Penny Paradise
Penny Paradise | |
---|---|
Associated British | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 72 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Penny Paradise is a 1938 British comedy film directed by Carol Reed and starring Edmund Gwenn, Betty Driver and Jimmy O'Dea.[1]
Plot
The film is set in
Cast
- Edmund Gwenn as Joe Higgins
- Betty Driver as Betty Higgins
- Jimmy O'Dea as Pat
- Ethel Coleridge as Aunt Agnes
- Maire O'Neill as Widow Clegg
- Syd Crossley as Uncle Lancelot
- James Harcourt as Amos Cook
- Jack Livesey as Bert
- Frederick Burtwell as policeman
Production
The fillm was made at Associated Talking Pictures Studios in Ealing.[1] It was an early directorial assignment for Reed, and along with many other British productions of the era, such as the same year's Reed-directed Bank Holiday (1938), has been described as "belonging to a wider studio tradition of modest representation of ordinary British life."[2]
Music
The action of the film is interspersed with several musical numbers performed by Driver and one by O'Dea. Whilst O'Dea's song is clearly provided for comic effect, those sung by Driver are presented straight.
Critical reception
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "good", writing: "Hackneyed story gets new lease of life from character acting, convincing settings."[5]
Leslie Halliwell said: "An old, old story, with modest effectiveness."[6]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "A simple and oft-told tale makes for a short and straightforward British film, given an authentic background by director Carol Reed, and beautifully played by Welsh character actor Edmund Gwenn, soon to find Hollywood stardom.
Edmund Gwenn Joe Higgin"[7]
References
- ^ a b "TitlePenny Paradise". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 12 November 2023.
- ^ Basil Dean BFI Screen Online. Retrieved 31-07-2010
- Monthly Film Bulletin. 5 (49): 218. 1 January 1938 – via ProQuest.
- Kine Weekly. 259 (1638): 14. 8 September 1938 – via ProQuest.
- ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.
- ISBN 0586088946.
- ISBN 9780992936440.
External links
- Penny Paradise at IMDb
- Penny Paradise at AllMovie
- Penny Paradise at BritMovie (archived)
- Penny Paradise at ReelStreets