- What's this?
- Soup.
- Ah, but what sort?
- I don't know.
- Don't you discuss it with Cook, dear?
- Should I?
Look what I bought with your wonderful birthday present!
- Did it cost all I sent you?
- I thought you would like me to buy one thing with it,
and always remember it was you who gave it to me.
- No, that wasn't at all what I intended.
A thousand pounds is what you might call a capital sum
and that means something on which you expect a return.
You shouldn't have spent it on a trinket
which you wear three or four times a year
and which is most unlikely to appreciate in value.
- You should have asked me to invest it, darling.
- Or you could have spent it
on entertaining important people who would be
of use to Tony in his career.
(light instrumental music)
- Oh the horror of important people!
You are lucky, Fanny, not to know any.
We've got such a ghastly evening ahead of us,
some important Americans.
It seems Tony wants to do a deal with them
and these Americans will only do the deal
if they take a fancy to me.
Well can you explain that?
And I just know that I shall be sick all over them
and Tony will be so cross.
- Why will you be sick?
- Because I'm in pig.
- Linda, how wonderful.
Oh, what does Tony say?
- Oh, I haven't told him yet.
- Why not?
- I know he'll be pleased.
It'll give us something to talk about.
- Hey, you two! - Matt!
What on earth are you doing here?
- Shouldn't you be in school?
- Isn't he wonderful?
It's Christian Talbot, he was in my House in school,
you know, until he was expelled for printing leaflets,
he's absolutely committed to the cause.
- For goodness sake, Matt.
- Stay and listen to him. - We can't!
Tony would have a fit. - You don't care, do you?
You'd rather be at one of your ghastly balls.
- [Fanny Voiceover] How different was Polly's ball
from our ramshackle affair!
Royalty had stepped out of Lady Montdore's photograph frames
and come to life, dusty and less glamorous, poor dears,
but royalty all the same.
(upbeat jazz music)
- Awful tripe.
Fella wouldn't be grinning,
he'd be dead with all those arrows in him.
- That's a Van Dyke.
- Huh!
Wouldn't give seven and sixpence for it!
I saw a picture once at the Army and Navy,
shire horses in the snow.
Nothing else,
just a bit of broken down fence and three horses.
It was dangerous good,
if I'd been a rich man I'd have bought that.
I mean, you could see how cold
those poor brutes really felt.
If all this rubbish is supposed to be valuable,
that must be worth a fortune.
- She's not enjoying herself, is she?
I wouldn't like one of my girls to look like that.
You'd think she had something on her mind.
- Wonderful fella, Montdore,
putting up with all this foreign trash in his house.
I'm blowed if I would.
God knows why he married that hell-hag.
I'd drown her if I were him.
- [Fanny Voiceover] So he had come after all.
The back of a head, when seen at a ball,
can have a most agitating effect on a young girl.
There is the question; will he turn round, will he see her?
I must explain that the image of the Duc de Sauveterre,
having reigned in my hopeless heart for months,
had been replaced by something more serious,
with more reality and promise.
(soft romantic music)
- Who is that brute?
Why is he coming over here?
- Good evening.
May I have the pleasure of this dance?
- Of course.
- Damn public spirited Montdore.
I ask you, look at that sewer!
- Come now, Matthew, the Serbs were our allies, you know.
- So that's a Serb, is it?
Just what one would expect, needs a shave.
Hogs, one and all.
- The German ambassadress is on her own.
- Serves her right!
- My dear Matthew, just the very man,
Baroness von Ravensbruch,
may I introduce my neighbor, Lord Alconleigh?
Supper is served in the music room.
You know the way, Matthew.
There's gonna be trouble ahead, Sadie.
- Oh I'm sure he'll behave himself.
- The storm clouds are gathering over Europe.
We must enjoy all this while we can.
- Excuse me, gentlemen, but I must dance with my husband.
- Of course she's a beauty, I quite see that,
but she doesn't attract me, with that sulky expression.
I'm sure she's very dull.
- Hello, my sweet!
What news of The Bolter?
Are you still in love?
- What's all this?
Who is that woman?
And is it true that you're in love?
- Mrs Chaddesley-Corbett.
- And how about love?
- Nothing.
Just a joke.
- Good.
I should like you to be on the verge of love
but not yet quite in it.
That's a very nice state of mind, while it lasts.
- Engaged?
Well I suppose that's very nice.
Alfred Wincham, did you say?
Who is he?
What is that name?
- He's a don, at Oxford.
- Oh dear, how extraordinary.
You don't want to go and live at Oxford, surely?
- Oh, I do!
- In Spain it's quite different.
Dons are somebody there, I believe.
Well, I suppose this Mr Thing can always settle down
and write books,
it always gives a man status if he writes a book,
I advise you to start him off on that immediately.
- I'm afraid I haven't much influence with him.
- Well develop it dear quick,
no use marrying a man you can't influence.
Men are so lazy by nature.
Montdore, for example, for ever trying to take
a little nap in the afternoon but I won't hear of it,
once you start that, I tell him, you might as well be dead.
Now, what does your Aunt Emily think?
- She's awfully pleased.
- Oh she's hopeless.
You really should ask my advice about this sort of thing,
we'll have to get you out of it,
I believe it would be kindest in the long run.
- Oh no!
- Why not, dear?
It isn't in the paper yet.
- It will be tomorrow.
- I'll telephone Geoffrey Dawson now and have it stopped.
- Please!
No, please not.
- She wants to marry him, Mommy, she's in love!
- Love!
Whoever invented Love ought to be shot.
I should have thought the example of your mother
would have taught you something.
Where has love landed her?
- Mamma!
- As for you, young lady, tell me what exactly
are you planning to do with your life?
- Not now, Mommy.
- Do you intend to live at home
and go mooning on like this for ever?
- What else can I do?
You haven't exactly trained me for a career, have you?
- I've trained you for marriage which, in my opinion,
is by far the best career open to any woman.
- But how can I marry if nobody asks me?
- You should give them some encouragement!
The number of young men who've said isn't she lovely?
And then gone off with some chinless little creature
from Cadogan Square.
Can't you be a little jollier, nicer with them,
no man cares to make love to a dummy,
you know, it's too discouraging.
- I don't want to be made love to!
- Then what do you want?
To be hanging around for ever, a sour old maid
and you'll be the sour kind, that's too obvious already,
wizened up and sour!
- Shut up!
- Polly.
(baby crying)
Linda was very ill indeed at her confinement.
The doctors told her that she must never have another child,
as it would almost certainly kill her if she did.
- Isn't it hideous?
Like a howling orange in a black wig.
Really, it's kinder not to look.
- What are you going to call her?
- Moira, I believe.
- Oh not Moira, darling.
I never heard such an awful name, it's too unkind.
- It'll have to grow up a Moira
if the Kroesigs are going to like it,
and they might as well like it because, frankly, I don't.
- Linda, how can you be so naughty?
- You can't possible tell whether you like her or not, yet.
- Oh yes I can.
I can always tell if I like people from the start
and I don't like Moira, she's a fearful Counter-Hon.
Oh do take it away, Nanny.
Poor thing must have caught sight of itself in the glass.
- Oh, don't pay any attention to her.
She pretends to be a wicked woman but it's all put on.
- Now, you must tell me all about you and Alfred.
When are you going to get married?
- In the spring.
- You really love him, don't you?
- Yes.
- How lucky you are.
Fancy being able to marry a man you love.
- I hate the lower classes.
Ravening beasts trying to get my money.
Just let them try, that's all.
- I love them.
Anyway, I was brought up with them.
Nobody should be in Parliament
who hasn't lived in the country.
My old Fa knows more what he's talking about
in the House than you do.
- Huh.
The last time your Fa made a speech,
his only argument for keeping peeresses out of the Lords
was that they might use the Peers' lavatory.
- Isn't he a love?
It's what they all thought,
but he was the only one who dared say it.
- That's the worst of the House of Lords.
These backwoodsmen bringing the whole place into disrepute
with a few dotty remarks which give people the impression
that we are governed by a lot of lunatics.
- Tony!
- Communism is the way forward.
Communism is the way of justice.
After a terrible war, which caused so much suffering.
The working classes are once again being treated like dogs,
kicked and beaten by their masters.
Storm clouds are gathering across Europe.
The ruling classes are blind to the threat of war.
Appeasement is their watchword
and by appeasing they end all our hopes of peace.
It is the working classes who have most to lose
if the Spanish war spreads through Europe.
It is the working classes who will be taken
from their families and made to fight like animals
for their lives.
We can come together as one great brotherhood of man,
to forge a better life for all classes but we must act now.
Communism is the way forward.
Communism is the way of justice.
Communism is the only system that will save
the dispossessed throughout Europe
from once again being led like cattle to the slaughter.
It is the working classes that will be taken
from their families and treated like animals
in the service of their masters.
We can fight back.
The working people of Europe need your help
if they are to unite and fight the oppressors.
Join the struggle now.
Accept responsibility.
Would you like one of these?
- That was so interesting.
And so sad, about the animals.
Oh, isn't everything absolutely awful!
- I'm so glad somebody was listening.
We must all embrace the struggle, all the classes;
we must unite together to make people's lives better.
- I do so agree!
My brother Matt's in your old house at Eton.
- Matt? - Radlett.
- Of course.
- He admires your work so much.
- Would you like to come and have some tea?
- Yes, please.
- [Fanny Voiceover] But Matt wasn't in school.
(men singing)
For he had just run away to Spain
to fight against the Fascists.
Alfred and I had just returned from our honeymoon.
- [Driver] Sir?
- I'll take those old chap.
(phone ringing)
Wait, don't answer it, no, no, no, no.
Come on, Mrs Wincham!
- But she said she'd be back today!
- I wish I could run away, I've nearly enough money now.
- He's only 17!
- At least they've got the sense to bump off
a lot of idolatrous priests.
Still, seems a pity to fight a second-class war
when there's soon to be a first-class one available.
- Your family, honestly!
- Oh shut up, Tony.
- And he's not even fighting for the right side.
What people need is strong leadership.
You know, I've more and more faith in this Herr Hitler.
You know my father visited him in Germany?
- Yes, Tony.
- Now, Linda, do try to behave yourself at the Altringhams
and don't, for God's sake, mention your brother!
- He's perfect heaven.
I never knew politics could be so interesting.
- But you hate politics.
- Well, its always so boring when Tony talks about it,
you know, whether some infinitely old man
is gonna get some infinitely dull job,
but Christian knows so much about what people suffer
and how to make life better for them.
- So are you a communist now?
- Well at least one knows they're doing good not harm
and not living on people's slavery like Sir Lester.
- What does Christian do all day?
- He's writing a book about famine.
It's so sad.
And there's this dear little Chinese comrade
who comes and tells him what famine is like.
You never saw such a fat man in your life.
- [Fanny Voiceover] Linda was ready for a cause
or a love affair,
and that a cause should be presented
by an attractive young man made it and him irresistible.
- And there's an anarchist too.
I always thought that communists and anarchists
were the same thing, but they're not at all.
The communists hate the anarchists except for this one
because he threw a bomb at the King of Spain.
Oh you must say its romantic.
- [Maid] Lady Polly.
Lady Polly, you're wanted in the drawing room.
- Why?
- I'm not to say, miss.
- Polly, dear, something terrible has happened.
Your Aunt Patricia is dead.
- It's the dropping off the perches.
I've always dreaded when that begins.
Soon we shall all be gone.
Oh well, never mind.
- I don't understand why Polly isn't here.
- Sonia says she's been ill for the past two days.
She took it terribly badly.
- I'd no idea she was particularly devoted to Lady Patricia.
(soft downcast music)
- Linda!
- Boy, dear, I've just been talking to the stonemason.
I thought she shall not grow old
as we that are left grow old.
What do you think?
Polly, what are you doing?
It's very late.
Go and get dressed, there's a good girl.
- I've got something to tell you.
Boy and I are going to be married.
- What?!
- There's a car coming.
- What? - A car.
- Inside, everybody.
(dogs barking)
Jassy!
Get down, everyone.
We're not at home.
Good God!
The Montdores!
- Polly's going to marry Boy?
- And Patricia not cold in her grave!
- But he's Polly's uncle.
- Well, only by marriage.
- How could he do this to me.
My beautiful daughter!
- I always loathed that Dougdale,
Boy Dougdale like a blasted lady's maid,
creeping and crawling around. - Matthew.
- I'll go there now and shoot the sewer!
- Matthew dear, calm down.
- After all I've done for her!
When I think of all the suitable men.
Why, I wouldn't even have minded if she'd married a banker,
like Linda, not now, not after this.
- What?!
- Don't mention Linda, he's terribly upset.
- Why?
- She's left her husband.
She ran away last week.
With a communist called Christian Talbot.
- Oh.
Do we know him?
- We don't know what to do.
- Now, I want to send Polly here for a week or two.
- Of course.
- Can't endure the sight of her.
Sadie I rely on you; maybe you can make her see
some sense and stop this ridiculous marriage! (sobs)
- I've put his name in the drawer.
- [Fanny Voiceover] I was invited down to Alconleigh,
to help with this delicate situation.
- If Boy wants to stay here for a few days.
- Before you elope to Gretna Green.
- There's plenty of food for him
and we'll bicycle to the post office with any letters.
- There's a telephone there, rather public,
but you could always talk in French.
- You are sweet.
But I don't really see the point of making all those efforts
when I shall soon be with Boy for the whole rest of my life.
Besides, I don't want to annoy your mother
when she's being such an angel to have me here.
- I won't be so boring when I run away.
- How can you marry him, Polly?
We always used to laugh at him.
- Dear Fanny, you don't understand anything.
I've been in love with him for years.
Of course, he wasn't free to marry then.
- When did he propose?
- Oh.
Boy didn't propose to me.
I don't think he ever would have.
I mean, being so wonderfully unselfish
and thinking that it matters for me not being left things
in wills and all that rubbish.
- Is that true?
- Oh he won't mind.
Besides, he knew what a hullabaloo Mummy would make.
No, I knew I'd have to do the proposing, and I did.
It wasn't very difficult.
Oh, isn't being happy wonderful?
- [Fanny Voiceover] Aunt Sadie tried, too.
- You have to remember, dear,
that marriage is a very intimate relationship.
It's not just sitting and chatting to a person;
there are other things, you know.
- I've seen no one for weeks.
They've all been avoiding me.
- They think you're still in mourning.
- No, no, no.
No, they've heard about my engagement.
I'm becoming a social outcast.
- Are you all right?
- Sonia gave me this cold.
I'm sure she'd be very pleased if she knew.
Oh I do, I do miss her.
And my dear wife.
- Maybe you should delay things.
- Why?
I long to marry Polly.
- But it wasn't even your idea.
- Of course it was, once she suggested it.
- God sees all, knows all, is all.
God shines a light into every corner of the human heart
and he does not like what he sees.
- They did not ask for this war.
It is visited upon them by the forces
of international fascism.
For what happens in Spain today may happen here tomorrow.
- We simply can't sit back and do nothing
when children are starving because the tools of production,
factories and farms and things,
are in the hands of the awful, awful capitalist masters?
So women and foreigners are toiling in domestic slavery.
We must fight, comrades, for the equality of all people
and knock down the class barriers between us
and the poor working people, not forgetting animals.
So join the Communist Party today.
We would be most grateful
if you would contribute to the cause.
- It is a disaster.
- But she was so unhappy with Tony.
- Naturally she could never have stayed with her husband,
nobody expected that.
But Christian Talbot!
If she is in love with him he will maker her miserable,
and, if not, it means she has embarked upon a career
like your mother's, and that, for Linda,
would be very bad indeed.
- She says she's happy.
- He'll never sit and chat to her,
or concentrate upon her in any way,
and she is a woman who requires, above all things,
a great deal of concentration.
Really, it is too bad.
- Being a communist is so tiring, I had no idea.
- Linda. - Do give me some tea.
- Linda.
- And their parties are simply killing,
they're always held in these gloomy places,
I don't see the point of sad parties, do you?
- Linda, my dear, you are making a terrible mistake.
- Left-wing people are always dreadfully gloomy
because they mind so much about their causes,
and the causes are always going so terribly badly.
- How has Tony taken all this?
- Oh he's awfully pleased,
because now he can marry his mistress
without having a scandal.
- Linda, his mistress?
- She's a terrific Counter-Hon,
father works in the Foreign Office, frightfully grand,
looks like a deep-sea monster, you know.
- But what about your baby?
- Oh she adores Moira so that's all right,
I needn't feel the least bit guilty,
they'll all do much better without me.
Now, do tell me all about Polly and Boy!
How could she marry him!
He groped Franny once under the table.
- Do you remember when we were children,
all those sexy pinches on the nursery landing?
- Who givith this woman to be married to this man?
Please say after me; I, Harvey, take thee Leopoldina.
- I, Harvey, take thee Leopoldina.
(sobbing)
- To be my lawful wedded wife.
- To have and to hold from his day forward.
- To have and to hold from this day forward.
- For better, for worse, for richer, for poorer.
- Hampton House, Montdore House, Craigside Castle,
the property and coal mines in Northumberland.
The extensive further properties in London,
and the remaining estate of your father,
valued at two million pounds sterling
will henceforth be transferred to Lord Montdore's
single surviving male heir, Cedric Hampton.
- Who is this Cedric Hampton? - Some long-lost cousin.
He comes from Nova Scotia. - In Canada?
What is he, a lumberjack?
- One thing we do know; he's going to be terribly rich.
- You mean, a capitalist oppressor.
Being a Conservative was easy,
I mean, it takes place within certain hours,
and then it finishes.
Whereas being a Communist seems to eat up
all of one's life.
Still, the comrades are such Hons, Fanny,
and at least one does know they're not doing any harm.
- Which comrade runs this place?
- A huge, perfectly silent one called Boris,
but Thursday's his day for getting drunk.
- Linda, my dear.
Fanny.
I always come here on Thursdays.
- Why?
- Because Linda puts her favorite books out.
So, instead of A Challenge to Coal Owners,
she's got King Solomon's Mines.
And instead of Karl Marx, the Formative Years...
- The Making of a Marchioness!
What bliss, I've been looking for it for ages!
- This is the only Red bookshop in England
that makes a profit.
Have you heard from Polly?
- No, not since they moved to Italy.
She told me they couldn't afford to live in England.
- You know he had to rent out Silkin.
- Yes.
- What a mess.
At least you're happy, dear Fanny.
- When are you going to get married?
- Next month.
I think it's rather silly, once is enough,
but Ma says I'm the sort of person one marries
if one's living with them.
Besides, Christian wants to, even though he is a communist.
- Lord Merlin was right.
I was happy, but as the months passed
I feared for my friends, Polly and Linda.
I feared that they had just glimpsed a mirage,
rather than real happiness,
though they wouldn't, of course, admit it.
It's Lady Montdore!
- I'm going to my study.
- Don't leave me alone with her!
- I've got to finish those essays.
- Coward!
- It's a thousand pities that you're so dreadfully poor.
I hate to see you living in this horrid little hovel.
Oh, how weak you have it!
No, no, no, no this will do quite well.
Yes, Montdore was talking to the Bishop only the other day
and he says your husband is really quite clever.
- Oh he is!
He's the cleverest man I ever met.
- So I suppose he thinks I'm a very stupid person.
- No, no, no he doesn't.
- I suppose he thinks I never read.
Many people think that
because they see me leading this active life,
wearing myself out for others.
I mean, it's all very well for funny little people like you
who have only yourselves to consider.
And if I might offer you a little advice, Fanny,
it would be to read fewer books,
and to make your house slightly more comfortable.
That is what a man appreciates, in the long run.
Now, dear, I want you to come to Hampton next Tuesday.
Cedric Hampton is coming to stay.
- Cedric Hampton!
- He comes for a fortnight.
I wrote out the dates very carefully indeed,
I always do when it's a question of a country-house visit,
then there is no awkwardness about the length of it.
Oh, it's only you.
- Hello.
Hello.
- Do you think we shall hear the motor
when it comes up the drive?
- I shall.
I hear everything.
- We're not stone deaf.
You know! - I expect he'll be
the outdoors type.
- They all are in Nova Scotia.
- Maybe he could help with the tree-felling.
- I do hope he won't bring in any mud;
we should have covered the Aubusson.
- Mr Cedric Hampton.
- Don't speak, just for a moment!
Just let me go on looking at you wonderful wonderful people!
- Welcome to Hampton.
- The beauty of it.
This house, so romantic, such a repository of treasures,
and above all, you two!
The most beautiful people I've ever seen!
- Won't you take off your spectacles?
I should like to see your eyes.
- Later, dear Lady Montdore, later.
When my dreadful, paralyzing shyness has quite worn off.
- This is our cousin of ours
and a distant relation of yours, Cedric, Fanny Wincham.
- I'm enchanted to meet you, Mrs Wincham.
You are Mrs, I hope, aren't you?
Yes, oh, yes, I can tell you are not a spinster.
Oh, Boulle.
Senor Bossi!
Limoges.
What very important pieces.
- You're obviously an expert.
- I adore France, you see, it's one's idea of heaven.
- Did you live there?
- I was sent to Paris by my guardian, a banker,
to learn some horrid sort of job,
I quite forget what, as I never had to go near it.
- Why not?
- It is not necessary to have jobs in Paris,
ones friends are so very very kind.
- I've never been very fond of France,
the people are so frivolous.
I prefer the Germans.
- Germans!
The frivolity of the Germans terrifies even one.
I have a German friend in Paris
and a more frivolous creature, Lady Montdore,
does not exist.
He has caused me many a heartache.
- I hope you will make
some suitable English friends now, Cedric.
- Yes, yes, that I long for.
But please can my chief English friend be you,
dear Lady Montdore?
- I think you should call us Aunt Sonia and Uncle Montdore.
- May I really?
Oh, how charming you are.
Aunt Sonia.
You seem to shower happiness around you.
- Yes I do.
I live for others, I suppose that's why.
The sad thing is that people have not always appreciated it,
they are so selfish themselves.
- You were in India, I hear?
They must have worshiped you there.
I can see you riding on your elephant like a goddess!
- It was quite touching
and of course we did a very great deal for them,
I think I may say that we put India on the map.
Hardly any of one's friends in England
had ever even heard of India before we went there, you know.
- How fascinating!
Did you keep a journal when you were there?
Oh please say yes!
I would so love to read it.
- It's really a sort of scrapbook.
Journeys up-country, letters of appreciation from rajahs.
- And Indian poetry translated by Montdore.
- Prayer of a Widow before Suttee.
- Death of an Old Mahout.
- Touching, isn't it, makes you cry.
- Oh, I must read it, every word, I can hardly wait!
- [Fanny Voiceover] From that moment, there was no question
of Cedric coming to Hampton for a fortnight.
He was obviously there for good.
- And after dinner, Aunt Sonia,
will you let me see you in your jewels?
- My jewels?
(upbeat playful music)
- Have you some maquillage in your bag dear?
And a comb?
Naughty you.
Ugh, never mind.
We've got to show the bone structure,
so beautiful on you.
I think we'll have to find you a new coiffeur.
- [Fanny Voiceover] Over the next few months,
Lady Montdore became transformed.
- It goes quite hard.
And in the morning you can't smile,
not a glimmer, not even at one,
so you can't telephone until you've removed it
because you know if you telephone smilelessly
you sound cross and if it happened to be one
on the other end, well one couldn't bear that.
Before you come into a room, say brush.
- Brush?
- I got it out of a very old book on deportment.
It fixes this very gay smile on one's face.
Brush.
- Brush.
- No, no.
Brush.
- Brush.
- Yes, brush.
- Brush.
- Brush!
- Yes!
(laughing)
Brush. - Brush.
- Brush.
Brush.
- She's a darling, so young, so delicious,
I do hope I'll be just like her when I'm 100.
- Darling, darling Muffy.
- [Woman] Aren't they heaven, men like that?
- Nature's form of birth control, I always think.
- Look how she adores him!
- She's quite forgotten her daughter!
Cedric, darling.
You have done well for yourself.
- Not bad for a working girl.
- [Fanny Voiceover] Early in 1939,
the population of Catalonia streamed over the Pyrenees
into France where they found no promised land,
for the French put them into camps
and forgot all about them.
Christian rushed off to Perpignan to work with the refugees
and he sent for Linda to join him.
(light jaunty music)