just a bit hollow. Worth watching for the scenes with Hobson and Patrick; but it's really quite a missed opportunity.