This brief book review is a contribution to the 2021 Classic Film Summer Reading Challenge, run by Raquel Stecher of the Out of the Past blog.
Ladies in Retirement is an excellent play. The title doesn't quite indicate what to expect, but it could be considered a gothic thriller. Some have compared it to Arsenic and Old Lace, but other than involving some not-very-sane older women and being set in an old house, it is quite dissimilar. Ladies in Retirement is decidedly not a comedy.
Ladies in Retirement was written by Edward Percy and Reginald Denham and originally performed on Broadway in 1940, with Flora Robson in the starring role. The play was a substantial hit and was soon adapted for the screen by Columbia Pictures.
The play's script is virtually the same as the great 1941 film starring Ida Lupino and Louis Hayward. If you’re familiar with the movie, what differences there are can be fascinating. One notable difference is that the critical murder takes place after a curtain closing in the play, while it is depicted in real time in the film, albeit off-screen. I also think Ellen Creed, the Robson/Lupino character, is less sympathetic in the play.
One major difference between seeing a play performed and the experience of reading the script is that the stage directions interrupt the flow of the dialogue. I am not used to reading play scripts, so that took some getting used to, and I don't think I quite got there. Yet I still very much enjoyed reading the source material for one of my all-time favorite films.
I've never seen this movie! I'll have to check it out if it's one of your favorites. And kudos to you for tackling a play for the challenge!
Posted by: RaquelStecher | Aug 21, 2021 at 08:09 PM