Glorious 39 (2009)

Directed by: Stephen Poliakoff

This review contains some severe Kitty Carnage Warnings!

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Anne Keyes (Romola Garai) is the adopted daughter of a political family who finds herself caught up in intrigue she struggles to understand.

Featured Felines: The prestigious Keyes family lives between a country estate and a home in London. The film begins at the estate where two long-haired tabby Maine Coon cat siblings live, a male and a female named George and Sonia. George is seen first as Anne gives her love interest, Lawrence (Charlie Cox) a tour of the estate. She mentions to Lawrence that George’s sister disappeared a few days ago and so George is upset.

Glorious 39 - long haired tabby cat George

Anne wakes up later to the sound of a cat meowing from a distance. She follows the sound to some rooms from which the children have always been banned. There she finds the sister cat, Sonia, locked inside one of these areas.

Glorious 39 - long haired tabby cat Sonia sitting inside window

Glorious 39 - Anne Romola Garai looking in window at long haired tabby cat Sonia

Anne looks around the room, which she believes holds her father’s papers, and finds some phonograph records with labels that indicate they are foxtrots.

Glorious 39 - Anne Romola Garai holding long haired tabby cat Sonia

Carrying Sonia back to the house, Anne tells her mother that she has found the missing cat.

Anne then enters the house where her father Alexander (Bill Nighy), brother Ralph (Eddie Redmayne) and sister Celia (Juno Temple) are having breakfast. Anne places Sonia on Cecilia’s lap.

Glorious 39 - Anne Romola Garai carrying long haired tabby cat Sonia into dining room

Still later, Anne is preparing to make love to Lawrence when he notices one of the cats watching. He asks if they must have George watching. Anne points out is is actually Sonia and she likes to watch people make love. Lawrence asks how many people she’s watched and Anne answers, “Oh, I’ve asked. But she’s not telling.”

Glorious 39 - long haired tabby cat George sitting on chair in bedroom

As the family prepares to move back to their London residence, Celia picks up Sonia and says she means no disrespect but she really misses Horatio.

Glorious 39 - Celia Juno Temple holding long haired tabby cat Sonia

Horatio turns out to be a Siamese cat who lives in their city home. The cat comes down the stairs to greet Celia when the Keyes arrive.

Glorious 39 - Siamese cat Horatio on stairs

Time passes and things get tense between Anne and her family members. In one scene Celia holds up a white cat in a carrier and explains that it is Aunt Elizabeth’s (Julie Christie) cat Bombadier and that he needs to be taken to the vet to be put down. This was sadly an actual occurence during World War II when residents of London faced massive evacuations and put down their pets so they would not have to be left behind. As much as Anne doesn’t want to put down Bombadier, she sees at as a means to sneak away from the family and deliver some vital information to Lawrence, the only person left she can trust, so she agrees to take the cat.

Glorious 39 - white cat Bombadier in carrier

Lawrence arranges to meet Anne at a vet some distance away from the family neighborhood. As Anne prepares to leave she talks to her father, who asks her to also take Horatio to be put down. Anne refuses at first, but when her father suggests a servant doing it she agrees just to get away.

Glorious 39 - Anne Romola Garai holding white cat Bombadier in carrier

In the taxi on the way to the vet, Anne promises the cats she will not let anything happen to them.

Glorious 39 - Anne Romola Garai with white cat Bombadier and Siamese cat Horatio in carriers

Glorious 39 - white cat Bombadier and Siamese cat Horatio in carriers

At the vet, many people are waiting, some with cats.

Glorious 39 - people waiting with their pets at the veterinarian

Anne is told she must fill out a form to get in line. She tries to explain she is waiting for someone but Lawrence does not show up, and the veterinarian suddenly tries to move her to the front of the line. Seeing Anne is agitated, the veterinarian suggests she take some time alone to decide what to do. Anne then notices something belonging to Lawrence in the courtyard.

Kitty Carnage Warning! Following the items, Anne stumbles into a barn which contains all the euthanized animals. This is a very graphic scene with many dead animals shown, including cats hanging from bags. Anne finds something horrific in the barn and flees.

Anne gathers the cats and announces she has changed her mind and walks away.

Glorious 39 - Anne Romola Garai walking away white cat Bombadier and Siamese cat Horatio in carriers

She then releases both Horatio and Bombadier into the woods, explaining that the cats are not safe with her any longer.

Glorious 39 - Siamese cat Horatio being released from carrier

Glorious 39 - white cat Bombadier being released from carrier

Glorious 39 - white cat Bombadier and Siamese cat Horatio outside of carriers

Near the end of the film Anne is being held in a room in her Aunt Elizabeth’s London home. She hears something near the window and opens the shutter to see the white cat Bombadier outside. “You can’t get in and I can’t get out,” she sighs.