Holy Matrimony (1943) in Color — Starring Monty Woolley & Gracie Fields

Holy Matrimony (1943) — Buy This Classic in Color

Holy Matrimony (1943) is a delightful comedy starring Monty Woolley as a famous painter who returns to England after decades abroad, only to have his valet die and be mistaken for the great artist — a mix-up the real painter happily exploits. With Gracie Fields and Laird Cregar in superb support, this professionally colorized version brings the Edwardian settings and witty performances to charming new life. Buy your colorized copy today for €15.00 and own this wonderful classic movie in color.

Plot Summary

Priam Farll is a world-renowned, phenomenally successful painter who has lived as an obsessive recluse for twenty-five years in remote corners of the globe, pathologically avoiding all public attention and letting his devoted, capable valet Henry Leek handle every public appearance, social obligation, and business transaction on his behalf. When they finally return to England so Farll can reluctantly receive a knighthood from the King — an honor that requires his actual physical presence — Leek suddenly and inconveniently dies. Through a splendid chain of bureaucratic confusion and assumption, everyone believes it is the great artist himself who has passed away, and Leek, the mere valet, is given a magnificent state funeral in Westminster Abbey with full honors while the real Priam Farll stands in the crowd watching his own servant’s coffin being celebrated as his own. Rather than correct the error and face the terrifying prospect of public life, Farll seizes the extraordinary chance to disappear completely and live the rest of his days anonymously as his own dead valet. The classic movie finds its warm, generous comic heart when Farll — now living modestly as the deceased Leek — is contacted by a practical, no-nonsense widow named Alice Chalice, played with irresistible warm Yorkshire charm by Gracie Fields, who had arranged through a matrimonial agency to marry the real Leek and is understandably surprised by her new husband’s eccentric habits and inexplicable artistic talent. Complications mount delightfully when Farll’s genuine paintings begin appearing on the art market, attracting dangerous attention and threatening to expose his elaborate deception. Laird Cregar is memorably mischievous and relentless as the suspicious art dealer Clive Oxford who becomes determined to solve the mystery of paintings that shouldn’t exist.

Cast & Crew

Director: John M. Stahl

Stars: Monty Woolley, Gracie Fields, Laird Cregar, Una O’Connor, Eric Blore, Alan Mowbray

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

This colorized version of Holy Matrimony transforms the elegant Edwardian interiors into a visual pleasure of rich period detail. The original black and white photography captured the stuffy grandeur of English society with tasteful compositions, but the professionally colorized restoration reveals the rich oil paintings in Farll’s studio with their vibrant pigments, the warm domestic settings of his modest new life with Alice, the distinguished period costumes and tweed jackets, and the contrast between Westminster Abbey’s cold magnificence and Alice’s cozy, cluttered parlor — all rendered with frame-by-frame precision. The visual contrast between the artist’s former glamorous world of international renown and his humble, genuinely happy new existence becomes delightfully vivid and emotionally resonant in color. Now also available in colour.

Buy Holy Matrimony in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Holy Matrimony is a classic film adapted from Arnold Bennett’s beloved 1908 comic novel Buried Alive, one of the most charming and frequently adapted works in English literature, and the same source that had previously inspired His Double Life (1933) starring Roland Young. Monty Woolley — fresh from his scene-stealing triumph as the irascible Sheridan Whiteside in The Man Who Came to Dinner — brings his trademark acerbic wit and imperious delivery to the role of Farll, creating a brilliantly funny portrait of a genius artist who wants nothing more than to be left alone. Gracie Fields, one of Britain’s most popular and beloved entertainers whose concerts drew audiences in the hundreds of thousands, makes a rare, memorable, and utterly winning Hollywood appearance as Alice, bringing an earthy Northern English warmth that perfectly grounds Woolley’s patrician eccentricity. Laird Cregar, the imposing character actor who died tragically young just one year later, provides a wonderfully sly, persistent antagonist. Director John M. Stahl, better known for his glossy melodramas, proves equally deft with sophisticated comedy, maintaining a gentle, witty tone throughout. The film’s central conceit — that anonymity and genuine human connection are more valuable than fame and public adulation — carries a timeless, universally appealing message. The restored colorized version allows modern audiences to watch this sophisticated comedy with visual warmth that enhances its lovingly recreated Edwardian England.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 87 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is Gracie Fields in this?
A: Yes. Britain’s beloved entertainer makes a wonderful Hollywood appearance as the warm, practical Yorkshire widow who unwittingly marries a famous artist disguised as his own valet — and their developing relationship is the heart of the film.

Q: Is this related to His Double Life (1933)?
A: Both films are adapted from Arnold Bennett’s novel Buried Alive. Holy Matrimony is widely considered the superior version, with a stronger cast, more polished production, and sharper comic writing.

Q: Is this the colorized version of the full film?
A: Yes, this is the complete 87-minute feature, professionally colorized frame-by-frame from the restored original.

Q: Who is Laird Cregar?
A: Cregar was a gifted, physically imposing character actor who delivered memorable performances in films like The Lodger and Hangover Square before his tragic death at age 28. His role here as the suspicious art dealer is one of his finest comic performances.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: DRM-free MP4, compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: How much does it cost?
A: €15.00 for instant download. The colorization process ensures every scene looks stunning in color.

Q: Can I watch on multiple devices?
A: Absolutely. The file is DRM-free, so you can watch on your TV, tablet, phone, or computer.

Related Colorized Classics

• The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
• Follow the Fleet (1936)
• The Bride Wore Red (1937)
• The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)
• The Champ (1931)