Three Films By Somerset Maugham – Trio / Encore / Quartet [DVD]

• W. Somerset Maugham Collection – 3-DVD Set ( Trio / Quartet / Encore )
• W. Somerset Maugham Collection – 3-DVD Set
• Trio / Quartet / Encore

United Kingdom released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: LANGUAGES: English ( Mono ), SPECIAL FEATURES: 3-DVD Set, Alternative Footage, Black & White, Interactive Menu, Photo Gallery, Scene Access, Trailer(s), SYNOPSIS: A collection of films based on the short stories of W. Somerset Maugham. ‘Trio’ (1950) is a collection of three vignettes adapted from short stories written by W. Somerset Maugham and introduced on screen by the writer himself. ‘The Verger’ follows the fortunes of Albert Foreman (James Hayter) a man of the cloth at St Neville’s whose position is terminated when it emerges that he is illiterate. Forced to change his life, he rejects reading and writing lessons and instead opens a tobacconist shop. He then becomes something of an unlikely business tycoon. In ‘Mister Know All’ we are introduced to Max Kelada (Nigel Patrick) – the type of big-mouth everyone loves to hate. A jeweller by trade, he goes on a cruise – where his inability to keep quiet leads him into an awkward situation. When he identifies the necklace of a fellow passenger’s wife as authentic, he almost reveals a secret affair. His ability to finally keep his mouth shut earns him a newfound respect. ‘Sanitorium’ is set in a TB ward in the Scottish countryside. New patient Ashenden (Roland Culver) checks in and begins immediately to observe the lives of the other patients. A touching romance between resident patients Major Templeton (Michael Rennie) captivates his imagination while the incessant bickering between elderly residents McLeod (Finlay Currie) and Campbell (John Laurie) provides comic relief. ‘Encore’ (1951) is an adaptation of three more of Maugham’s short stories. ‘The Ant and the Grasshopper’ concerns the trials and tribulations through which a ne’er-do-well brother, Tom Ramsey (Nigel Patrick), puts his prim-and-proper businessman bro…W. Somerset Maugham Collection – 3-DVD Set ( Trio / Quartet / Encore )