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| Count Your Blessings - 1959 |
Coming up next, we have 1959's "Count Your Blessings", the story of two people who meet and marry against the backdrop of World War II. The husband is drawn back into war and does not return home for nine years. Married life is quite an adjustment for the couple, and they each have things to learn about the other.
The film's cast includes Deborah Kerr, Rossano Brazzi, Maurice Chevalier, Martin Stephens, Tom Helmore, Ronald Squire, Mona Washbourne, Patricia Medina, and Lumsden Hare.
In London during World War II, ambulance worker and socialite Grace Allingham returns home after a busy shift. All she wants is a bath and bed.
What she doesn't know is that inside her house a handsome Frenchman is waiting to see her. Charles Edouard de Valhubert is kind of pushy and charming all at the same time. He quickly grates on her nerves.
But she is sufficiently charmed by him to accept an invitation to dinner that evening.
He moves quickly. His dinner conversation is rather shocking. Charles Edouard tells Grace that they will be married very shortly. Naturally, Grace thinks he's nuts.
The next day, Grace takes him on a tour of the major tourist attractions in and around London. These include the Albert Memorial, Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, Hampton Court, and Windsor Castle. During the course of the day, she finds out that Charles Edouard happens to be the Marquis de Valhubert. He is also the heir to his uncle, the Duc de St. Cloud.
In the shadow of Windsor Castle, Grace falls in love with Charles Edouard. They make plans to marry later that week.
Charles Edouard goes to visit Grace's father, Sir Conrad, to ask for his blessing. Sir Conrad advises caution because of differences: culture, religion, way of life, etc. But Charles Edouard insists that these can be overcome.
They newlywed couple spend three days on their honeymoon before Charles Edouard is called back to war.
Grace begins work on a carpet that depicts episodes from their time together. She intends on giving it to her husband upon his return.
Meanwhile, Grace has a child, Sigismond "Sigi". She eagerly waits news of her husband.
She receives a visit from her husband's uncle, the Duc de St. Cloud, who tells her that Charles Edouard is fine. France is sending him to another skirmish. Grace is glad that her husband is alright, but she wishes he could come home.
Little does she know that it will be nine long years before she sees her husband again. The carpet she makes is now very long.
When he does come back, Grace feels a little awkward around him. But soon she begins to feel just as she did when she married Charles Edouard, and the ice is broken.
Charles Edouard gets to meet his son for the first time, and Sigi is very happy to meet his father.
On Charles Edouard's first night home, husband and wife have eyes only for each other.
Charles Edouard moves his family to his ancestral homes in Paris. The Duc de St. Cloud welcomes his nephew's wife to her new life as a marquise. Greeting her, he says, "Some of the most
celebrated beauties of the last two hundred years have lived
here. But recently, we have lacked the piquancy which only comes
from a lovely female presence. Without it, this has been only a
house. When you enter, it becomes a home again."
The Duc becomes a favorite with Sigi. The oldest and youngest in the family are natural allies.
Grace finds out a few things about her husband that hurt her. During their time apart, Charles Edouard found comfort with other women. What's more, he dislikes the carpet that she worked so lovingly on.
And he continues to spend time with his mistress, Albertine, even going so far as to pay for her home, clothes, and upkeep.
Wife and mistress size each other up at a ballet performance of "Swan Lake".
Grace is furious with Charles Edouard, and she demands that he give up Albertine, which he refuses to do.
The Duc takes Grace on a drive through the French countryside. He tries to explain to her the French way of life and thinking. But she isn't buying any of it. She thinks that it takes two to tango, and she shouldn't be the only one making changes.
On a visit to one of the family's larger properties, which is now a museum, Grace sees Charles Edouard entering a room with a lady. Unfortunately, the lady is his secretary, and Grace has completely misread the situation. She storms off angrily.
She packs her bags and heads back to London, taking Sigi with her. "How can I trust a man who can't even be faithful to his mistress?" she inquires.
Back in London, Grace has second thoughts about ending her marriage. Charles Edouard has made big changes in his life while Grace is away. However, Sigi relishes the individual attention he receives from his parents and does not want them to get back together. So, he contrives to keep them apart.
The Duc urges his nephew to reconsider any divorce action. "Divorce in our
family. There have been thieves, murderers, sadists,
masochists, even one nudist, but never a divorce," he says.
Fearful that his parents will find out that he is keeping them apart, Sigi decides to run away while staying with his father in Paris.
Naturally, this brings Grace back to France. Everything ends well. The couple is happy and plan on making additions to the family.
Cast rundown:
Deborah Kerr...................................Grace Allingham
Rossano Brazzi.................................Charles Edouard de Valhubert
Maurice Chevalier.............................Duc de St. Cloud
Martin Stephens...............................Sigismond
Tom Helmore...................................Major Hugh Palgrave
Ronald Squire..................................Sir Conrad Allingham
Mona Washbourne............................Nanny
Patricia Medina.................................Albertine
Lumsden Hare..................................John
And that's it for Count Your Blessings. In this film, Maurice Chevalier's character is an avid classic car collector. Many of the cars used in the film were extremely rare. One car used in the film was a 1957 Mercedes-Benz 300 SL roadster. There were only 554 made.
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