The Yellow Rolls-Royce (1964) - film review

The life of an elegant yellow Rolls-Royce motorcar is portrayed in three instalments.  It is first acquired by the Marquess of Frinton, as a wedding anniversary present for his wife who, unbeknown to him, is having an affair with one of his staff.  The Rolls next surfaces in Genoa, where a ruthless gangster buys it for his girlfriend, a dumb blonde who ends up being pursued by a seductive photographer.  Finally, the car appears in Yugoslavia during the Second World War, and is used  by a headstrong American, Gerda Millett, to support the Yugoslav resistance against the invading Germans.  Wherever it goes, the car conjures a spell of doomed romance over those who possess it…

Although it has a truly impressive cast list, featuring some of the biggest acting names in Europe and America at the time, The Yellow Rolls-Royce falls way short of its potential.  Unlike the car which features in it, the film takes a very long time to get started, and it is not until the first hour as elapsed that it begins to charm its audience.

The first story in the film features Rex Harrison and celebrated French actress Jeanne Moreau in a dry tale of infidelity in the shires of England.  This segment of the film is the least satisfactory, lacking warmth and humour, and the rapport between Harrison and Moreau feels completely wrong.

When the film moves onto Italy, things initially do not appear to improve, with Shirley MacLaine’s hammed up gangster’s moll more irritating than endearing.  Things suddenly improve when she starts to flirt with Alain Delon and the film suddenly acquires some emotional depth and significance.

The best part of the film, however, is almost certainly the final segment.  What might have been an overly sentimental tale of wartime heroics is transformed into something special and truly memorable by Ingrid Bergman, who plays a no-nonsense American socialite.  Not known for her comic turns, Bergman quickly establishes herself as a remarkably talented comedienne.  She literally brings the film to life and gives us what must surely rate as one of the most entertaining twenty or so minutes of British cinema.

© James Travers 2000

Write a review for this film...

What do you think of this film?