"The Last Holiday" is a remarkable film. It has abundant wit and abundant warmth; it has a wealth of acute characterization, and, woven skillfully among all three, it has profound tragedy. In short, "The Last Holiday" has about everything that a film needs, not the least of which is an excellent cast, headed by the versatile Alee Guinness.

J. B. Priestley's scenario may, at times, seem a bit fantastic and occasionally moves too rapidly from one incident to another, but Mr. Priestley has treated the theme of human loneliness with originality, with humor, and with pathos--with a dexterity which overshadows minor plot difficulties.

Mr. Byrd, a bachelor played by Guinness, is told that he has a fatal disease and but a few weeks to live. Byrd has neither family nor friends to regret, only unfulfilled desires. He leaves all he has--his job--and resolves to spend a last holiday at an exclusive seaside hotel. There he is offered "influence, riches, love and kisses," none of which can be his. "The Last Holiday" has another and a last tragedy, an ending tense because of its substance and its sudden inevitability.

The guests at the Regal Hotel are eccentric to the hilt. If each were not portrayed so expertly, the film would degenerate into a tedious gallery of oddities; but the acting is splendid, and one cannot help enjoying this collection, incredible as it is.

Alec Guiness' performance is of high quality, which, of course, is his standard. His role is a tenth success added to the nine with which American audiences are familiar--"The Cocktail Party" and eight others in "Kind Hearts and Coronets."

"The Last Holiday" has a great deal to say, but not once does it speak with the offensiveness of a "message." Byrd is a nice guy, and, to quote Leo Durocher, "nice guys always finish last." A lot of charlatans surround this nice guy, a lot of charlatans who are at the top.

This film will make you laugh, and it will leave you with a sense of personal tragedy. These are emotions which only a remarkable picture could combine harmoniously.