A Yank at Oxford (1938)
A brash young American aristocrat attending Oxford University gets a chance to prove himself and win the heart of his antagonist's sister.
- Pen Tennyson
- Jack Conway
- John Paddy Carstairs
- Angus MacPhail
- John Monk Saunders
- Roland Pertwee
- Malcolm Stuart Boylan
- Walter Ferris
- George Oppenheimer
- Leon Gordon
- Sidney Gilliat
- Michael Hogan
Rating: 6.7/10 by 10 users
Alternative Title:
Der Lausbub aus Amerika - AT
Vivent les étudiants! - BE
Um Ianque em Oxford - BR
Um Yankee em Oxford - BR
En yankee i Oxford - DK
Rakastunut ylioppilas - FI
Vivent les étudiants! - FR
Der Lausbub aus Amerika - DE
Εροτες φοιτιτον - GR
Oxfordi diák - HU
Un americano a Oxford - IT
響け凱歌 - JP
Branie in Oxford - NL
Jankes w Oksfordzie - PL
Student z Oksfordu - PL
O Estudante de Oxford - PT
Un yancheu la Oxford - RO
Янки в Оксфорде - SU
Un yanqui en Oxford - ES
En yankee i Oxford - SE
Country:
United Kingdom
Language:
English
Runtime: 01 hour 42 minutes
Budget: $1,374,000
Revenue: $2,736,000
Plot Keyword: sports, oxford, rowing, american in the uk, oxford university, boat race
Robert Taylor is the eponymous character who arrives from the USA to study at Oxford University. This independent, spirited and competitive young man ("Sheridan") isn't immediately a natural fit for this berth of ancient traditions, and shortly afterwards he attracts the enmity of the all-important rowing captain "Beaumont" (Griffith Jones) - and thereby, pretty much the whole place. Things don't improve for him when he and his nemesis' sister "Molly" (Maureen O'Sullivan) begins courting. What now ensues are a series of mildly amusing scenarios that serve to illustrate the clash of cultures as much as they do of personalities, and though pleasantly engaging enough, they don't really do much more than reinforce some stereotypes all round - none that really show anyone in a particularly good light. Sadly, Taylor and neither Vivien Leigh (who's part adds little to this mix) nor O'Sullivan have much chemistry, which leaves the pace a but listless at times. There are some nice supporting efforts from CV France as the "Dean"; Edmund Gwenn; Edward Rigby as his Dickensianly-monikered, sagely, steward "Scatters" and the scene stealing Lionel Barrymore as his father. It culminates in some fine rowing scenes that reminded my of why I ever watched the famous Varsity (Oxford v Cambridge) Boat Race - I always wanted one of them to sink! It's gently light-hearted and fun - an interesting observation on two nations separated by the same tongue.
