Box Set Monday #1: Deborah Kerr

Hello and welcome to my new series: Box Set Monday. The idea for it came when I was lamenting over the fact that so many wonderful stars don't have even one box set of their own. Fans of Katharine Hepburn, Bette Davis, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe etc. have many box sets available to them, but what about Deborah Kerr's fans? Or Greer's? And how about Eleanor and Roz Russell's? So, I decided that it would be fun to imagine I was able to create and manufacture the box sets for certain stars who haven't any; it seemed rather exciting to think about and pick out certain titles that would compliment each other and make a wonderful box set. So, to start of this series we have my queen, Deborah Kerr.

The Essential Deborah Kerr Box Set

Contains:

From Here To Eternity, 1953

The Grass is Greener, 1960

The King and I, 1956

The Night of the Iguana, 1964

An Affair to Remember, 1957

The End of the Affair, 1955

Now, a little about why I chose this particular selection of films. Firstly, I wanted to have a mix of drama, romance, and comedy. I personally prefer box sets to have a mix of an actor or actresses' films from a variety genres. So, taking that into consideration, I selected from what I consider to be the "essentials" for every Deborah Kerr film fan or for getting someone hooked on her. There are films I missed out that I'm sure other people might have included (such as Black Narcissus, Separate Tables, Tea and Sympathy) but I chose the films that I personally think would make someone fall in love with Deborah. Perhaps I'll do a Vol. 2 of this box set and include some of the films I didn't in this one.

I picked From Here To Eternity because it's perhaps Deborah's most iconic role, not only because she made such a wonderful job of Karen Holmes, but also because it was pretty the first film in which she didn't play some prim, perfect lady. Although she did get more roles in a similar vein after FHTE, Deborah never really managed to shake off the "just sit there and look pretty and English" typecast. Therefore, as a testimony to both her talent and the fact that it's a brilliant film, FHTE had to be included.

The Grass is Greener is a film I think you can't help but love. It's easy going, it's funny, it has a great cast (Deborah, Jean Simmons, Cary Grant, Robert Mitchum), and it's such a great little film. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that I had to pick this as one of the comedies. It showcases how brilliant the entire cast were as comedians (not that we didn't already know Cary was) and always look as though they are having so much fun together. It never gets old.

Whilst FHTE is arguably Deborah's most iconic role, Anna Leonowens in The King and I is probably her most well known and well loved. It's a truly wonderful film, from the cast to the music, the colours, and of course, the storyline. Deborah shone as Anna, the English governess who although being quite prim and proper, had no qualms about giving the King of Siam a piece of her mind. Everyone knows and loves this film and you couldn't very well have make a Deborah Kerr box set without including it.

In The Night of the Iguana Deborah, Ava Gardner and Richard Burton all give magnificent performances - maybe the best of their respective careers. It's sadly not all that well known but it's an essential for, not only Deborah/Ava/Robert fans, but also for classic film fans in general.

An Affair to Remember: the ultimate romantic comedy. It's one of those films that when you say "I like classic films" to someone, they reply with "Oh, me too! I love blah blah blah and AATR!". Nevertheless, it's a wonderful tear-jerking film that mixes romance, drama and comedy perfectly. If you don't love Deborah after seeing her sing "Tomorrowland" with the little kiddies, you never will.

The End of the Affair is probably the film I'm most excited to include in this selection. It's breathtakingly stunning black and white photography combined with the heartbreaking story makes this very sadly underrated film not only one of my favourite Deborah films but one of my favourite films in general. It's tragic and beautiful, sweet and haunting. It's probably the darkest of all six films.

The Essential Deborah Kerr Box Set will retail for FREE! Because everyone needs a bit of Deborah in their lives ;D

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I hope you enjoyed the first Box Set Monday. Any ideas for who box set (it's a legitimate term as of this moment) would be most appreciated. Thanks for reading!