Jassy (film)
Encyclopedia
Jassy was a 1947
British film melodrama, based on a novel by Norah Lofts
. It was a Gainsborough melodrama, the only one to be made in technicolour
.
During a social evening at Christopher Hatton's (Dennis Price
) country estate, Mordelaine, his son Barney has a romantic tryst with Dilys Helmar (Patricia Roc
).
But the next day, Barney discovers that his mother's jewels have been purloined by her husband, who has spent all night gambling with Dilys' father Nick (Basil Sydney
). Barney arrives just in time to see Mordelaine lost on a single unlucky throw of the dice
.
The Hattons are forced to move to a cottage in a nearby village. One day, while his horse is shod by blacksmith Bob Wicks, Barney sees some villagers tormenting a young woman, whom he rescues. She is Jassy Woodroffe, considered a witch because of her mother's gypsy blood (her father, Tom Woodroffe (John Laurie
), is a respected village elder) and her gift of second sight
.
Mrs Hatton hires Jassy as a domestic servant, over and above the maid Meggie's suspicions. Tom Woodroffe breaks up an altercation between Bob Wicks and his daughter Lindy, but Wicks' brutal whipping has struck her dumb
.
At Mordelaine, its new owner Nick allows Christopher credit to continue gambling - but Christopher is caught cheating. Shamed, he goes upstairs and kills himself. After discovering the body, Nick finds his wife in the arms of a lover. After she reveals the affair has been going on for months, he agrees to a divorce
.
At a stormy village meeting, Tom Woodroffe assembles a crowd to march on their landlord to ask for better pay and conditions. They are confronted on the doorstep by a drunken Nick. (Back in the village, Jassy senses that something horrible is happening to her father and implores Barney to do something.) Nick and Tom struggle, Nick's shotgun
goes off, and Tom is fatally wounded. (Jassy screams, and tells Barney that he is too late.)
Jassy and Barney become increasingly close - too close for Mrs Hatton, who asks her to leave, though with an excellent reference that manages to secure her a job at a young ladies' finishing school
. There, she meets and makes friends with Dilys after catching her sneaking out one night for a romantic tryst - but she is blamed for Dilys' disappearance and sacked.
Dilys takes Jassy to Mordelaine and introduces her to her father as her friend. Nick is convinced that he has heard the name Woodroffe before, and Jassy reminds him that it was the name of her father. Nick apologises for his actions, blaming drunkenness.
Dilys and Jassy go to see Barney. To Jassy's chagrin, the romance between Dilys and Barney rekindles, even though Jassy knows that Dilys has also been seeing Stephen Fennell. Jassy plays chess with Nick, and he offers her the job of running Mordelaine. Jassy restructures the staff, sacking some and promoting others. Mrs Wicks persuades her to take on Lindy, who turns out to be an excellent worker despite her silence.
One day, Jassy catches Dilys and Stephen together (unknown to them), and is shocked to hear later the same day that Barney has proposed to her. In a rage, Nick horsewhips Dilys, who runs out into the arms and carriage of Stephen. Barney goes to see Stephen and finds that he and Dilys are engaged.
Meanwhile, Nick makes his intentions known towards Jassy, eventually proposing marriage. She refuses, but reconsiders when he agrees to give her Mordelaine as a wedding gift. They marry, but Jassy insists on living separately. In a fury, Nick goes out riding and has an accident. Lindy finds him and summons Jassy.
He is brought back to Mordelaine, where the doctor prescribes a strict diet and no alcohol, which Jassy enforces, even though Nick is increasingly violent towards her. When Jassy goes to visit Dilys and Stephen, and Lindy decides to poison Nick for what he has done to Jassy, slipping rat poison
into a bottle of wine.
Nick's murder is sensed by Jassy, who cries out that he is dead. Stephen thinks that she murdered him, and has her arrested along with Lindy. At the trial, despite Jassy's alibi, the pair are found guilty, but the shock goads Lindy into speech. She confesses to the murder, exonerates Jassy, and drops dead. Jassy signs over Mordelaine to Barney, its rightful heir, and the reunited couple kiss.
1947 in film
The year 1947 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*May 22 - Great Expectations is premiered in New York.*November 24 : The United States House of Representatives of the 80th Congress voted 346 to 17 to approve citations for contempt of Congress against the "Hollywood Ten".*November 25...
British film melodrama, based on a novel by Norah Lofts
Norah Lofts
Norah Lofts, née Norah Robinson, was a 20th century best-selling British author. She wrote more than fifty books specialising in historical fiction, but she also wrote non-fiction and short stories...
. It was a Gainsborough melodrama, the only one to be made in technicolour
Technicolour
Technicolour was a rock band from Finland. Their music is pop/rock with influences from U2, Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Coldplay, and Bon Jovi. The band also likes music from The Domination Nation, another Finnish band...
.
Plot
Its plot involves Jassy Woodroofe, a wild gypsy girl (Margaret Lockwood) hired as a servant in a 19th century household.During a social evening at Christopher Hatton's (Dennis Price
Dennis Price
Dennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
) country estate, Mordelaine, his son Barney has a romantic tryst with Dilys Helmar (Patricia Roc
Patricia Roc
Patricia Roc , born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold, was a British film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as Madonna of the Seven Moons and The Wicked Lady , though she only made one film in Hollywood, Canyon Passage...
).
But the next day, Barney discovers that his mother's jewels have been purloined by her husband, who has spent all night gambling with Dilys' father Nick (Basil Sydney
Basil Sydney
Basil Sydney was an English actor who made over fifty screen appearances, most memorably as Claudius in Laurence Olivier's 1948 film of Hamlet. He also appeared in classic films like Treasure Island , Ivanhoe and Around the World in Eighty Days , but the focus of his career was the legitimate...
). Barney arrives just in time to see Mordelaine lost on a single unlucky throw of the dice
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
.
The Hattons are forced to move to a cottage in a nearby village. One day, while his horse is shod by blacksmith Bob Wicks, Barney sees some villagers tormenting a young woman, whom he rescues. She is Jassy Woodroffe, considered a witch because of her mother's gypsy blood (her father, Tom Woodroffe (John Laurie
John Laurie
John Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier...
), is a respected village elder) and her gift of second sight
Second sight
Second sight is a form of extrasensory perception, the supposed power to perceive things that are not present to the senses, whereby a person perceives information, in the form of a vision, about future events before they happen , or about things or events at remote locations...
.
Mrs Hatton hires Jassy as a domestic servant, over and above the maid Meggie's suspicions. Tom Woodroffe breaks up an altercation between Bob Wicks and his daughter Lindy, but Wicks' brutal whipping has struck her dumb
Dumb
Dumb may refer to:* Muteness, the condition of being unwilling or unable to speak* Stupidity, a lack of intelligence* "Dumb" , a 1993 song by the band Nirvana from the album In Utero* "Dumb" , a 2004 song by the group The 411...
.
At Mordelaine, its new owner Nick allows Christopher credit to continue gambling - but Christopher is caught cheating. Shamed, he goes upstairs and kills himself. After discovering the body, Nick finds his wife in the arms of a lover. After she reveals the affair has been going on for months, he agrees to a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
.
At a stormy village meeting, Tom Woodroffe assembles a crowd to march on their landlord to ask for better pay and conditions. They are confronted on the doorstep by a drunken Nick. (Back in the village, Jassy senses that something horrible is happening to her father and implores Barney to do something.) Nick and Tom struggle, Nick's shotgun
Shotgun
A shotgun is a firearm that is usually designed to be fired from the shoulder, which uses the energy of a fixed shell to fire a number of small spherical pellets called shot, or a solid projectile called a slug...
goes off, and Tom is fatally wounded. (Jassy screams, and tells Barney that he is too late.)
Jassy and Barney become increasingly close - too close for Mrs Hatton, who asks her to leave, though with an excellent reference that manages to secure her a job at a young ladies' finishing school
Finishing school
A finishing school is "a private school for girls that emphasises training in cultural and social activities." The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the educational experience, with classes primarily on etiquette...
. There, she meets and makes friends with Dilys after catching her sneaking out one night for a romantic tryst - but she is blamed for Dilys' disappearance and sacked.
Dilys takes Jassy to Mordelaine and introduces her to her father as her friend. Nick is convinced that he has heard the name Woodroffe before, and Jassy reminds him that it was the name of her father. Nick apologises for his actions, blaming drunkenness.
Dilys and Jassy go to see Barney. To Jassy's chagrin, the romance between Dilys and Barney rekindles, even though Jassy knows that Dilys has also been seeing Stephen Fennell. Jassy plays chess with Nick, and he offers her the job of running Mordelaine. Jassy restructures the staff, sacking some and promoting others. Mrs Wicks persuades her to take on Lindy, who turns out to be an excellent worker despite her silence.
One day, Jassy catches Dilys and Stephen together (unknown to them), and is shocked to hear later the same day that Barney has proposed to her. In a rage, Nick horsewhips Dilys, who runs out into the arms and carriage of Stephen. Barney goes to see Stephen and finds that he and Dilys are engaged.
Meanwhile, Nick makes his intentions known towards Jassy, eventually proposing marriage. She refuses, but reconsiders when he agrees to give her Mordelaine as a wedding gift. They marry, but Jassy insists on living separately. In a fury, Nick goes out riding and has an accident. Lindy finds him and summons Jassy.
He is brought back to Mordelaine, where the doctor prescribes a strict diet and no alcohol, which Jassy enforces, even though Nick is increasingly violent towards her. When Jassy goes to visit Dilys and Stephen, and Lindy decides to poison Nick for what he has done to Jassy, slipping rat poison
Rat poison
Rodenticides are a category of pest control chemicals intended to kill rodents.Single feed baits are chemicals sufficiently dangerous that the first dose is sufficient to kill....
into a bottle of wine.
Nick's murder is sensed by Jassy, who cries out that he is dead. Stephen thinks that she murdered him, and has her arrested along with Lindy. At the trial, despite Jassy's alibi, the pair are found guilty, but the shock goads Lindy into speech. She confesses to the murder, exonerates Jassy, and drops dead. Jassy signs over Mordelaine to Barney, its rightful heir, and the reunited couple kiss.
Cast
- Margaret Lockwood as Jassy Woodroofe
- Patricia RocPatricia RocPatricia Roc , born Felicia Miriam Ursula Herold, was a British film actress, popular in the Gainsborough melodramas such as Madonna of the Seven Moons and The Wicked Lady , though she only made one film in Hollywood, Canyon Passage...
as Dilys Helmar - Dennis PriceDennis PriceDennis Price was an English actor, remembered for his suave screen roles, particularly Louis Mazzini in Kind Hearts and Coronets, and for his portrayal of the omniscient valet Jeeves in 1960s television adaptations of P. G...
as Christopher Hatton - Basil SydneyBasil SydneyBasil Sydney was an English actor who made over fifty screen appearances, most memorably as Claudius in Laurence Olivier's 1948 film of Hamlet. He also appeared in classic films like Treasure Island , Ivanhoe and Around the World in Eighty Days , but the focus of his career was the legitimate...
as Nick Helmar - Dermot WalshDermot WalshDermot Walsh was an Irish stage, film and television actor, known for portraying Richard the Lionheart in the 1962 television series Richard the Lionheart.-Early life:...
as Barney Hatton - Esma CannonEsma CannonEsma Ellen Charlotte Cannon was a diminutive Australian-born character actress, who moved to England in the early 1930s.-Career:...
as Lindy Wicks - Cathleen NesbittCathleen NesbittCathleen Mary Nesbitt, CBE was an English stage and film actress.-Biography:Born in Cheshire, England in 1888, of Welsh and Irish descent, Nesbitt was educated in Lisieux, France, and at the Queen's University of Belfast and the Sorbonne...
as Elizabeth Twisdale - Linden TraversLinden Travers-Life and career:Travers was born Florence Lindon-Travers in Houghton-le-Spring, near Sunderland, the daughter of Florence and William Halton Lindon-Travers. She was the elder sister of Bill Travers, and attended La Sagesse. She made her first stage appearance at the Newcastle Playhouse in 1933...
as Beatrice Helmar - Nora SwinburneNora SwinburneNora Swinburne was a British actress, born Leonora Mary Johnson in Bath, Somerset, daughter of Henry Swinburne Johnson and his wife Leonora Tamar ....
as Mrs. Hatton - Ernest ThesigerErnest ThesigerErnest Frederic Graham Thesiger CBE was an English stage and film actor. He is best known for his performance as Dr...
as Sir Edward Follesmark - Jean CadellJean CadellJean Cadell was a Scottish character actress.Born in Edinburgh, she performed in the cinema and on the stage. One of her best known cinema roles was in the Ealing Studios comedy Whisky Galore! . She once performed opposite W.C. Fields in Hollywood, cast as Mrs...
as Meggie - Grace ArnoldGrace ArnoldGrace Arnold was an English actress. Her first film was Men Without Honour in 1939, where she starred opposite an actor named Ian Fleming.-Selected filmography:* Guilt * Spare a Copper * Went the Day Well?...
as Housemaid - John LaurieJohn LaurieJohn Paton Laurie was a British actor born in Dumfries, Scotland. Although he is now probably most recognised for his role as Private James Frazer in the sitcom Dad's Army , he appeared in hundreds of feature films, including films by Alfred Hitchcock, Michael Powell and Laurence Olivier...
as Tom Woodroofe - Bryan ColemanBryan ColemanBryan Coleman was a British film actor and television actor.-Selected filmography:* A Window in London * Jassy * Landfall * The Lost Hours * The Planter's Wife...
as Sedley - the architect - Clive MortonClive MortonClive Morton was an English actor who made many screen appearances, especially on television. In 1955, he appeared in Laurence Olivier's Richard III and is recalled by fans of Doctor Who for his role as Trenchard in The Sea Devils in 1972...
as Sir William Fennell - Torin ThatcherTorin ThatcherTorin Thatcher was an English actor born in Bombay, British India, India), to English parents. He was an imposing, powerfully built figure noted for his flashy portrayals of screen villains....
as Bob Wicks - Beatrice VarleyBeatrice VarleyBeatrice Varley was a British actress who appeared in a variety of television and film roles between 1936 and 1964...
as Mrs. Wicks - Eliot MakehamEliot MakehamEliot Makeham , sometimes credited as Eliott Makeham or Elliot Makeham, was an English film and television actor.-Early life and education:He was born Harold Elliott Makeham in 1882, in London, England....
as Moult - the butler - Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
as Jim Stoner - Alan WheatleyAlan WheatleyAlan Wheatley was a radio announcer who turned to stage and screen acting in the 1930s and was much seen in British films, being a television actor during the black and white era....
as Sir Edward Walker - Prosecuting Counsel - Hugh PryseHugh Pryse-Selected filmography:* School for Secrets * Jassy * Easy Money * The Story of Shirley Yorke * Calling Paul Temple * Christopher Columbus * Botany Bay * Three Cases of Murder...
as Sir John Penty - Defending Counsel