The Moon and Sixpence (film)
| The Moon and Sixpence | |
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Film poster
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| Directed by |
Albert Lewin John E. Burch (assistant) |
| Produced by | David L. Loew |
| Screenplay by | Albert Lewin |
| Based on |
The Moon and Sixpence 1919 novel by W. Somerset Maugham |
| Starring |
George Sanders Herbert Marshall Doris Dudley |
| Music by | Dimitri Tiomkin |
| Cinematography | John F. Seitz |
| Edited by | Richard L. Van Enger |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
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Release date
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Running time
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89 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1.2 million (US rentals) |
The Moon and Sixpence is a 1942 film adaptation of W. Somerset Maugham's novel of the same name. Dimitri Tiomkin was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.
Geoffrey Wolfe (Herbert Marshall), a writer similar to Maugham, tells the story of Charles Strickland (George Sanders). A mediocre, seemingly unassuming London stockbroker, Strickland suddenly gives up his career, wife of 17 years (an uncredited Molly Lamont), and children and moves to Paris. Mrs. Strickland asks Wolfe to bring him back. To Wolfe's surprise, Strickland has not run away with another woman (as he had been told), but because Strickland feels compelled to become a painter. He exhibits no remorse or shame about abandoning his family and refuses to return to his old life, whereupon his wife divorces him. Despite his strong disapproval of Strickland's callous behavior, Wolfe is intrigued.
Several years later, Wolfe is in Paris to see his friend, kindhearted Dirk Stroeve (Steven Geray). Stroeve is a bad painter, but an astute judge of others' talent. When Wolfe asks if he knows Strickland, he confidently states that the man is a great painter, even though he has not sold any of his work and barely ekes out a living with odd jobs. However, Stroeve's beloved wife Blanche loathes the man.
Finding Strickland seriously ill near Christmas, Stroeve persuades a very reluctant Blanche to take him into their happy home, promising to nurse him back to health by himself. After six weeks, the artist recovers and makes himself at home, even evicting his host from his own studio. When Stroeve asks him to leave, Blanche unexpectedly announces she is going with him. Stroeve first tries to throttle Strickland. Then, after regaining his composure, he gives the couple the apartment and departs himself.
Later, Strickland discards Blanche (he only accepted her because he wanted to study the female form), and she commits suicide. Even after all this, Stroeve offers to put Strickland up at his mother's home in Holland. He declines.
Wolfe travels to Tahiti, where he learns of Strickland's fate from Captain Nichols (Eric Blore) and Tiara Johnson (Florence Bates). Tiara had arranged a match between Strickland and her young, infatuated cousin Ata (Elena Verdugo). They marry, live happily on Ata's property, and have a child. Strickland paints as much as he wants.
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