A Kid for Two Farthings (1956)

Why so much hype?

As Good As It Gets

An Exercise In Nonsense

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Carol Reed's A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS offers a broad mix of filmmaking techniques and different kinds of genre intermingling into one successful whole. It mixes together a bunch of different sub-plots in its portrayal of life in London's bustling East End, and most of them are very successful. It helps that a seasoned cast of performers are around to bring their characters to life in a realistic way.The title refers to a child character and his quest to buy a unicorn to bring his family and friends luck. He ends up with a goat instead. The kid's performance and dialogue are a bit annoying at times, but there are fun moments like the bit where he chases his new pet through the bustling market. The goat is endearing and the small tragedy of the climax really hits home. Elsewhere, we get a realistic romance between Diana Dors and her beau, the underrated wrestler-turned-actor Joe Robinson, who gives the best performance I've seen from him.Another plot strand has David Kossoff's hard-pressed worker struggling to make ends meet, while the larger-than-life Primo Carnera is a delight as the hulking villain of the piece. This film's wrestling scenes are well staged and there's always a familiar face, like Sid James or Irene Handl, to bring colour to the background. I thought it was a great little film overall, one that brims with life and character.

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.

I love old movies and looked forward to seeing this on Film4 today. It's just finished and I have to say it ranks very high in the 'Why did they bother' stakes. Very bad casting, some appalling acting with the lead character - a little boy, raised in the tough East End of London who talks with more marbles in his mouth than he has teeth! I'ts in colour though really should have been b&w to give it more atmosphere but frankly, it would have taken a hell of a lot more to save this old crock. Only watch it if you're wrapped head to foot in a plaster cast and have nothing else to watch. Much worse than I expected, given the great films turned by the British studios of that era. To cheer me up I'm now going to watch Sunset Boulevard for the umpteenth time. Disappointed, Steve Weaver, UK.

What a bunch of moaners. It would seem obvious to me that the mother and her son were middle class down on their luck.( note - disappeared dad) Hundreds of thousands of people found their lives turned upside down during and just after the war. Mine was. Yes, perhaps it would have been better in black and white, but can't you just suspend critical faculty just enough to enjoy the story. Nobody noticed Barbara Windsor, even uglier then than she is now. Gerald Kersh is a blast from the past. His novel 'Fowlers End' is a marvellous depiction of life amongst 'ordinary' folk between the wars.I am 70, but I cried like a babby,watching this last week