User reviews

Skylark finds Claudette Colbert feeling like she's just running second fiddle to her husband Ray Milland's advertising business. So at another party where she's simply to function as the decoration on his arm, Claudette becomes susceptible to lawyer Brian Aherne who turns on the charm and makes her feel important. This woman is a Skylark and needs to spread her wings so he tells Milland.

In no time at all Aherne has moved right in as Claudette divorces Milland. After that Milland is busy planning his campaign to win her back.

Skylark probably needed a Mitchell Leisen or an Ernst Lubitsch to have been a real classic. Still all three of leads acquit themselves well. Aherne has a part that was normally reserved for David Niven, all charm and smiles. There's also a nice turn by Binnie Barnes as the hard hearted wife of Milland's boss Grant Mitchell who has her own claim on Aherne and his vocabulary. Her confrontation scene with Colbert is priceless.

As is Colbert trying to take to a life at the sea when tries whip up enthusiasm for Aherne's passion for sailing. Her scenes on Aherne's boat are priceless.

A good comedy of the era, a bit shy of greatness however.

Lydia and Tony Kenyon (Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland) are celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary. Their relationship now contains about as much excitement as a straight line. Along comes Jim Blake (Brian Aherne), providing a point of conflict that defines a love triangle.

This is not a drama. The story comes from a play and its comedy is probably best appreciated if seen as Shakespearean. Blake is a passive-aggressive "Puck" who constantly picks at the relationship's frayed edges. A marriage is in the balance, but the characters banter wittily as if discussing the correct price for a cow. Lydia and Tony could have been played by Myrna Loy and William Powell.

The writing is clever and enjoyable. The characters are fun to watch. If you can let the story just be what it is, you might enjoy it. Suspend disbelief and engage your sense of humor. Otherwise, you might be tempted to think this film makes light of wifely dissatisfaction.

I like these actors in most everything I've seen them in, but this one has a whiff of cheese going bad in the fridge. Ray Milland is psychotic over his search for financial success and kicks his wife around like a dog. Colbert has lost her mind and her self-respect as she whimpers fondly around him hoping for a pat on the head. And then things turn weirdly comic as Brian Aherne drops in to distract her.

A divorce seems comfortably inevitable; she and Aherne seem soul mates for sure, until Colbert's own psychosis turns her back towards a scheming Milland. Me oh my, who will she choose? Is anyone following this? I could have used cue cards for applause and hissing because the director didn't know where this thing was going. And it didn't get there.

This mishmash was not fun, and now I've got to carve off the mold to salvage a single bite of cheddar goodness. One of the few times I've rated a film at less than the user average, but at only 103 voters, this fuzzy stinker seems to have kept most of them out of the fridge.

The opening scene of Skylark is hilarious. Claudette catches her husband's pal ordering her anniversary present at a jeweler, since her husband is too busy and nearly forgot. I always like to see Walter Abel in a sizable part, even though in this movie, he gets terribly insulted. He insists not everyone is in an untrusting relationship, and his wife quips back, "Sure I trust you, but look at you!" I don't know why they kept such a mean line in the script, since he's a good-looking man.

But back to the movie: Ray Milland is a workaholic whose wife feels neglected. She's fed up and flirts around with a handsome charmer at a party, Brian Aherne. In the middle of his come-on, Brian correctly assumes that Claudette isn't really interested in him. She wants to "play at meeting him" and then return home grateful for the near-miss. Once challenged, Claudette leans back and says, "Okay, show me the moon." That's not the end of Brian, however. Ray Mi-bland turns out to be too "bland" for Claudette, and she files for divorce while pursuing an affair with the Errol Flynn look-a-like.

This movie is full of funny one-liners, even though I didn't like the way it ended. When they first go out together, Claudette orders her hamburger with onions; Brian orders his without. The waiter rolls his eyes and says, "You might as well order yours 'with', buddy." Later in the movie, when she warms up to the idea of an affair, she smiles at Brian before ordering her hamburger "without". In another scene, Ray argues with Claudette over the monotony of marriage, insisting she can't have ecstasy all the time. It's like eating caviar three times a day, he argues. "If I liked caviar, I'd eat it three times a day," she quips back.

If you like domestic comedies, you'll probably like this one. You've got a beautiful leading lady, a handsome leading man, and a "bland" husband trying to win her back. Just kidding; Ray is a cutie, too. But Brian is the star of the show. He's wise, smooth, and also extremely nice. In other words, he's completely unrealistic!

DLM Warning: If you suffer from vertigo or dizzy spells, like my mom does, this movie might not be your friend. In the end when Claudette is on a boat, the camera bobs and tilts, and that will make you sick. In other words, "Don't Look, Mom!"

A top cast -- Claudette Colbert, Ray Milland, and Brian Aherne star in "Skylark," a 1941 film directed by Mark Sandrich, and based on the play.

Milland and Colbert are Tony and Lydia Kenyon, celebrating their fifth wedding anniversary, and they're having a party. Tony is in advertising, so all of his clients' products have to be on display. He's preoccupied with one client in particular, Frederick Vantine (Grant Mitchell), from whom he's trying to get another million dollars in advertising.

At the party, and right after an altercation with her husband, Linda meets a charming attorney, Jim Blake (Aherne) who becomes very smitten with her. She takes a drive with him to a diner. When she arrives home, the party is over and Tony is furious. The attorney was a guest of the Vantines, and Mrs. Vantine (Binnie Barnes) is angry that she went off with him. He demands that she call and apologize. Lydia does, and then she leaves him and spends more time with Jim -- against the wishes of Mrs. Vantine.

Funny marital comedy about a woman who doesn't want to be a second thought to her husband, and a husband who adores her but is afraid of not being good at his job. He's also jealous of Jim.

Some wonderful scenes and performances: the cast is top-notch, and Colbert's scene on Jim's boat is hilarious, and her encounters with Barnes are delicious. Aherne is likable, debonair, and charming, and Milland shows vulnerability as Tony.

"Skylark" could have better directed, which would have brought the film up a couple of notches. If Leo McCarey or Ernst Lubitsch had directed it, it might have been up there with "It Happened One Night." Nevertheless, it is delightful, with the three stars at the top of their respective games.

This is one of those movies where a childless, jobless wife has an enormous, beautiful house, a cook, a butler, more exquisite clothes than she can count, and we're supposed to feel sorry for her. Because she is married to Ray Milland, who, after five years, gives her a huge, passionate kiss when he comes home. Yeah, that's suffering, all right.

Claudette Colbert's problem is that Ray spends too much time and thought on his job--you know, the one that provides the house, cook, butler, etc. So she flips and takes off with the pleasant but sexless Brian Aherne. Wouldn't be my move.

True, Ray is something of a bully. He literally strong-arms Claudette into coming with him, and harshly orders her in a way that a servant wouldn't take these days. So, to satisfy the women in the audience, he has to be made to grovel. And to keep Claudette from a complete triumph that would make her look domineering, she has to be made ridiculous.

It's all part of the movie's desperation to pretend marriage is romantic and amusing. Can I explain something? It isn't.

Samson Raphaelson's hit Broadway play of 1939 (with Gertrude Lawrence headlining) comes to the screen starring the left side of Claudette Colbert's face. She plays the frustrated wife of Ray Milland, a stuffy advertising executive who is coasting through their marriage after five years; one night, she flirts innocently with another man (Brian Aherne) and gets the gumption to seek a divorce. 'Sophisticated' comedy with lead-balloon lines and static character interaction. Colbert manages to live and dress exquisitely but, in the very first scene, overhears her husband's assistant buying her anniversary present and actually exchanges it for something less expensive (!); Aherne, as a lawyer, and twinkling like a debonair version of Red Skelton, takes Colbert for a drive and for a bite to eat at a diner--and this non-romantic date actually convinces her to leave her husband. The whole scenario is such a shallow conceit--a fraud--that it's impossible to take the performances into consideration, although the bit players (all sarcastic) certainly show up the principals. ** from ****

Or, if you prefer, Comedy Lite, because 'Skylark" is only semi-funny. I can only guess Director Mark Sandrich didn't have a good feel for comedy as several scenes which could have been funny seemed forced and heavy-handed. A Leo McCarey or Mitchell Leisen could have gotten more mileage out of them, but, as is, "Skylark" is unsatisfying and leaves you feeling unfulfilled, like Lite beer or diet soda.

Other reviews recount the plot, but just let me say that the main reason to watch this one is to watch several old pros give their all and try to make a mediocre picture better just by their presence. It belongs mainly to Claudette Colbert, who tries mightily and comes off the best of the principals. She is ably supported by Ray Milland and Brian Aherne, who also do their best. Walter Abel does not come off so well and is better in straight drama parts. And the old pop standard 'Skylark" is apparently not from this picture. I put my star rating in the heading as the website no longer includes them.

Lydia (Claudette Colbert) and Tony (Ray Milland) have been married for five years. Tony is in love with his job and his wife is mostly an afterthought. Inexplicably, she accepts this and loves the big jerk in spite of this. However, after years of being neglected emotionally, the problem comes to a head during their anniversary. Instead of a romantic dinner for two, he invites over clients-- clients who Lydia doesn't like--and she has every reason to dislike these nasty folks. She's in a funk and a dashing guy, Jim (Brian Ahern), offers to take her away from this dinner party and she impulsively goes. She returns many hours later--long after all the guests have gone home.

Jim realizes, finally, that his marriage is in trouble. His plan to woo her back--lie to her and tell her he's quitting his job. But, he has no intention of leaving this job--and it really isn't much of a plan. Eventually, Lydia learns about this and leaves him. Soon they are divorced and NOW Jim finally tries to actually do something to win her back. But, considering they are divorced and she doesn't want to see him, it really seems like he's stalking her and is an abusive ex-spouse. It's really quite creepy and about as romantic as a case of the clap. The film might have seemed cute back in 1941, but today it comes off as an endorsement for a man to claim ownership over his 'property'--and Jim would, in the real world, end up in jail for his boorish behaviors!

Considering how good these actors are, the film should have been so much better. I also take off a point for the terribly overdone scene where Lydia keeps falling in the sailboat--it was about as subtle as a stripper at a Baptist picnic. Overall, it's a big disappointment, though the film does have its moments.

Lydia (Claudette Colbert) leaves her husband Tony (Ray Milland) who she has been married to for 5 years because he puts his career first. Jim (Brian Aherne) moves in on her and she rather sluttishly encourages his flirtations. Lydia and Tony divorce and Lydia starts to hang out with Jim....

If the above summary sounds interesting to you, and you expect nothing else to happen, then you'll like the film. Personally, I lost count of the number of times that I slipped off into a daydream. What a waste of a good cast. Colbert and Milland are fine to watch, though - Milland gives the best dramatic moment as he concedes defeat to Aherne and walks away from the new lovers. Whilst Milland starts as a dislikable character, the audience turns in his favour as the film develops. He is extremely tolerant of the nasty Aherne character - the number of times he tolerates his presence verges on the saintly. Colbert is a silly bitch in this film.

Overall, despite an effort to engage myself in the proceedings, there was only about half an hour's worth of story in this effort, and so I couldn't. It's boring. Women will probably like it.

What looked as if it might be promising in the first several minutes, fell into disrepair in no time at all. And kept on falling apart. The only one who demonstrated a hint of amusement was Binnie Barnes as the viperish wife of an imbecile. Ray Milland was actually a mean sort of man; certain scenes seemed to be a rehearsal for his character in "Dial M for Murder". Brian Aherne, usually much more interesting, played a dud of a guy. And the elegant Colbert played it as if she had just rolled out of bed and hadn't even brushed her teeth yet. Had once been a novel, apparently, and then a Broadway play, and now a movie. All 3 of which would have been better off left on the shelf.

If anybody thought mark sandrich was a major factor in the wildly successful Rogers-Astaire musicals of the 1930s - Sandrich himself thought he was THE main driver - let them be completely disabused by this film.

Here we have some top-flight actors, given a moderately weak script and plenty of budget to make a film and Sandrich can't make anything out of it except complete failure. There's no motion and no emotion and in spite of a consistently fine acting job by Colbert, Sandrich can't get anything of value in the can.

The story is threadbare but that's never stopped great directors from making greatness out of things; Sandrich can't get it done and since he was also the producer we can see how valuable Berman was and Sandrich never was.

The main reason for seeing 'Skylark' was the cast, with both Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland great in other things. Colbert especially was in a role that sounded perfect for her on paper. Do highly appreciate comedy and try to appreciate all types of it instead of having too much of a bias against one type. Although it can be problematic to get romance right, when it does work it is very charming and enough to make one smile.

Despite the good cast, 'Skylark' didn't work for me and while it is far from unwatchable it could have been a lot better. It is an example of romance not done very well, namely because one never really feels any. And although the type of humour here is one of my favourite types, 'Skylark' doesn't execute this type of humour well on the whole despite some moments. It needed a much lighter touch for the wit to sparkle and it is too heavy and static to be successfully sophisticated.

It is the cast that make 'Skylark' watchable, well on the most part. Colbert is a beguiling presence, but for me the two best performances come from Brian Aherne as the film's most likeable character and especially Binnie Barnes who is a breath of fresh air. Her interaction with Colbert is by far the best faring of the character interactions, the most natural, the one with the most personality and their confrontation was a comic and dramatic highlight.

Some parts are amusing, namely from Barnes. Other than the aforementioned confrontation, the other highlight when it comes to individual scenes was when Lydia's lunch preparation on a yacht during a storm. Some of the photography is nice, especially the very accomplished photography in that just mentioned scene with Colbert, done in a single take which is quite remarkable. The costumes are also easy on the eyes, Colbert's wardrobe looking quite ravishing. Victor Young's lush score didn't overbear too much.

However, the amusing moments in the comedy only came in spurts rather than being continuous. The script generally seemed quite limp, with some lines sounding more awkward than witty. The story's pace is uneven, some of it is zestful, like with Barnes, but at other points it's leaden when it takes itself too seriously. Generally a lighter touch was needed, and the same can be said for the direction too, because it did feel more like an over-serious drama than a comedy and a very stage bound one at that.

Other than between Colbert and Barnes, the character interaction is static and the lack of interesting or worth endearing to characters hurts it. Only Aherne's character is a proper exception to that, and Milland's especially was impossible to get behind with Tony's behaviour often being demeaning. Milland does make a more than game effort as Tony, but he played the part too heavily for my liking. Some of the editing looked like it was constructed in haste.

Concluding, underwhelming but far from a complete waste. 5/10

Familiar theme yet played to the hilt by Claudette Colbert and Ray Milland in this totally enjoyable film.

Realizing that her husband's success in business is primary to him, Colbert runs off with an attorney played by an irascible Brian Aherne and he successfully is able to get her to divorce the Milland character.

The rest of the film is devoted to Milland trying to woo her back. The scenes in the subway and at the musical theater are both quite funny.

Binnie Barnes is terrific as the wife of Milland's boss; acting high society although her background is probably humble at best. She also has designs on Aherne.

The scenes where Milland has lied to his wife about quitting his job are funny; that's until Barnes shows up and in front of Colbert, she fires him which proves he had lied to Colbert.