Victor (Cary Grant) and Hilary (Deborah Kerr) seem like the quintessential English couple – they have been happily married for over a decade, have a couple of children and a lovely property in the countryside. In actuality, they are the Earl and Lady Rhyall, descended from a long line of aristocrats that have allowed them to inherit a beautiful stately home, but not the financial means to maintain it. As a result, they have taken to opening up their home to American tourists, who arrive by the bus-load to see an authentic glimpse into the lives of the upper-class, romanticizing this side of society far more than can ever be considered true. One such tourist is Charles Delacro (Robert Mitchum), who wanders off from the group one day and finds himself in the company of the flustered Hilary, who is at first belligerent to this stranger’s advances, but rapidly finds herself starting to see something in him that she’s always longed for, a renegade intensity that her husband’s witty charm simply couldn’t ever facilitate. Within a few hours, she’s fallen hopelessly in love with Charles, who returns the exact same advances. She sets off for London for an appointment, and by what appears to be a sheer coincidence, runs into Charles again – and now far from discerning eyes, they can explore their passionate feelings in peace. The only problem is that Victor is not ignorant, and is fully aware of what his wife is doing. Unfortunately, he knows he can’t quite blame her – he’s a middle-aged, penny-pinching bore, and not a particularly good spouse to a woman who deserves so much more than she’s received. However, he’s not going down with a fight, so he enlists the help of one of Hilary’s friends, who also happens to be a former lover of his, Hattie (Jean Simmons) to find out the truth – and when he invites Charles to their manor for the weekend, knowing Hilary will be in tow, he plans to make it clear that he is in charge, and do absolutely everything he can to save his marriage, not realizing that Charles is a few steps ahead of him already, and that Hilary and Hattie have their own tricks hidden carefully up their sleeves.
The trials and tribulations of the high society have always been something audiences have been fascinated by, and while we tend to appreciate honest and direct representations of it, there is something about a good comedy of manners formed around these people that entertains us the most. Stanley Donen, who could legitimately lay claim to having directed the most significant number of entertaining films throughout his career, was the perfect person to helm the cinematic adaptation of The Grass Is Greener, the successful play by Hugh Williams and Margaret Vyner (who also adapted their text to the screen), which tells the story of a couple finding a few extra people in their marriage, causing it to become a bit crowded. Enlisting an incredible cast of some astonishing stars, and taking on the story with deft sophistication and a lot of comedic prowess, Donen crafts one of the most entertaining films of the early 1960s, a comedy that may not be particularly original, nor the most revolutionary piece, but carries such immense significance as an enjoyable bit of escapism, that it’s difficult to resist the charms embedded so deeply in the fabric of this quaint but lovable work. As someone who had made one of the best comedies of its time, Donen was in his element with The Grass Is Greener, which isn’t too much of a departure from his more notable style, with a broad story with enormous overtures of comedy, a sensational sense of humour and a real emotional gravitas all being notable qualities in this film. However, it’s still a relatively minor work, although we can easily attribute this to the film intentionally being designed as such – the play that it is based on it barely a work of grand theatre, so it only makes sense that the big-screen adaptation would carry with it the same sense of reckless fun that the original text so intently advocated for. In short, The Grass Is Greener is an absolute delight, and while it may not be particularly noteworthy in terms of other comedies from this era, it’s the exact kind of diverting exercise that refuses to take itself seriously, and instead seeks to give the audience something entertaining, rather than massively thought-provoking – although the film does have its moments of revelatory insight as well.
Inarguably, it’s not the finest work from anyone involved – in fact, everyone that took part in the creation of The Grass Is Greener are known for doing much better work both prior to this film, and afterwards, but what is most interesting here is that it doesn’t need to be some complex, subversive masterpiece that challenges boundaries and presents these actors with the challenge of doing something they had never done before. Instead, Donen is allowing his cast to play on the characteristics that mostly define them – Cary Grant is a witty, effortlessly calm and collected high society gentleman defined by his easygoing nature and incredible charm, and Deborah Kerr is his delightfully sweet but deeply conflicted wife, playing on her tendency to being defined by her role as a fragile English rose who does her best to overcome a variety of metaphysical challenges that she encounters. Robert Mitchum is the charming American who has passion pulsating through his veins and will stop at nothing to get his way, while Jean Simmons is outrageous and hilarious, but has such a wonderful depth to her, allowing her performance to be quite peculiar in how she handles both the comedic heights, and the slightly more downbeat aspects of the story. More often than not, The Grass Is Greener is a film that seems to be marketed to general audiences who were already interested in these actors, or at the very least aware of them from their immense reputations as stars in their own right. As a result, there isn’t anything about these performances that can be considered a star-making moment, which works better in the context of this particular story, since so much of it seems to find them playing on their own well-known personalities, rather than attempting to challenge expectations. All four are absolutely terrific and stand on even keel throughout, making The Grass Is Greener a true ensemble effort, since without any of these actors (as well as NAME as Sellers, the pernickety butler), this film simply would not have been nearly as entertaining as it was.
What’s also important to note is that The Grass Is Greener may be a very entertaining comedy, but it’s central themes are profoundly less likeable, since the story revolves essentially around a failing marriage that only becomes truly evident when infidelity is thrown into the picture and made an issue that everyone involved needs to deal with, since it’s not simply sufficient enough to sweep it under the rug, as is the case in many more effervescent works that include this as a subject. Had Donen not employed a cast of fundamentally lovable actors to play these characters border on despicable, it’s difficult to determine precisely how effective this film would’ve been as a comedy, especially since he’s not a director necessarily attuned to humanizing more misanthropic characters and repurposing their stories as endearing. The challenges that came with this film are quite prominent, and while we can’t say they were overcome perfectly, since there is quite a notable imbalance between the plot and the tone that persists throughout, but it succeeds exceptionally well for the most part. It doesn’t try and be more than it actually is – this stark simplicity and complete lack of convolution is one of the film’s most distinct and admirable qualities – and ultimately develops into a well-meaning comedy of manners (or rather, the complete lack of them) that manages to make a very difficult story not only palatable, but thoroughly entertaining, bringing with it a sense of buoyancy and deft heartfulness that may have been missing in a film that didn’t pay the same amount of attention to telling such a story in a way that audiences can actually appreciate and enjoy on their own terms, without needing an enormous amount of exposition, or unnecessary detail to be all that interesting.
All things considered, The Grass Is Greener is a very simple comedy, and should be treated as such. This isn’t a defining work of 1960s satire, nor is it an overly complex exploration of the human condition from a perspective that unveils all its absurdity. Rather, its a charming comedy about four people growing tired of going through the motions, and instead coming to terms with their own personal quandaries, which take the form of conversations that are very entertaining, while still carrying some emotional heft. Watching The Grass Is Greener from a contemporary perspective is quite an interesting experience – despite everything pointing towards this being a very traditional comedy from a particular era, there’s a sense of modernity that makes it seem oddly attuned to our sensibilities as viewers, with its constant insistence on directly addressing these issues that were far more taboo at the time in which this was made (what other mainstream comedies so proudly boast about being about a failing marriage that reaches its apex when infidelity is introduced?) making it far more intrepid than we’d initially expect from a piece like this. Donen may have been working from an existing text, and was therefore bound to follow it to some degree, but his unique touch is present throughout, particularly in the moments where the film feels like it’s hinting at something far deeper – and its ability to navigate this subject matter without becoming too weighed down by the heavier side of it is truly a great accomplishment. The Grass Is Greener isn’t as well-remembered as other comedies from this era, since it doesn’t have that special quality that helps it age well – but for those who do come across it, it’s a great reminder to the inherent charm that came with films produced at this time, and their frequent ability to actually challenge conventions without the audience even realizing it at first. Funny, heartwarming and exceptionally well-acted, The Grass Is Greener is an absolute delight.
The Postmodern Pelican 