The Charmer

Starring:Nigel Havers, Bernard Hepton, Rosemary Leach, Fiona Fullerton, Judy Parfitt, George Baker, Abigail McKern, David McKail, Jenny Donnison, Leonard Kavanagh, Naomi Buch, Gillian Raine, George Salkilld, Terence Lodge, Robert Hartley, Paul Bacon, Larry Martyn, Neville Phillips, Brian Poyser, Jason James
Director: Alan Gibson
Studio: Goldhil Home Media
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Description
Starring: Nigel Havers, Bernard Hepton, Rosemary Leach, Fiona Fullerton, David McKail. Based on the novel `Mr. Stimpson & Mr. Gorse' by Patrick Hamilton. On the surface Ralph Gorse is a charmer in every sense of the word: handsome, suave and stylish, sparkling company and the possessor of a sexual magnetism that attracts most women h e encounters. But the charm is a veneer. Gorse is a con man and sexual adventurer, whose conquests are merely a way of obtaining his heart's desires: money and power. VOLUME ONE Episode One - The Tempter Ralph Gorse, down to his last pennies, meets Joan Plumleigh-Bruce in a roadhouse. She is attracted to Gorse, despite the difference in their ages. But Plumleigh-Bruce has another suitor, the stolid Donald Stimpson, who is attracted by her regular income, her pleasant house and the promise - yet unfulfilled - of sex. Gorse lures the jealous Stimpson into a sordid night at a pleasure house in a scheme of subtle blackmail. Episode Two - The Investor Gorse allies himself with Clarice Mannor's fast socialite crowd and continues to fortify his relationship with the romantically-swayed Plumleigh-Bruce with whom he opens a joint bank account for depositing the promised fruits of their future investments. Stimpson casts a jealous and suspicious eye over their financial and romantic liaisons. VOLUME TWO Episode Three - The Deceiver Gorse flees to Brighton where he finds employment as a car salesman and begins romancing the innocent and lovely daughter, Pamela, of his boss, Harold Bennett. Stimpson's dogged inquiries have uncovered Gorse's whereabouts; and with the swindled Plumleigh-Bruce in tow, he proceeds to Brighton to confront Gorse with the evidence. Episode Four - Gorse in the Middle Gorse marries the pregnant Pamela and settles uncomfortably into married life. Bennett, father of the bride, still suspicious of Gorse's motives, buys the newlyweds a house. The deed is solely in the bride's name, but Gorse has a scheme to turn the tables - and collect the insurance. VOLUME THREE Episode Five - The Imposter Gorse is drafted for military service, but army life is not his cup of tea. He decides not to return from a brief furlough and checks into a fashionable Brighton seaside hotel where he exchanges identities with a drunken R.A.F. officer. Shortly afterward, a corpse is found on the beach bearing Gorse's identity papers. Episode Six - Gorse at the End Plumleigh-Bruce and Stimpson are summoned to Brighton to verify the identity of the body bearing Gorse's papers. Plumleigh-Bruce can't face the gruesome prospect and flees to their hotel where she bumps into Alison Warren, Gorse's latest conquest. Plumleigh-Bruce's story confirms Warren's mounting suspicions. She confronts Gorse with the truth and threatens to expose him. Cornered, he takes desperate measures to escape his pursuers.

The Charmer
Average customer rating:

A charming black comedy with a charming cad. Fine performances by Nigel Havers, Bernard Hepton and Rosemary Leach

"Have you never felt that perhaps Ralph isn't all he seems to be? "

The Charmer
Starring: Nigel Havers , Bernard Hepton , Rosemary Leach , Fiona Fullerton , and Judy Parfitt
Director: Alan Gibson
Manufacturer: Goldhil Home Media
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Leach, Rosemary | ( L ) | Actors & Actresses | Stores | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B0000C5RQN
Release Date: 2003-12-16

Description

Starring: Nigel Havers, Bernard Hepton, Rosemary Leach, Fiona Fullerton, David McKail. Based on the novel `Mr. Stimpson & Mr. Gorse' by Patrick Hamilton. On the surface Ralph Gorse is a charmer in every sense of the word: handsome, suave and stylish, sparkling company and the possessor of a sexual magnetism that attracts most women h e encounters. But the charm is a veneer. Gorse is a con man and sexual adventurer, whose conquests are merely a way of obtaining his heart's desires: money and power. VOLUME ONE Episode One - The Tempter Ralph Gorse, down to his last pennies, meets Joan Plumleigh-Bruce in a roadhouse. She is attracted to Gorse, despite the difference in their ages. But Plumleigh-Bruce has another suitor, the stolid Donald Stimpson, who is attracted by her regular income, her pleasant house and the promise - yet unfulfilled - of sex. Gorse lures the jealous Stimpson into a sordid night at a pleasure house in a scheme of subtle blackmail. Episode Two - The Investor Gorse allies himself with Clarice Mannor's fast socialite crowd and continues to fortify his relationship with the romantically-swayed Plumleigh-Bruce with whom he opens a joint bank account for depositing the promised fruits of their future investments. Stimpson casts a jealous and suspicious eye over their financial and romantic liaisons. VOLUME TWO Episode Three - The Deceiver Gorse flees to Brighton where he finds employment as a car salesman and begins romancing the innocent and lovely daughter, Pamela, of his boss, Harold Bennett. Stimpson's dogged inquiries have uncovered Gorse's whereabouts; and with the swindled Plumleigh-Bruce in tow, he proceeds to Brighton to confront Gorse with the evidence. Episode Four - Gorse in the Middle Gorse marries the pregnant Pamela and settles uncomfortably into married life. Bennett, father of the bride, still suspicious of Gorse's motives, buys the newlyweds a house. The deed is solely in the bride's name, but Gorse has a scheme to turn the tables - and collect the insurance. VOLUME THREE Episode Five - The Imposter Gorse is drafted for military service, but army life is not his cup of tea. He decides not to return from a brief furlough and checks into a fashionable Brighton seaside hotel where he exchanges identities with a drunken R.A.F. officer. Shortly afterward, a corpse is found on the beach bearing Gorse's identity papers. Episode Six - Gorse at the End Plumleigh-Bruce and Stimpson are summoned to Brighton to verify the identity of the body bearing Gorse's papers. Plumleigh-Bruce can't face the gruesome prospect and flees to their hotel where she bumps into Alison Warren, Gorse's latest conquest. Plumleigh-Bruce's story confirms Warren's mounting suspicions. She confronts Gorse with the truth and threatens to expose him. Cornered, he takes desperate measures to escape his pursuers.

Customer Reviews:

A charming black comedy with a charming cad. Fine performances by Nigel Havers, Bernard Hepton and Rosemary Leach.......2007-02-28

"Not too tight, old boy," says Ralph Gorse at the end of The Charmer. We've spent nearly 312 minutes leading up to this point. They are 312 well spent minutes.

Gorse (Nigel Havers) is a charming English con man in the early Thirties. He lives by his amoral wits, seducing, enticing and working the side deals. He wants everything he isn't and everything he hasn't. Eventually he works his way up to murder. The Charmer, a wonderful Masterpiece Theater presentation now twenty years old, maintains every bit of its queasy allure, thanks in large part to Havers, to Rosemary Leach and to Bernard Hepton. Leach plays Joan Plumleigh-Bruce, a somewhat frumpy upper-middle class, snobbish Englishwoman, a widow who attracts Gorse's attention because of her property and her income. Hepton plays Donald Stimpson, a man who wears round, thick eyeglasses, has a rather silly mustache and is a property broker. He is a long-time friend and wooer of Joan, and he also fancies a marriage to her, to her income and to her property. The idea of a regular bit of the old bed springs is attractive to Stimpson, too. When Gorse meets Donald and, through him, Joan, the main pieces in this sly, malicious and self-serving game come into play.

In the course of this six-part series we will watch Gorse woo and manipulate, empty bank accounts, impregnate, cause a fire with fatal results, seduce, and murder. Following his trail like a middle-aged, self-serving angel of retribution is Donald. And Donald pulls along in his wake Joan, a woman who knows she was had and scorned, who still loves her Rafe but has Donald whispering to her that Rafe must be held accountable. Donald, of course, would like nothing better than to see Gorse brought down, partly because he detests Gorse and partly because he is sure that will be the path back to Joan's heart, bed and finances.

Is there anyone likable in this drama? Not really, and that's so satisfying. It is the ability of Gorse, Joan and Donald to ignore their real motives and fail to hide their real moral characters from us that gives us so much pleasure. By the end of the drama, Gorse, Joan and Donald each in their own way find a comeuppance that allows us to think our own upright moral characters might even be real.

Nigel Havers has a particularly tough job giving us the picture of Ralph Gorse. Havers must show us what a heel the man is, yet he also must make us see Gorse's charm. We know when Gorse is thinking up some disreputable betrayal for his own benefit. We can see how he is justifying a death. Havers also is able to show us how seductive, how pleasant, how companionable Gorse can be when he wants to. Rosemary Leach gives us a wonderful portrayal of a singularly unlikable, self-deluding woman who wants to be loved, who flutters at Gorse's attentions, who rather likes Donald's insistent courting and who thinks nothing of giving her young Irish maid condescending disdain. And last, we have Bernard Hepton, in my view one of the best of Britain's skilled character actors. With those thick glasses and that mustache, Hepton turns Donald Stimpson into a figure of slightly pompous amusement for us; that is, until we begin to realize just how resentful Stimpson is becoming, and how relentless he is in the pursuit of bringing down Gorse. Hepton turns Stimpson into a little man dangerous to underestimate, who simply won't let go.

The Charmer is murderous black comedy that is a great deal of fun, and features three outstanding performances. The DVD transfer is not as crisp as we've come to expect, but is still very easy to watch.

"Have you never felt that perhaps Ralph isn't all he seems to be? ".......2006-07-16

This British made-for-television, 6 part mini-series logging in at just over 5 hours focuses on the criminal career of "The Charmer"--Ralph Gorse, conman, blackmailer, seducer, embezzler, and killer. The story begins in the 1930s, and blond, good-looking suave Ralph (Nigel Havers) drifts into a nice quiet, upper middle class neighbourhood. Here he ingratiates himself into the good graces of snobby middle-aged widow Joan Plumleigh-Bruce (Rosemary Leach) while alienating her jealous, long-time beau, Donald Stimpson (Bernard Hepton). Ralph may flatter Joan with his romantic little tributes, but he certainly doesn't fool Donald. Although Donald gnashes his teeth with pent-up frustration and jealousy, he can't really put his finger on exactly why he loathes Ralph. The eminently sensible Donald suspects, rightly, that there's something terribly wrong with Ralph, but Joan sweeps away all of Donald's skepticism by chalking it up to jealousy. Ralph eventually does reveal his true colours, and too late, Donald realizes exactly what he's after. Donald vows revenge, and he patiently and persistently tracks his enemy.

Ralph's sociopathic, criminal, and narcissistic nature is developed and revealed gradually over the course of these 6 episodes. Leaving disaster in his wake, Ralph's Achilles' heel remains his need to constantly place himself in the upper classes where he feels he rightly belongs. A born shape shifter, Ralph can mingle with the middle classes and fool them quite adequately with lies about his past, but he cannot fool the upper classes. He drifts into the lives of the Bennett family with disastrous consequences, but a middle class life of employment and a modest home hems him in causing him almost to panic at its mediocrity.

The episodes track Ralph's career emphasizing that the advent of WWII allows him to drop in and out of society while the world is in chaos. "The Charmer" is essentially a study of one man's character, and the film succeeds admirably in placing Ralph into situations from which he extricates himself. Using lonely women to feather his existence, Ralph maintains an on-an-off relationship with his upper-class ideal, the spoiled, privileged and superficial Clarice Mannors (Fiona Fullerton). Addicted to leisure and affluence, Ralph inevitably cannot maintain a low profile--even when it's essential to do so. The characterizations are remarkably strong--everyone finds Joan Plumleigh-Bruce obnoxious--everyone--except her long-suffering beau, Stimpson. Stimpson is a marvelously understated character, so easy to overlook, but so determined to destroy Gorse. Fans of British television should enjoy this entertaining film based on the novel "Mr. Stimpson and Mr. Gorse" by Patrick Hamilton--although some patience may be required with the programme's pacing--displacedhuman

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