The Farmer's Wife
Eden Philpotts' "provincial" comic novel and play The Farmer's Wife was first filmed in the silent era by Alfred Hitchcock. The 1940 talkie version was directed by Leslie Arliss, son of stage star George Arliss. The story remained the same: A middle-aged widower attempts to select a wife from his rural district's eligible females (Basil Sydney). Three unsuccessful dalliances later, the farmer settles for his housekeeper, whom the audience has been rooting for all along. The Farmer's Wife is a prime example of the sort of fare that struck a proper chord with British filmgoers, but whose appeal would be lost to any other nationality.
Directed by Leslie Arliss · Written by Norman Lee
Cast
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Basil Sydney Samuel Sweetland -
Wilfrid Lawson Churdles Ash -
Nora Swinburne Araminta Grey -
Patricia Roc Sibley -
Michael Wilding Richard Coaker - Bunty Payne Petronell
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Enid Stamp-Taylor Mary Hearne -
Betty Warren Louisa Windeatt -
Viola Lyel Thirza Tapper -
Edward Rigby Tom Gurney -
Kenneth Griffith George Smerdon -
A. Bromley Davenport Henry Coaker
Make it a double feature
2h 56m together
The Farmer's Wife
Pastor Hall
Both from Leslie Arliss.
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A Man About the House · 1947
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Love Story · 1944
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