21 DAYS (1940)

In London, a successful lawyer (Leslie Banks) is on the verge of being named a judge. His likable but irresponsible brother (Laurence Olivier) is back in town and rekindles his relationship with a former lover (Vivien Leigh) who is married but long separated from her husband. But the husband shows up unexpectedly and demands money to go away. A scuffle ensues and the husband pulls out a knife but Olivier gets the better of him and ends up killing him. Olivier dumps the body in a nearby alleyway but is seen by a passing tramp (Hay Petrie) who ends up stealing from the body—and more importantly picks up a pair of bloody white gloves that Olivier dropped. Oliver goes to his brother for advice; he somewhat surprisingly tells Olivier to leave the country, mostly because the publicity could damage Banks' chances of becoming a judge. When Petrie is arrested for the murder, Banks and Olivier believe that the evidence is not strong enough to convict him. Hoping to get away scot free while Petrie is found not guilty, Olivier stays in town and spends the next 21 days (before the case is decided) living at leisure with Leigh. Banks can't imagine that Petrie will be found guilty, but if he is, Olivier has agreed to give himself up. None of them have counted on Petrie, in a somewhat addled state, assuming that he is guilty and not fighting for himself in court.

This is a twisty little melodrama with a big plothole (the murder was a case of self-defense and Olivier would surely have been exonerated) and a rather audacious twist at the end, like in an O. Henry story or an Alfred Hitchcock TV episode. All we're shown of the couple's 21 days together are scenes at carnivals or amusement parks. Characterization is incredibly flat except for the lawyer (mostly due to Banks' solid performance). This was filmed in 1937, before Olivier and Leigh (pictured) got married and before Wuthering Heights and Gone With the Wind made them both stars—it seems to have been held from release until Wind opened with the assumption that Leigh would be more marketable by then. Oddly, the two give lightweight performances, and the whole feels a bit stagy, shoddy and rushed through. Graham Greene has a screenwriting credit, and his interest might have been in the moral quandary that Banks initiates, but that aspect of the action is not deeply examined. This doesn't crop up much, so you may want to catch it if it does, but you won't miss much if you don't. Originally released in the States as 21 Days Together. [TCM]