21 Days (1940)

[dfordoom]

<i>21 Days</i> is a British movie I’d never even heard of until it popped up on Movie Greats a while back. With a screenplay co-written by Graham Greene, and a distinguished cast headed by Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh and Leslie Banks, I thought it had to be worth a look, and in fact it’s an excellent little film. It’s a story of two brothers, one of whom (Keith Durrant, played by Leslie Banks) is an eminent QC on the verge of being appointed a judge, the other (Larry, played by Olivier) being an amiable but irresponsible failure. Larry is in love with Wanda (Vivien Leigh), and when a man claiming to be her husband turns up trying to extort money from her a struggle ensues, and the husband is killed. Larry doesn’t know what to do, and turns to his brother for help. Things become more complicated when an innocent man is charged with the murder. Can Larry allow an innocent man to be hanged? He and Wanda have 21 days together before Larry must decide.

The three leads all give excellent performances, and director Basil Dean builds the tension very effectively. <i>21 Days</i> combines suspense and romance, and is also an intriguing commentary on the difference between people who give the outward appearance of honesty and integrity and those who really understand what those concepts mean. Highly recommended.