Jassy (film)
| Jassy | |
|---|---|
UK release poster
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| Directed by | Bernard Knowles |
| Produced by |
Sydney Box executive J. Arthur Rank |
| Written by | Dorothy Christie Campbell Christie Geoffrey Kerr |
| Based on | novel by Norah Lofts |
| Starring |
Margaret Lockwood Patricia Roc Dennis Price Ernest Thesiger Nora Swinburne |
| Music by | Henry Geehl |
| Cinematography | Geoffrey Unsworth |
| Edited by | Charles Knott |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by |
General Film Distributors (UK); Universal Pictures (USA) |
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Release date
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1947 (UK); 1948 (USA) |
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Running time
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100 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £200,000 |
Jassy is a 1947 British film melodrama, based on a novel by Norah Lofts. It is a Gainsborough melodrama, the only one to be made in Technicolor. It was the last "official" Gainsborough melodrama.
Christopher Hatton owns the country estate, Moderlaine. While Hatton's son Barney has a romantic tryst with Dilys Helmar, Hatton loses his estate in a game of decide to Dilys' father Nick.
The Hattons are forced to move to a cottage in a nearby village. One day Barney sees some villagers attacking a young woman, whom he rescues. She is Jassy Woodroffe, daughter of Tom Woodroffe and a gypsy mother. She has the gift of second sight which causes the villagers to regard her as a witch.
Mrs Hatton hires Jassy as a domestic servant. Meanwhile, blacksmith Bob Wicks whips his daughter Lindy so badly she becomes mute.
Nick Helmar and his family move into Moderlaine. Nick allows Christopher Hatton to continue gambling. When Hatton is caught cheating, he kills himself.
Nick finds his wife has been having an affair and asks for a divorce.
Tom Woodruffe leads a crowd of villagers to march on the Helmars, who are now their landlords, to demand better pay and conditions. Back in the village, Jassy senses something bad will happen and asks Barney to help. A drunken Nick confronts Tom and accidentally shoots him.
Jassy and Barney become close which worries Barney's mother. She sends her to a ladies' finishing school where she becomes friends with Dilys Helmar. Dilys sneaks out for a romantic tryst one night and when Jassy covers for her, Jassy is sacked.
Dilys takes Jassy home with her to Moderlaine. Jassy tells Nick that he killed her father.
Dilys and Jassy go to see Barney. Dilys and Barney resume their romance, which upsets Jassy, who still loves Barney and knows that Dilys is also seeing Stephen Fennell.
Nick offers Jassy the job of running Mordelaine. Jassy restructures of the staff, hiring Lindy at the recommendation of Mrs Wicks.
One day, Jassy catches Dilys and Stephen together. Nick horsewhips Dilys, who runs out into the arms and carriage of Stephen. Barney goes to see Stephen and finds that he and Dilys are engaged.
Nick proposes marriage to Jassy, who eventually agrees when he agrees to give her Mordelaine as a wedding gift. They marry, but Jassy insists on living separately. In a fury, Nick goes out riding and has an accident.
He is brought back to Mordelaine, where the doctor prescribes a strict diet and no alcohol, which Jassy enforces, even though Nick is increasingly violent towards her. When Jassy goes to visit Dilys and Stephen, and Lindy decides to poison Nick for what he's done to Jassy, slipping rat poison into a bottle of wine.
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Wikipedia