Elizabeth Henson has never laughed since her father died. Her mother, Betty Stockfield, and the rest of the veddy upper-class household are concerned. Then one day she spots tramp Bill Owen in the garden and laughs, so Miss Stockfield persuades the touchy Owen to help his daughter. He does so by teaching her generosity, which impresses everyone save Miss Henson's grandmother.
It's based on a stage play by Leo Marks, and is typical of a string of British movies of the era which emphasized low-key, amiable compassion -- my favorite of the type is LAST HOLIDAY, with a fine script by J. B. Priestley and J. Lee Thompson, humorous direction in a minor key by Henry Cass, and a typically spot-on performance by Alec Guinness. This movie, in contrast, seems a bit of a muddled translation, showing its stage origins in its stereotyped characters -- although Owen is fine. Some fine black-and-white photography by Geoffrey Faithfull.
It's based on a stage play by Leo Marks, and is typical of a string of British movies of the era which emphasized low-key, amiable compassion -- my favorite of the type is LAST HOLIDAY, with a fine script by J. B. Priestley and J. Lee Thompson, humorous direction in a minor key by Henry Cass, and a typically spot-on performance by Alec Guinness. This movie, in contrast, seems a bit of a muddled translation, showing its stage origins in its stereotyped characters -- although Owen is fine. Some fine black-and-white photography by Geoffrey Faithfull.