Beware of Pity

A cavalry officer takes to visiting the permanently wheelchair-bound daughter of a local bigwig, with catastrophic results. This adaptation of Stefan Zweig's novel was a box office disaster, after which Elvey didn't work again for five years. Turning on the distinction between pity and compassion must have seemed timely in the context of so much post-war affliction. But alas, the director shows little cinematic flair, while the sets and Cecil Beaton's costumes would better suit an Ivor Novello operetta. Worth seeing though, to salute its good intentions and to enjoy Hardwicke's turn as a sympathetic doctor.