The Reluctant Widow

A young governess becomes embroiled in French spy intrigue, in this adaptation of a Georgette Heyer novel.

This has, on paper, quite a workmanlike cast to deliver a story of 18th century espionage but sadly it all falls rather flat. Jean Kent is "Helena" who marries a dying man so she can inherit his estate. Shortly afterwards, he duly pops his clogs and she finds herself embroiled in a conspiracy involving a dreadfully wooden Guy Rolfe ( - her new cousin "Lord Carylon") and a not much better Paul Dupuis ("Lord Nivelle"). Kathleen Byron features sparingly but even she cannot really help this dreary and frequently quite confusing costume drama catch fire. It's wordy and plodding, with what little opportunities to swash and buckle drowned thoroughly by the poorly written script and the somewhat token nod to Anglo-French history. Andrew Cruickshank pops up too and the eagle-eyed amongst us might spot the avuncular Peter Bull in a stagecoach. I usually enjoy these kind of films, but this one has little by way of production values or plot to redeem it, sorry.