Lease of Life
Lease of Life is a 1954 British drama film directed by Charles Frend and starring Robert Donat, Kay Walsh, Adrienne Corri and Denholm Elliott.William Thorne is the vicar of the village of Hinton St. John, living with his wife Vera and his daughter Susan, a gifted pianist who receives guidance from Martin Blake.Thorne feels free to speak honestly about his beliefs and demonstrates to his parishioners that religion is not a matter of blind adherence to a fixed set of rules, but a freedom to act according to one's conscience.When Sproatly dies, Thorne checks the bag of money and finds it £100 short, exactly the amount that Vera had given to Susan, claiming she had sold her jewels.Thorne's spirit is revived and he heads to his evening service, stopping to discuss the merits of acting for the living rather than the dead with the gravedigger.[citation needed] The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "There is no doubt that Lease of Life has its heart in the right place; and the director works hard, too, to establish the Yorkshire village atmosphere.One can see, in the basic situation, possible material for a regional slice of life; but the daily round, the common task, need to be transfigured by imagination to make them interesting, and mere plotting – the vicar's illness, Mrs. Thorne's lapse – is no substitute for this."[4] Upon the film's American release, critic Bosley Crowther of The New York Times praised Robert Donat's performance but was disappointed with the script: "It is a role charged with selfless devotion to others and to a high ideal, and Mr. Donat imbues it with such fervor and gentle sincerity as to recall his touching performance of the old teacher at an English boys' school.