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Poster for Designing Women (1948)

Designing Women (1948)

1948 · Short film · 22 min · dir. Roger MacDougall

  • Documentary
  • Short
  • Drama
Watch now On the Internet Archive

Synopsis

Joy Shelton and Henry Geldard are moving into their first home. They unpack pictures of crinoline ladies and a spotty teaset with a pot that doesn't pour and cups with inadequate handles. They fold down the handy table in the kitchen but find the cooker and the fridge are in the wrong place and they have to crawl under the table to answer the door...In shimmer a couple of ethereal beings - Miss Design and Miss Arty. Like Mary Poppins, they click their fingers and move the furniture around. While Miss Design explains utility, Miss Arty has a go at the living room and bedroom. Her taste is truly grisly, mixing Art Deco with frills and nicknacks. Her living room has panels on the walls featuring palm fronds, but Miss Design strips it all down and slims down the furniture.We get a sense of post-war taste - nice wooden furniture that fits the space. Clutter is eliminated, crinoline ladies are replaced by curtains after Paul Klee.Worth it for Joyce Grenfell's turn as Miss Arty - wearing her hair in coils over her ears and grinning enthusiastically.

Synopsis from OMDb

Details

Director
Roger MacDougall
Writer
Roger MacDougall
Cinematography
William Luff
Studio
COI
Released
1948-01-02
Running time
22 minutes
Language
English
Collection
Ephemeral Films

Subjects on the Internet Archive

Cast & crew