This early Gainsborough melodrama has a winning foursome in the lead roles. Up till this point, only one of them (Margaret Lockwood) was an established star; though this role took her career in a completely different direction and seems to have reinvented her. The other three— James Mason, Phyllis Calvert and Stewart Granger— already had motion picture credits but had not really broken through. Granger was the least experienced in movies, so his name appears in a slightly smaller font size on the opening credits.
Most of the main characters, including the title character played by Mason, are not very good people. They are morally compromised, some with greater shades of evil than the others. Mason is particularly cruel, and Lockwood who is cast as a dark-hearted mistress is just as wicked in her scenes. Granger’s character starts as a rogue then becomes more heroic. The only character the audience may like all the way is Calvert’s, but hers is a frustrating one because she is so self-deluded at times, such a poor judge of character, that the way she becomes a victim to husband Mason and supposed friend Lockwood, puts her in a category of complete naivety.
The fact that Calvert is never able to see Mason or Lockwood for who they really are, ultimately becomes her undoing. It’s a highly melodramatic narrative, with Calvert so desperate for matrimonial love and genuine friendship, that it’s all the more tragic when she receives neither. After finally giving up on her marriage to Mason, Calvert settles into an affair with Granger, which is being orchestrated behind the scenes by Lockwood. When Mason prevents Calvert from going off with Granger to an island in the Caribbean, because of the scandal it would create, Lockwood flips out.
I do have to say that Lockwood is particularly great at playing such an dangerous character. She’s the perfect contrast on screen to Calvert’s innate goodness. It is a bit shocking when Calvert’s character develops a case of pneumonia, and Lockwood furthers the illness along, by using the situation to kill Calvert. If this were a Hollywood film, Lockwood wouldn’t get away with it…but she does here.
When Mason learns what happened from a young boy (Antony Scott) who witnessed the murder, he confronts Lockwood. She offers up a weak excuse, before he beats her senselessly. How’s that for justice!
Some of the more interesting moments in the film are over-the-top yet still played with genteel adroitness. Maybe that’s what makes THE MAN IN GREY such a fascinating study. The good lady dies, the others are left to inflict more pain and damage on each other. And it’s all handled with ease.
But I think what we have is more than just an artificially contrived melodrama. We have a sad story about a good woman who lived a very miserable and bad life. And unfortunately, there are women in these types of situations from generation to generation. On that note, the film is a cautious reminder that we may have long-suffering female friends among us who genuinely need our help.
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