Kitty (1945 film)
| Kitty | |
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.jpg) Theatrical poster to Kitty (1945) |
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| Directed by | Mitchell Leisen |
| Produced by | Mitchell Leisen |
| Written by | Rosamond Marshall (novel) Karl Tunberg Darrell Ware |
| Starring | Paulette Goddard Ray Milland |
| Music by | Victor Young |
| Cinematography | Daniel L. Fapp |
| Editing by | Alma Macrorie |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | 31 March 1946 |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Kitty is a 1945 film, a fictional costume drama set in London during the 1780s, directed by Mitchell Leisen, based on the novel of the same name by Rosamond Marshall (published in 1943), with a screenplay by Karl Tunberg. It stars Paulette Goddard, Ray Milland, Constance Collier, Patric Knowles, Reginald Owen, and Cecil Kellaway as the English painter Thomas Gainsborough. Another major artist depicted is Sir Joshua Reynolds, played by Gordon Richards.
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[edit] Plot introduction
In a broad interpretation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion story line, the film tells the rags-to-riches story about a young guttersnipe, cockney girl from the slums of 18th century London.
[edit] Plot
Kitty (Goddard) is found working on the streets picking pockets by the painter Thomas Gainsborough (Kellaway) and agrees to sit for a portrait for him. She then attracts the attention of wealthy playboy Sir Hugh Marcy (Milland) who, upon finding out her real social status, uses her for revenge against a former colleague to whom he owes the loss of his job in the foreign office by having Kitty pose as a lady of fashion. What Sir Hugh does not count on is the attraction Kitty develops for him.
[edit] Cast
- Paulette Goddard as Kitty. To acquire a Cockney accent, Goddard shared a room with the mother of actress Ida Lupino, who had quite a thick one for a time, and learned diction from Constance Collier. Upon seeing this film, the director Jean Renoir decided to cast Goddard in his film The Diary of a Chambermaid.
- Ray Milland as Sir Hugh Marcy
- Patric Knowles as Brett, Earl of Carstairs
- Reginald Owen as Duke of Malmunster
- Cecil Kellaway as Thomas Gainsborough
- Constance Collier as Lady Susan Dowitt
- Dennis Hoey as Jonathan Selby
- Sara Allgood as Old Meg
- Eric Blore as Dobson
- Gordon Richards as Sir Joshua Reynolds
- Michael Dyne as Prince of Wales
- Edward Norton as Earl of Campton
- Patricia Cameron as Elaine Carlisle
- Percival Vivian as Dr. Holt
- Mary Gordon as Nancy
- Matthew Boulton as Solicitor
[edit] Production
The film was nominated for one Oscar for Best Art Direction-Interior Decoration, Black-and-White (Hans Dreier, Walter H. Tyler, Sam Comer, Ray Moyer). [1]
Director Leisen worked very hard with the set and costume designers to create a historically correct picture of 18th century England. The California portrait painter Theodore Lukits served as technical adviser for the film's artistic scenes and painted the portrait of Mrs. Gainsborough that is seen in the film. Lukits knew Ray Milland, the film's star, because he had painted his wife's portrait in 1942.
[edit] Availability
As of early 2010, the film is not available on DVD and considered rather rare, although on February 4, 2010, the film was premiered on Turner Classic Movies.
[edit] References
- ^ "NY Times: Kitty". NY Times. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/97898/Kitty/details. Retrieved 2008-12-20.
