This little known British adaptation of the 1933 German film Viktor and Viktoria sees a shop girl pretending to be a boy in order to perform onstage as a female impersonator. First A Girl stars Jessie Matthews, one of the era’s biggest British stars. She and Sonnie Hale were a successful screen partnership in British Cinema, and this is their most polished collaboration. Victor Saville’s film mixes its clever conceit with risqué comedy and impressive song-and-dance numbers to thoroughly entertaining and surprisingly transgressive effect.
Screening as part of BFI Musicals! The Greatest Show on Screen, a UK-wide film season supported by National Lottery, BFI Film Audience Network and ICO. bfimusicals.co.uk
