Escape Me Never
Cast & Crew
Paul Czinner
Elisabeth Bergner
Hugh Sinclair
Penelope Dudley Ward
Griffith Jones
Lyn Harding
Film Details
Technical Specs
Synopsis
Gemma Jones pretends to be a schoolgirl in order to attend a formal party held by Sir Ivor and Lady McClean at their Venetian palace. When she is discovered in one of the private rooms of the estate, Gemma confesses all, stating that she is a homeless, unwed mother who lives with the father of her child, the son of the famous composer Sanger. The McCleans are horrified by this, as their daughter, Fenella, is engaged to Sanger's son Caryle. Actually, Gemma is the companion of Sebastian, Sanger's other son. After the McCleans leave Venice for the Dolomites, Gemma meets Caryle for the first time and realizes the McCleans' mistake. Sebastian, Gemma, and Caryle then join forces to climb over the mountains and find Fenella. Sebastian, however, is the first in the group to find Fenella, and she immediately falls in love with him. Gemma intercedes and tells of the mistaken identity of the two brothers, and Fenella and Caryle are reconciliated. Sebastian, Gemma and their baby then go back to London, where Sebastian prepares to stage his new ballet. In order to support the family, Gemma goes to work as a maid. Sebastian and Gemma are married, but despite this, Sebastian continues to see Fenella. Gemma, aware of Sebastian's infidelity, confronts Fenella and tells her that Sebastian is completely selfish and only loyal to himself. While Sebastian feverously works on his ballet, Gemma's baby becomes deathly ill. Gemma goes to her husband for help, but she is thrown out of the opera house for being a nuisance. Gemma's baby dies as the ballet becomes a hugh success. When Gemma does not appear at the opening night, Fenella offers to run away with Sebastian, who is unaware of his child's death. Caryle learns all, and becomes so enraged with jealousy that he almost kills his brother with his bare hands. Sebastian then goes back to Gemma, finally aware of the effect of his own selfishness.
Director
Paul Czinner
Cast
Elisabeth Bergner
Hugh Sinclair
Penelope Dudley Ward
Griffith Jones
Lyn Harding
Leon Quartermaine
Irene Vanbrugh
Rosalinde Fuller
Crew
Sepp Allgeier
Andre Andreiev
Wilfred Arnold
Dallas Bower
R. J. Cullen
Max Grunebaum
John Harlow
David Lean
L. E. Overton
Georges Perinal
C. C. Stevens
George Strassner
Herbert Wilcox
L. P. Williams
Carl Zuckmayer
Film Details
Technical Specs
Award Nominations
Best Actress
Quotes
Trivia
Notes
According to Motion Picture Herald, the film was shot on location in Venice and the Dolomites. Contemporary sources also note that Elisabeth Bergner was recreating her stage role of "Gemma" from the original play, which she preformed on both the New York and London stages. Georges Perinal participated in this film was through an agreement with London Films. Bergner was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in this film. While the contemporary reviews state that the character of "Gemma" is an unwed mother, the United States copyright materials describe her as a widow whose child was fathered by her dead husband, not Sebastian. The source material was a sequel to Margaret Kennedy's earlier work The Constant Nymph and was based on the author's own novel The Fool of the Family (New York, 1930). Modern sources state that this film was released in Great Britain in August 1934. This material was filmed once more in 1947 by Warner Bros. starring Ida Lupino and Errol Flynn, and directed by Peter Godfrey. In that version, the main character is a widow with a child, not an unwed mother.
Miscellaneous Notes
Released in United States 1935
Released in United States 1935
