Escape Me Never

In turn of the century Venice, composer brothers Sebastian (Errol Flynn) and Caryl (Gig Young) both fall for two women: low-born Gemma (Ida Lupino), a widowed single mother with a baby, and wealthy socialite Fenella (Eleanor Parker). Their various romantic entanglements lead them to the Dolemite mountains and to the United Kingdom.

This was based on a play, and had been previously filmed in England, with that film earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for Elisabeth Bergner. This version didn't seem to have much inspiration to it, or perhaps the wrong the director was at the helm, as everything seemed flat and perfunctory. That is, in between scenes of Lupino chewing up the scenery. I've liked her in many things, but not this. And her hair is just awful. Eleanor Parker, who I often don't like, came across better here and fit the setting and the role. I watched this for Flynn, and much like this same year's Cry Wolf, he seems to be trying to stretch his screen range. He still gets to be a bit of a charming rogue, but his romantic scenes feel empty and unbelievable, as did his moments with the ballet company near the end. He seemed most at home during his concertina performances in a beer garden. I didn't detest this movie as many critics seem to, but I wouldn't want to watch it again.

Escape Me Never is a remake of the 1935 version that earned Elisabeth Bergner both an Oscar and Rag nomination for Best Actress. The movies are so similar, I can't really figure out why Hollywood decided to remake it at all. And even though Errol Flynn is gorgeous and has an additive screen presence, he's not particularly likable in this one.

Ida Lupino starts the movie off being a real pill, and she barely gets any better. She pretends to be a schoolgirl, sneaks into a guided tour of a wealthy family's estate, snoops around in rooms she shouldn't, and when she gets caught, she throws a temper tantrum and insists on telling her entire life story to the wealthy family all while getting a free meal, which was her main objective anyway. She creates a huge misunderstanding and breaks up Gig Young's relationship with the wealthy, classy Eleanor Parker, because Eleanor's parents think Gig has fathered Ida's baby. In truth, Gigs brother Errol Flynn is living with Ida, even though he's not the father and has no real feelings for her. Then, when the trio goes on a quest to win Eleanor back, Errol wins her heart instead. Talk about a complicated love triangle!

This isn't the worst movie, and it has a classically dramatic storyline that's usually only found in old films. If you like needlessly dramatic plot points and unlikable, implausible romances, you can give this one a shot.

I saw this on TCM and had read in several review books that this was a bomb remake of an earlier picture with Elizabeth Bergner,but I was charmed by this film and like Ida Lupino and Errol Flynn's chemistry a lot. The other actors(especially Eleanor Parker) are also quite good and the film is quite a change of pace from the swashbucklers,war filmsand Westerns Flynn was in a lot. I enjoyed it a lot,and wished Lupino and Flynn had had another outing in a better film. This is a good instance of Flynn's natural ease on screen,and his sex appeal even when playing a cad in rags! Not many actors could do as well with this selfish playboy role as Errol did-so underrated an actor.Ida is always watchable,too.

For big fans of Errol and big fans of period romance musical comedy/drama combo,this movie will deliver the goods.The story hits the spot for the genre.Very good music,very good cast and acting as well.What kpt this movie from becoming a classic though was the low budget and average directing.The cinematography was also below average.But still,Errol Flynn is so charming here as usual and for the right audience,it's still a winner.This film was unfairly under rated due to the dreaded anti-Flynn syndrome bandwagon......

I echo what a number of other reviewers have said about this film, that they were pleasantly surprised by it. Most of the books about Flynn pan the film, and put it on the list with his lesser- quality pictures. It may not be in the top rank with his swashbucklers, but it really isn't a bad film at all. He gives a fine performance, and shows what a good actor he was, in just about any role he tackled. I like the fact that it isn't an action film, as we get to see what he could do in a different kind of part. I think he carries it off very well. He still gets to be the handsome rogue (with a piano instead of a sword), but also shows that his character is deeper than that, and has some real sensitivity for his lady friend and her baby. Some reviewers say that he was miscast, but I don't agree. A handsome, charming guy like Flynn is just what the part demands. A flirtatious character, but one with some deeper feelings, too. That could almost be a definition of the real Errol Flynn. Flynn succeeds with a difficult task here- making a selfish cad somewhat likable. You find yourself rooting for Sebastian in spite of yourself.

It's nice seeing Flynn work with his real-life friend, Ida Lupino. Flynn, Lupino, and director Raoul Walsh reportedly spent a lot of time together, and were very close pals. In fact, Ida and her mother Connie (who also loved Flynn) are buried right next to Flynn in Forest Lawn Cemetery in Glendale, California. One gets the feeling that Ida always loved Errol, and, in an alternate universe, you wonder if they might have gotten married, or had some kind of long-term relationship. Flynn was a wanderer, though, so perhaps that wouldn't have worked out so well. Anyway, they play well together, and you sense that they really liked each other.

Gig Young and Eleanor Parker are also very good in this film. Both were excellent actors, though their later roles perhaps provided them with more range than this film does. As in all Old Hollywood movies, this one is chock full of great character actors. Reginald Denny, Frank Reicher, Anthony Caruso, Albert Bassermann, Doris Lloyd, Leonard Mudie, and many others. Reicher is one of my favorites, in all kinds of films. I think he is best remembered as the captain of the ship "Venture" in King Kong. Caruso was great, too, and should have had a bigger career. He always projected sincerity and believability.

I'm guessing Flynn had some coaching on the piano for this. There is at least one shot where you can see his hands on the ivories. Most of the other scenes show him from behind. Films have always been good at faking the playing of musical instruments, as it had to look good and seem believable. Pianists might poke holes in what looks like Flynn really playing, but it looks pretty good to me.

Anyway, this film is worth a look. It shows that Flynn's talents really did go beyond playing the swashbuckler. All of us fans have always known that, but it might be an eye-opener for some people. Supposedly, the bad reviews for this film, and for his performance, upset him greatly. Many think that the criticisms of his acting, combined with the effects of his rape trial, and inability to serve in the military during the war, led to the downward spiral his life soon took. If you look at him just two or three years after he made this film, he looks ten years older. Everyone knows how it all finally played out. But here, he still seems young and full of life. And he has a perfect partner in Ida Lupino, who was always good in these kinds of dramas. It's too bad they didn't make more films together.