Trottie True Review

• 7th Jun 2011

Trottie True charts the rise of a musical hall star as she moves from the lower classes to the higher echelons of British society. Starring Jean Kent as Trottie this highly elaborate costume drama focuses on the age old British concern of class difference.

Trottie becomes a music hall favorite in Bradford before being encouraged to move to a far more upscale theatre. Her personal life is complicated after a pioneer balloonist Sid Skinner crashes in her parent’s garden. Sid is as honest as the day is long but sadly has no intention of changing or seeking a higher place in society. Trotti’s success brings her into the company of the rich and famous where she in introduced to Lord Digby Landon. She is then left to ponder if the decision to marry above her class was the correct one.

The astounding aspect of Trottie True for me is the fact that it was actually made in 1949. This looks and feels like a film made at least ten years earlier especially if you compare it to the Gainsborough costume dramas of the same era. The British new wave was only a decade away but it’s impossible to imagine that when watching Trottie True. The social climbing that Laurence Harvey would do in Room at the Top in 1959 is a world away from the Britain depicted here.

The upper class costume drama has always been big business in the UK and remains so to this day simply look at The King’s Speech for example. Trottie True is straight out of this tradition given its astounding escapist fantasy world. The Technicolor is luminous and reminiscent of such works as The Red Shoes and Tales of Hoffman. The performances are fine and it’s especially nice to see James Donald in something other than a war movie. He plays Lord Digby Landon with a foppish spineless quality, but when it comes to Trottie he simply will not be influenced.

The portrait of the upper classes is also interesting in that they touch on the question of immense in-breeding and the need for fresh blood. The lower classes as always are depicted as far less suspicious of each other or anyone else. The question of class has dominated British cinema with the shift to Northern kitchen sink dramas in the 60’s seen a hugely radical. The country like the films is still heavily divided between North and South with narratives being firmly set in one region or another.

The recent Royal Wedding tried to sell the idea that bride to be Kate Middleton was in fact a commoner as her family came from a mining background. This perfectly highlights the class question that still exists within the UK today and the need for fresh blood in the aristocracy. Trottie True may not be working on the most sophisticated levels of social analysis that came ten years later in the UK bet there are interesting themes to discover.

Trottie True may be a hard sell for young movie fans but the older generation may find this re-release as fascinating as I did. The true quality of the film still rests in hit superb photography and ravishing sets and costumes. The DVD print is not the best but is passable but a nice restoration would be ideal. Odeon are currently releasing a whole host of seldom seen films from the 1940’s and 50’s and as far as I am concerned long may it continue.

Aled Jones