| Happy Is the Bride | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Roy Boulting |
| Screenplay by | Roy Boulting Jeffrey Dell |
| Based on | playQuiet Wedding byEsther McCracken. |
| Produced by | Paul Soskin |
| Starring | Ian Carmichael Janette Scott Cecil Parker |
| Cinematography | Edward Scaife |
| Edited by | Anthony Harvey |
| Music by | Benjamin Frankel |
Production company | Paul Soskin Productions (as Panther) |
| Distributed by | British Lion Films (UK) |
Release date |
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Running time | 84 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Happy Is the Bride is a 1958black and whiteBritish comedy film written and directed byRoy Boulting and starringIan Carmichael,Janette Scott,Cecil Parker,Terry-Thomas andJoyce Grenfell.[1][2] It is based on the 1938 playQuiet Wedding byEsther McCracken,previously filmed in 1941.[3]
In a quiet summer corner ofWiltshire that is forever England, David and Janet decide to tie the knot. However, this serves as the signal for everyone else to assume control of the situation, much to the couple's dismay and the father of Janet's growing despondency. One way or another the wedding – if there is one – is going to be an unforgettable occasion.[4]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Anthony Asquith'spre-war version ofQuiet Wedding had a slight but friendly charm.This frantic remake has only a fraction of the earlier film's virtues; it is altogether a badly managed affair, lacking real wit, style or grace. An exaggerated comedy of absurdities, most of them are pushed too stridently for success. Miles Malleson and Terry-Thomas, as a deaf magistrate and a rural policeman respectively, have their moments, however."[5]
Leonard Maltin called the film a "mildfarce".[6]
Bosley Crowther inThe New York Times wrote, "Mr. Boulting has assembled and directed a typically fine British cast, which plays the farcical proceedings with skill and apparent enjoyment...all the characters are amusing. That's usually the way in a Boulting film."[7]
Kinematograph Weekly listed it as being "in the money" at the British box office in 1958.[8] It was one of the twelve most popular films of the year in Britain.[9]