Saw 'Berkeley Square' as a big fan of classic film, and seeing a film about time travel very early on in film history immediately had me sold. Also have liked to loved what has been seen of the performances of Leslie Howard (especially in 'Pygmalion), which hasn't admittedly been enough and there is plenty more to see. That is the same for the rest of the cast, the most familiar names to me being Heather Angel and Alan Mowbray.
'Berkeley Square', adapted from a stage play by John Balderston which also happened to be inspired by a Henry James story, had its really interesting premise going for it. Also wanted to see how the role and performance of Peter Standish Howard created on stage would fare on film, being too young to see him for myself. There was a slight worry with it being adapted from a stage play, and not all plays have translated well to film with traps of being too talky, stage bound and compact. Found 'Berkeley Square' a very good film and deserving of more credit despite it being fondly remembered, the same goes for its remake 'The House in the Square' (or 'I Will Never Forget You'). It deserves to be more wildly available, with it still not being the easiest film to find, and although what is available makes do it is in need of a restoration.
The film doesn't quite overcome the potential problem of being too talky and wordy. The dialogue is actually very intelligently written and maintains interest throughout, but there could have been a little less of it (some of it was also somewhat muffled), which would have tightened some of the pacing, which is mostly not a problem at all but occasionally creaks.
Do agree that the music, although beautifully lush music in its own right, is on the over-scored and somewhat intrusive side. That said, this is most likely due to the audio/sound which is not very balanced and can favour the music over the dialogue.
However, 'Berkeley Square' is a very handsome film on a visual level. It is immaculately photographed and the opulent period detail is also a delight, never does the setting feel compact. The music and dialogue quality by themselves, as said above, are fine, it's just the matter of them being better used and balanced. The story is charmingly quaint, always cohesive, with the time travel never suffering from choppy transitions (pretty smooth) and emotionally it can be quite moving. Especially at the end. Regarding how it translates on screen from the play, surprisingly it fares very well compared to a fair few stage to film adaptations around the same time. It is not static and the drama is opened up enough to not make it stage-bound.
Frank Lloyd's direction is suitably distinguished and he gets fine performances from the cast. In particular Howard in one of his best performances (deservedly Oscar-nominated), it is a very elegant and forceful performance that is equally poised and subtly nuanced in a way that is always riveting to watch. Angel is very charming and the two have a more than amiable chemistry together, likewise with Valerie Taylor. Mowbray and Beryl Mercer are strong support, as is an enjoyably arch Juliette Compton.
In conclusion, very good. 8/10
