First a Girl: A Review (Review #2080)

FIRST A GIRL

It is a curious thing that sandwiched between the original German comedy Viktor und Victoria and the 1982 American remake Victor/Victoria there is another English-language remake that is all but forgotten now. First a Girl is a surprising and undiscovered treat. It is a jolly, charming little film that comes close to equaling the better-known Julie Andrews film. 

Aspiring theater actress Elizabeth (Jessie Matthews) simply cannot find her big break. She is down to her last farthing when she encounters Victor (Sonnie Hale). He is a Shakespearean actor of the first order. He also has a drag act to keep body and soul together. Both are caught in a major rainstorm. For their troubles, Elizabeth gets her clothes shrunk and Victor gets laryngitis. It couldn't come at a worse time, as Victor just got a last-minute booking for his drag alter ego, Victoria.

In desperation, Elizabeth agrees to fill in for Victor as "Victoria". As "Victoria", Elizabeth is a rousing success. So much so that major theatrical impresario McClintock (Alfred Drayton) caught "Victoria's" act and wants to hire her immediately for a European tour. "Victoria's" agent Victor quickly agrees. Elizabeth, who now has to go by "Bill", is horrified at the thought of being a female impersonator. However, the lure of the stage quickly wins her over.

"Victoria" is a hit. She also astounds audiences when she removes her wig and reveals that she is a man. One person who is not thrilled is Robert (Griffith Jones). He is something of a Lothario who has ensnared or been ensnared by Princess Helen (Anna Lee). Robert is deeply embarrassed when he apparently found himself attracted to a drag queen. However, something about "Bill" seems off, almost distinctly feminine. Could Victoria really be a woman? Robert, and later the Princess, both begin suspecting as such.

Things get complicated when the real Victor falls for the Princess, or at least the chance to have an angel fund his Shakespearean efforts. Elizabeth for her part has fallen for the handsome Robert. Efforts to unmask "Bill" fail, but eventually Robert and the Princess separately find out about the female impersonator being female. Will Victor/Victoria be exposed? Will our two couples manage to stumble into each other at the end?

What surprised me about First a Girl is just how good its musical numbers were. One does not think of British cinema having the capability of big, splashy musicals like their American cousins. First a Girl makes a case that the British could make big, elaborate musicals that could match those from a Busby Berkeley. The opening number set in on a stage is a big number or numbers really. You have the stage show countered with Jessie Matthews' Elizabeth and her hatcheck girls doing their own version. Another number, I Can Wiggle My Ears, is also incredibly filmed and choreographed. 

I Can Wiggle My Ears is ostensibly a floor show at the nightclub that the four characters go to after "Victoria's" debut. As filmed by director Victor Saville, the number is wildly inventive. You have the chorus girls appear and disappear almost in a mirror-like manner. An earlier number, It's Written All Over Your Face, is a nice English music hall presentation. It is funny and clever and altogether charming.

First a Girl is a wonderful way to discover the charms of Jessie Matthews. She is an absolute standout as Elizabeth/Victoria. Matthews has a large, expressive face that is charming and beautiful. She in the film gave a fully rounded performance. Matthews excels in the musical numbers. No matter how big or small they are, Matthews is never overwhelmed or diminished in them. She also handles the comedy very well.

There is a long scene where Robert, Victor and "Bill" have to share a room. Robert, convinced that "Bill" is really a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman, tries to get everyone ready for bed by undressing. That also means that two of them will have to share a bed. Elizabeth/Bill does not want to do either. Matthews' manner of escaping this delicate situation is played with great humor. Credit to Marjorie Gaffney's adaptation to keep things going for as long as they could.

Matthews also did have a wonderful sense of drama when confessing her gender and love for Robert to the Princess. In every way possible, be it singing, dancing or acting, Jessie Matthews was top notch. It is, to be fair, a bit ludicrous to think anyone would be fooled by "Bill". However, we go along with this.

One is never quite sure what to think of Sonnie Hale's Victor. He could be comical, such as in a montage where he attempts to recite various bits of Shakespeare to an uninterested director, mistaking the director's comments to an aide as acting direction. He could also be ruthless, like when he pushed to downright bullied Elizabeth into one odd situation to another.

He was also supposed to be smitten with the Princess. However, sometimes he seemed to suggest that Victor was gay. He did enjoy the drag a bit too much. His love scenes with Anna Lee's Princess seemed a bit curious. It was not completely unrealistic that Victor and the Princess would eventually be coupled. It did, however, look a bit peculiar.

The same could be said about Lee's Princess. I think she was meant to be something of a villain, the figure who would keep Elizabeth and Robert apart. However, she also seemed to be if not smitten at least amused by Victor. It was a bit curious. Griffith Jones' Robert was handsome. He also gave a good performance overall as the hoodwinked Robert. He had a good way with humorous lines. After being jokingly reprimanded for falling for "Victoria", Robert sneered at seeing her again. The Princess told Robert that he should think of Victoria as successful for coming across as a marvelous girl. "I dislike men who make marvelous girls", he tells the Princess. Later, "Bill" attempts to pass himself off as a man. "Bill" claims to know a lot about women. "I'll bet there's nothing about women you don't know", he replies.

First a Girl has as stated some wonderful musical numbers. They are full of energy, sometimes frenetically so. The film moves mostly well and has a lot of nice comical touches. "What do you want?", Victor whispers to Elizabeth just before she hits the stage as "Victoria". Her reply? "I want to be sick". With great musical numbers and a delightful performance from Jessie Matthews, the musical First a Girl is a film that should be better known. It is a nice romp, one that delights in literally winking at the audience.

DECISION: B-