Great for longtime fans of Coward due to its detail but lacked the emotional depth I needed to stay engaged.
Who is Noel Coward?
A child born to a dad that was a former piano salesman and to a mum from a wealthy family. A childhood actor that became the breadwinner of the family after his dad lost his way, with a mum that had to work in a boarding house like a slave thereafter. He grew up in poverty and quickly learned how to succeed to the point that he replaced his stutter with a distinctively clipped accent.
He had very little education as he left school at nine to go to ballet school and then went to the stage at age ten. He had to educate himself and remembers reading everything he could from the library. From an early age, Coward as a child was determined to be rich and successful so his mum could eventually get out of working in the boarding house.
Who did he become?
A man that wrote sixty plays, over five hundred songs, five screenplays, fourteen films (play adaptations), nine musicals, three hundred poems, twenty-one short stories, two novels and three autobiographies. He appeared in over seventy plays and twelve films and was knighted at age seventy.
If you have heard of Noel Coward, you will appreciate this tightly condensed summary of Coward’s life. You will be taken back to scenes of his answers to questions on television from his past which were always humourous and be entertained by the inclusion of snippets of his performances.
Although much of this biopic contains this content, there is little sentimentality. We do hear about how fiercely loyal and appreciative he was of his mum and hear him refer to his ‘dark days’ when he left London to make it big in the States (only to be met with multiple knockbacks). Then we see his joy when against everyone’s advice at the age of twenty-four he borrowed two hundred and fifty quid to showcase The Vortex, the play that launched him into stardom.
However, as time went on, it felt the film was factual rather than emotional. Narrated by Alan Cumming, with the eloquence of Coward’s words delivered by Rupert Everett we hear Coward’s amazing reflections such as the “elusive quietness (he felt) when moving, due to a maladjustment in my nervous system; it is certainly the reason above all others that I go away, not to get anywhere, not to even to return, just to go”.
He further reflects he does not like the loss of control that comes with love, when he contrasts his healthy love with lifetime partner Pain to that of his previous one, Wilson. “Love is no use unless it is wise, kind and undramatic. It is steady and sweet and smooths the nerves when tired”. He talks of his melancholia and his constant need to retreat from everyone. There were very few people in his inner circle, the true Coward only known by his mum, lover, his longtime friend Gertude Lawrence plus a handful of others. Whilst it would appear he was never alone he was very lonely most of the time, only feeling free with this tight inner circle.
Coward’s speech is purposeful, relevant and eloquent making this film deep, meaningful and fascinating to listen to, however that is because of who he is, not due to the film itself. It will be enjoyed by fans all over.
Mad About the Boy is currently showing as part of the Cunard British Film Festival.
Click here for screening times, and to book tickets.
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