Lease of Life-1954-Robert Donat, Kay Walsh

Robert Donat is always unfairly overlooked in discussions of great British screen actors. An Oscar winner for Goodbye, Mr Chips, he fought chronic asthma throughout his life to give several moving and convincing performances, which usually belied the quality of the material. This tale of a Yorkshire vicar with only a year to live is a case in point. Thriller specialist Eric Ambler makes a mawkish mess of what is essentially a domestic drama but, through the gentle fidelity of his performance, Donat creates a decent and dignified character who sounds sincere even in his sentimental sermon to a congregation of schoolboys.