The Little Hut (1957)

“He trusts me too much. I think that’s his problem.”

            I always hate the questions what would you do if you were ever stranded on a desert island or what would be the one thing you would take with you on a desert island. They drive me nuts and in a way the thought makes me nervous. I do not even want to hypothetically think about being stranded on a desert. I am ass white and very anti-wilderness. I would burn and starve to death. Give me New York City or any city or civilization and I am fine! So obviously the perfect film for me to watch was The Little Hut where the three main characters get stranded on an island for almost two months.

            The film begins with an older couple visiting searching for an office in a large municipal building in London. They get to an office and ask to see their son Henry Brittingham-Bret (David Niven). They have returned from Australia after being away for some time. They ask Henry if he is still with his girlfriend Susan. Henry says no that she is now married to someone else and is Lady Susan Ashlow (Ava Gardner) now. He tells them he does not see her anymore nor write to her. Not a second after he tells his parents this and that he is busy for tea and dinner than Susan herself comes through the door as if she and Henry are still together. Susan shares that she sees more of Henry than she does her own husband.

            The following day Susan meets her husband Philip (Stewart Granger) at the airport. He has just come back from being away for a few weeks. She kisses him and he pulls away because there are photographers all around. Susan manages to convince Philip to take their yacht down to Rio where he has to be for work. She wants it to be just the two of them alone for a few weeks. He agrees to go after Susan’s pleading and insistence. Susan invited Henry and his parents over for dinner. After dinner she shows some videos of her and Henry doing things together. Some scenes show them kissing each other! Philip does not say a negative thing he likes the videos. On the way Henry’s mother says that Susan is using him to get Philip’s attention. That night while getting ready for bed Susan puts on a new nightgown and tries to talk to Philip but he just continues to do work in bed and not does not even pay attention to her.

            Susa had hoped to go on the yacht alone but Philip had other ideas. He invites a whole slew of guests. Even on the yacht Philip never gives Susan attention. She decides to phone Henry’s room in the early morning to go out on the deck. The cruise goes well until a huge tropical storm comes about. Philip kept telling Susan that the storm was nothing to worry about. Soon Henry, Susan, Philip, and Philip’s dog Nelson manage to get onto a lifeboat.

            The day after the storm all three castaways come to an island. Philip and Susan take to the island rather quickly seeing it as an adventure and a good time. Philip builds all kinds of contraptions and even a big hut for him and Susan and a little hut for Henry. Now Susan does not have to share Philip with anyone. Henry has a hard time keeping his feelings for Susan at bay. The more he sees Susan and Philip together the more annoyed and sad he feels. Henry’s feelings soon come to a head and lets Susan know that he is going to tell Philip about them. He suggests a “lend/lease” deal where both he and Philip get to share Susan. She does not like the idea at all and says she will not back him up. Henry pulls Philip aside and begins to talk to him. Susan claims she is going to do laundry at a spring but she hides behind some bushes. Philip thinks for some time Henry is talking about Nelson that he needs someone to stay with him in the little hut. When Henry tells Philip that he and Susan had an affair for two years Philip goes into a bit of shock. When she comes back Susan back Henry up because Philip says that she was incapable of having an affair and also because he did not kill Henry on the spot. That night at dinner Philip announces that since he is a ship captain that he can perform marriages and should be able to grant divorces. He lets Susan bring the divorce. She gives witness that her husband was not always around. The divorce is granted leaving Henry to be with Susan.

            All Susan can say once Philip goes to the little hit is “poor Philip”. Nelson will not let Henry into the big hut not matter how Henry tries to get him out. The next day at breakfast Susan and Philip flirt and hold hands like little kids. This makes Henry very anxious and uncomfortable.

            A man who looks like an island native comes to their camp. He shoots at Philip and Henry. When Susan comes out of the big hut the native stares at her and takes her towards the hut after he tied Henry and Philip up. Susan fell over as the native was walking towards her. He says he is sorry in English. The “native” was the cook on the yacht. He tells Susan he saw her on the other side of the island when she was swimming and he needed to satisfy his desires. Susan finds it funny and a good way to tease both her husband and friend.

            Off in the distance they hear cannon fire. A ship is out in the ocean not far from the island. After almost two months of being on the island all are saved and brought back to London.

            In the end the Ashlows stay together.

            I must gush about how incredibly fantastic Ava Gardner was. She was adorable and light and sweet. Gardner’s acting was great I think this is one of her best acted films I have seen. I liked seeing her desired but not desired because she was gorgeous but because a man truly loved her. She was not a femme fatale or the goddess of love. David Niven and Stewart Granger were alright they were good together and with Gardner.

            The Little Hut was a good film. I loved seeing Ava Gardner dressed in beautiful Dior gowns and being sweet. The story was good I actually did not mind seeing married couple in some strife or a woman falling for her friend. It was different and not typical. The story is based off a play with the film adaptation written by Nancy Mitford. Mitford was a British author. Her stories are usually witty and the characters unsure of themselves and very British. The Little Hut is enjoyable from the acting down to the story. I wish this was available on DVD. Unfortunately it is not even available to view on Youtube. Keep an eye out for it on TCM. 

Raffles (1939)

I am currently in graduate school to be a museum registrar. You are probably wondering what on earth that means. A museum registrar is in charge with taking care of all the objects within a museum. It is the most important job in a museum but it is not “sexy” like a curator or director or marketing or IT. The biggest task we are given is against theft. A museum’s storage area is the most protected place in the whole building or at least it should be if the museum can afford it. Art theft is a fascinating subject. I like reading about it in fiction and watching it in movies and TV. One of my favorite TV shows is Leverage where the characters Sophie Deveraux and Parker (one of the best TV characters ever) were art thieves before they turned good guys. I loved it when they used to have stories about stealing art. I always think if I were smart enough and quick enough I would like to either be a spy or an art thief…. I probably should not have admitted that at all hopefully any future employer will not read this and ever think I would really steal art works!! I do not have the guts or smarts to do so!

            I had to see the 1939 version of Raffles for three reasons: one, it dealt with art theft and two, Olivia de Havilland is in it and three, it was made in 1939.

            A painting in the National Gallery in London called The Medici Venus is stolen right off the wall. When the guards come to the painting there is a card inscribed with “Sorry, but I have a better use for it” and it is signed by The Amateur Cracksman. Sometime later an old lady named Miss Holden goes to Scotland Yard with the stolen painting. She tells the police she had received a letter about someone having seen her final performance when they were younger and has admired her ever since. The detectives are embarrassed.

            A young cricket player named Raffles (David Niven) is behind on his bills due to his extravagant lifestyle. The same night Raffles finds he is behind on his bills a man picks a kitten off the street and has it set off the alarm in a jewelry store to throw the police off. He steals a bracelet and gets away just in time before the police come in. That night Raffles goes out a nightclub with Gwen (de Havilland). He knows her brother from school and he is there with him. The brother has someone write down their address. The person writes down the address on paper and places the paper on Raffles’ cigarette pack to lean on it.

            It turns out Raffles is the Amateur Cracksman. He has a change of heart about being a thief he wants to put all that behind him because he loves Gwen. He sends the bracelet to Scotland Yard in his cigarette pack. The police find the address of Lord Melrose who has now become their suspect.

            At a cricket match that Raffles is playing in two helpers of the Melroses decide to rob their house. Gwen’s brother is in trouble from gambling he owes a thousand pounds. Raffles decides to help his friend by stealing one more time.

            A detective from Scotland Yard comes to the house based on the cigarette pack. He tells the party that he is there to stop a robbery. Raffles gets Lady Melrose to keep her jewels in her room but make it appear she put them in the safe. The maid in on the real robbery sees the jewels in the drawer.

            The detective suspects Raffles is the thief after everyone has gone to bed. The detective keeps an eye on Raffles’ door. He makes the detective follow him to throw off suspicion. Going back up the stairs Raffles sees the maid turn off the alarm and open some of the windows. Raffles catches the other help and fights with him. The thief notices Raffles’ watch. Raffles takes the jewels for himself from the thief’s coat pocket. When caught by the police the thief mentions the watch and the detectives figure there is something to what he says. When the detective asks Raffles where he was when the alarm went off Gwen remembers she did not see him when she went into his room after the alarm was triggered.

            Gwen talks to Lady Melrose about her necklace and how Raffles had talked to her about it. She overhears the detective telling another detective that he is sending the other thief to get Raffles. Gwen goes to Raffles to tell him the detective’s plan. Raffles puts the necklace in a bowl of tobacco to hide it. When the detective comes over he takes some tobacco for his pipe and almost sees it until Gwen dropped her cigarette to distract him while Raffles grabs the necklace and puts it into his pocket.

            The thief comes in the apartment. Raffles keeps him from taking the necklace and helps him get away. The detective figures out Raffles is the Amateur Cracksman. He tries to arrest Raffles but he gets away. Raffles leaves a letter for the detective to meet him at a post at seven that night to turn himself in after he sees Gwen one last time.

            David Niven and Olivia de Havilland worked very well together. I am not a huge fan of Niven but I liked him in this. This was his first starring American role and he did become popular but before the studio could put him in anymore starring films World War II broke out and Niven went back home to England to fight. De Havilland was borrowed from Warner Bros. The poor girl was put in this film just for eye candy. She was not very happy about making this film because she had just made Gone With the Wind. I would be totally upset if I were her as well. She comes from making this remarkable film where she plays one of the best film characters ever and then she makes this forgettable film.

            Raffles was a decent film with a good story. This a shot for shot remake of the same film with the same title from 1930. Sam Wood had finished making a film and came right into this one and was too tired to make it any different from the 1930 picture. I have yet to see the 1930 film with Ronald Coleman as Raffles so I cannot say which one is better. This version of Raffles is available to view on Youtube in parts. Give it a go especially if you are a fan of Olivia de Havilland or David Niven.