writers_reign This doesn't quite work on any level with an eclectic cast shoehorned together and giving the impression that all they want to do is get it over with, pick up their wedge and go home. The only thing that could induce me to sit through a schmaltz fest like this was Celia Johnson in the lead role. Clearly Reed had seen her as Ethel Gibbon in Coward's superb This Happy Breed and noted how well she was able to bring off a cockney despite being one of nature's aristocrats. What Reed overlooked, of course, was that he is no David Lean and Mankowitz is no Coward so that poor Miss Johnson is left floundering. What Diana Dors is doing in the same film as Celia Johnson we'll never know. Even badly miscast Celia Johnson is value for money but that's the only thing this has going for it.

krocheav At last, a chance to see this unique, rarely played film again. During a resent trip to the UK and a chance visit with friends to Covent Gardens market, I happened to find a DVD copy. While my copy is not one of the re-mastered Criterion discs, this HVE disc has very good visual quality (even if the audio may be a slight thin) The transfer from the original IB three strip Technicolor is fine indeed.When I first saw this work I had no idea it was made by that great British master Carol Reed (odd Man Out '47 ~ The Third Man '49 etc) This is a film of believable humanity with a true sense of beauty (often amidst back alleys). This unusual story at first seems to be a fantasy but it later dawns on the viewer that all that happens, does so by natural coincidence. It's almost told through the eyes of Joe, a young lad growing up in a part of London now long gone (pettycoat lane)...the real story teller though, is the local tailor superbly played by David Kossoff. He's the gentle teller of stories that create a sense of wonder in young Joe. This marvelous story, written by Wolf Mankowitz has so many nuisances, I can't help but feel both these characters were etched out of the writers recollections and experiences of growing up with such people in similar surroundings. It's also spiced with some very witty humor. In another of Wolf's award winning short stories "The Bespoke Overcoat" he tells the story of a tailor (again played by David Kossoff) this also featured strong overtones of human responsibilities. Many of the characters in 'A Kid for two Farthings' are quite gruff and the theme involves some grotesque wrestling scenes but somehow the drama of these everyday lives all adds up to a very special experience.In some ways the look and feel of 'Kid' is reminiscent of Reed's "Oliver" a decade later. The young lovers of this piece are convincingly played by Diana Dors (her best work though was probably in "Yield to the Night" in '56) and wrestler Joe Robinson - surprisingly good in his role. Robinson, having been injured in various rough and tumble bouts realized movies offered a safer way to make a living. Young Joe (Johnathon Ashmore) who never made another film, grew up to become a Physiology lecturer.This film is given a terrific look by superb Director of Photography Ted Scaife whose other works included the classic 'Outcasts of the Islands' 51 and two surprise entries in the Tarzan series 'The Greatest Adventure' 59 and 'The Magnificent' 60. Everything he photographs is graced with eye popping Art Direction by multi Award winner Wilfred Shingleton ('Great Expectations' 48 ~ African Queen' 51) The above combination brought together by an astute director, with a sensitive script, assures that this film offers a veritable visual treat. The film was well received at Cannes film festival and deserved its nomination for a Palme D'or.The melodic music by prolific jazz and symphonic composer Benjamin Frankel, also known for: 'Footsteps in the Fog' 55 and 'End of the Affair' 55, adds just the right finishing touch. It tells much about the modern media industry when these great Motion Pictures don't receive the recognition they deserve, while so much cartoonish fluff flourishes.If you like entertainment with a flair for realistic details and warmth, then this could be for you. The final walk off with tailor Kandinsky cradling the 'unicorn' won't be forgotten easily. Recommended for discerning viewing or film study...AND, good quality DVD's are out there!....KenR.

andrewelliott777 Wow, I can't believe reviews saying the boy was a bad actor. He is perfectly natural and adorable. Also, the color was magnificent, gritty, yet vibrant. Black and white would not have added anything to the colorful market days and red neon nights. This is a real gem and I highly recommend seeing it. I'm confused why it's considered a fantasy though, since nothing happens that couldn't happen in real life. This film really gives you a sense of place and time, and you feel you know these people and that they are real and a tight knit loving community so different from modern times. There is so much wit, wordplay and attention to detail. It's the little things that make it so nice, like the man watching ballet on the TV while the wrestling match is going on. This film is compelling and utterly charming. I highly recommend it.

ackstasis Carol Reed is one of the few directors whose work I fervently wish to explore exhaustively in the near future. I made this decision on the basis of his post-War masterpiece 'The Third Man (1949),' perhaps one of the top ten films ever made, and my resources are currently strained in the frantic search for 'Odd Man Out (1947)' and 'The Fallen Idol (1948),' of which most speak with only the utmost praise. In the meantime, I managed to tape 'A Kid for Two Farthings (1955)' on late-night television, and, though it is one of Reed's more obscure offerings, I must say that I quite enjoyed it. Distinctly British in tone, the film is a gentle and warm-hearted fantasy film, depicted through adult eyes and designed to appeal both to children and to those who once were. Set in lower-class London, the story revolves around a bright young boy, Joe (Jonathan Ashmore), who uses his pocket-money to purchase what he believes to be an infant unicorn. Reed, even with what is relatively light fair, expertly captures the warmth and spirit of the working-class community.In the hustle-and-bustle of London, a weary mother (Celia Johnson) takes care of her young son, Joe, waiting tiredly for the next letter from her husband, who is trying to make a living in the African colonies. Her neighbour Mr. Kandinsky (David Kossoff) runs a not-so-profitable tailor shop, and yearns above all else for a steam presser to make things easier for his aching bones. Mr. Kadinsky's diligent bodybuilding assistant Sam (Joe Robinson) has spent the last four years engaged to beautiful blonde Sonia (Diana Dors), but his meagre income has continually delayed their marriage; to raise the funds, he challenges a massive wrestler (Primo Carnera) to a professional bout in the ring. One day, when Joe is sent out to buy himself a puppy, he instead happens upon a runtish kid goat with a single paltry horn protruding from its forehead. Having remembered Mr. Kadinsky's tale about the magic powers of a unicorn, he immediately purchases the pathetic little creature, and so sets about improving the lives of his family and loved ones by drawing upon the wish-granting abilities of his newfound companion.By the end of the film, Joe's young "unicorn" becomes a beaming symbol of hope for the story's main characters, and (arguably) triggers an unexpected upsurge in fortunes for the lower-class battlers. Strictly speaking, the story contains nothing that might be considered implausible in true life, but Edward Scaife's vivid Technicolor photography, particularly at night, highlights the artificiality of the shooting locations and studio sets, reinforcing the film's foundations in fantasy. David Kossoff provides the film's best performance as the wizened Jewish tailor, and Jonathan Ashmore is very enjoyable in the main role; his perfect elocution may conflict with his supposed lower-class upbringing, but it also makes his every word an absolute delight. 'A Kid for Two Farthings' is most certainly an outing in fantasy, only it distinguishes its fairytale by reflecting upon it from the nostalgic perspective of an adult, emphasising the importance of make-believe in the development of young minds in difficult times, and also perhaps suggesting that, even in adults, a lit bit of child-minded optimism doesn't go amiss.