because there be ( for the most part ) a sense of fun and adventure in the best of errol flynn movie movie lover tend not to see that he could perform well in dramatic fashion . i can site two example represent 1 ) in dawn patrol he start crack up under the stress and strain of his command position while 2 ) in they die with their boot on and flynn sens that he be go to probably die on his last military mission ( a do his wife olivia de havilland ) . but they kid and joke together about how they will retire and grow fat together once the campaign be over . so he could act very well indeed . but the hijinks that be part of his film usually cover his ability to act . then there be jack warner . he rarely agree to let flynn do straight dramatic or comic role . in flynn early career he do do film like green light and fours a crowd and and the sister with mediocre result ( the comedy fours a crowd be the best of this bunch ) and but warner know how the public like certain actor a dramatic player and certain one in particular groove . he rarely give flynn a non adventure part after 1940. the murder mystery footstep in the dark and the all star romp thank your lucky star and and the interesting french war drama uncertain glory be exception i suspect this treatment begin to bug flynn after the rape case in 1944 and when warner be determine ( for damage control ) to try to retain flynn hero image at all cost and and to make his sexuality a type of joke . then and his contract with warner end and he go to m. g. m. he be able to do that forsyte woman with greer garson and walter pigeon and and robert young . here and he hop and he would demonstrate his ability a a straight actor a never before . that forsyte woman be base on the forsyte saga first novel and the man of property ( with a bit of the second novel in chancery thrown in ) . write by john galsworthy in the teen and twenty and the nine novel and numerous short story and interlude about member of his rich and upper middle class family remain a favorite series of tale about the period of england from 1880 to 1929 ( galsworthy die in 1933 ) . they win him the nobel prize in literature . unfortunately and the story appeal have lead to them be use for television twice and the last time only four year ago . the best version be either that recent one and or the 1960s version star kenneth more and eric porter and nyree dawn porter and martin jarvis and susan hampshire and nicholas pennell and and ( introduce ) michael york . i say unfortunately because the television version ( be multiple episode ) allow the screenwriter more opportunity to dramatize more of the story . whole plot line and jettison or condense in a single film ( even of a single novel ) be expand more comprehensibly . also and a the 1960s version be go through the first six novel in 26 hour episode and character be give a chance to develop . in particular soames forsyte and the character play by flynn in the movie . in the 1960s version soames be play by eric porter . now it be an odd balance here . porter have no great film career he do not become the film icon that flynn do . but on television he certainly be quite effective in several program ( he be a memorable nevil chamberlain in winston churchill represent the wilderness year ) . his version of soames be a wonderful full blood characterization . instead of just be a stuffed shirt solicitor and art collector and porter show the demon that drive soames to the mad act that blight his home life ( soames sexually attack an unwilling irene his wife when she refuse to fulfill her wifely duty ) . later his stuffiness actually stand out in rather good contrast to the anti victorian backlash that follow the first world war . he become a grand old curmudgeon . flynn could not do this . indeed the entire rape issue in the novel be totally play down in the film ( mgm brass could not bring up the idea of rape with flynn and even though he have win the 1944 case bring against him on that charge ) . instead they emphasize the other unattractive side of soames . commit to property and in his art collecting and his accumulation of wealth and and his home ( and his future house be build by philip bossiney ( robert young ) ) and the movie soames considers irene ( greer garson ) his possession . in the novel this theme be bring out by galsworthy ( typical of the mindset of victorian england even in it law ) . irene try to escape with bossiney ( who be engage to soames cousin june ( janet leigh ) ) and but the latter dy under violent circumstance . however and irene do leave soames and and end up marry soames other cousin jolyon ( pidgeon ) . with the total affect of the novel cut due to the more of 1949 and the history of it male lead man and the story be weaken . to his credit flynn do give a good performance . he be a totally unlikeable victorian pompous as who happen to have no sense of humor ( which be soames character and before his marriage problem ) who like to collect thing . problem be and even with his money it be hard to understand why anyone would be willing to marry such a man . irene ( in the novel ) be the daughter of a professor who have die and and be live with her step mother ( whom she can not stand ) . if this be develop ( a it be in the 1960s series ) the problem of her marrying soames would be understood . here it wasn not . a the story be do so superbly by porter and his co star in the 1960s and flynn good performance in such a mediocre version be distinctly minor . however and out of respect for errol attempt to show what he could do ( and his personal result ) i will give the film a 7 a a good than average try .