Day 56: "Genevieve"

Director: Henry Corneilius 1953
The title character is a 1904 Darracq, quite a vintage car by 1953. The movie is a charming, deft comedy about an auto rally between London and Brighton and back again. The return trip turns into a race between two old friends. The race stirs up jealousies (Kenneth More's character once dated Dinah Sheridan's character before she married the owner of Genevieve), and the males try hard to prove their masculinity. Of course, the trip back is fraught with mechanical breakdowns, dirty tricks, and revelations. Harmless stuff, really, but with a tiny edge that distinguishes it from other comedies of the era. Another plus is a delightful Kay Kendall as More's rally date.
Wonderful music from harmonica virtuoso Larry Adler. Screenplay by William Rose, who would soon write "The Ladykillers" with Alec Guinness.