This B&W film is "of its era" (1958) when bomb sites in London and elsewhere around England were still easily found, and people were still "doing it tough".
The name of the main character, the main 'innocent', the young orphan girl Lovejoy Mason (June Archer), is intended to convey a meaning about the bitter-sweet nature of the plot. She is the thread through the film, a real character, with a child's foibles, irritations, likes and dislikes. And, her character conveys love and joy to those around her. In so doing, the film also conveys the mood of the late '50s England that was just seeing the joy after 10 years of recovery from World War II.
Around this character are several well-crafted child and adult characters who will determine Lovejoy's fate: an institutionalised orphan or a child accepted in a family.
SPOILER: The interplay of dark and light created by this dramatic tension is brought out in the final moments when the (predictable but still unexpected) death of one of the adult characters creates the opportunity for 'redemption' by another adult, with the then inevitable 'salvation' of Lovejoy. The final scene is a mild 'come-uppance' of one of the child characters but, considering the austerity of the era and the film-making, the crowded and obviously positive mood street scene with many extras might have been done more cheaply in a quieter setting; however, this would have perhaps wasted the overall uplifting mood of the film.
Players: This is an 'ensemble' film, and the players come and go. June Archer (as Lovejoy) played another child part a few years later, and could have gone on to be a good actor, but did not. Flora Robson was in the middle of her incredible 50 year career (1931-1981) and gives an important though minor part a great lift. Similarly, Edward Chapman brings gravitas to his role, in the middle of his career. David Kossoff and Lyndon Brook were then both busy actors relatively early in their careers, and this displayed their talents.
Director Philip Leacock was learning his trade but not new at it, and here conveys a mood in B&W that was obviously well learned as he went on to a long career on both sides of the Atlantic.
The name of the main character, the main 'innocent', the young orphan girl Lovejoy Mason (June Archer), is intended to convey a meaning about the bitter-sweet nature of the plot. She is the thread through the film, a real character, with a child's foibles, irritations, likes and dislikes. And, her character conveys love and joy to those around her. In so doing, the film also conveys the mood of the late '50s England that was just seeing the joy after 10 years of recovery from World War II.
Around this character are several well-crafted child and adult characters who will determine Lovejoy's fate: an institutionalised orphan or a child accepted in a family.
SPOILER: The interplay of dark and light created by this dramatic tension is brought out in the final moments when the (predictable but still unexpected) death of one of the adult characters creates the opportunity for 'redemption' by another adult, with the then inevitable 'salvation' of Lovejoy. The final scene is a mild 'come-uppance' of one of the child characters but, considering the austerity of the era and the film-making, the crowded and obviously positive mood street scene with many extras might have been done more cheaply in a quieter setting; however, this would have perhaps wasted the overall uplifting mood of the film.
Players: This is an 'ensemble' film, and the players come and go. June Archer (as Lovejoy) played another child part a few years later, and could have gone on to be a good actor, but did not. Flora Robson was in the middle of her incredible 50 year career (1931-1981) and gives an important though minor part a great lift. Similarly, Edward Chapman brings gravitas to his role, in the middle of his career. David Kossoff and Lyndon Brook were then both busy actors relatively early in their careers, and this displayed their talents.
Director Philip Leacock was learning his trade but not new at it, and here conveys a mood in B&W that was obviously well learned as he went on to a long career on both sides of the Atlantic.