The Secret of the Forest (also known as Ship in the Forest) in a 1956 children's film directed by Darcy Conyers and starring Kit Terrington and Jacqueline Cox.[2] It was produced by Rayant Pictures for the Children's Film Foundation. The storyline was developed by George Ewart Evans following a formula already developed by the CFF.[3]
| The Secret of the Forest | |
|---|---|
.png) Film titles | |
| Directed by | Darcy Conyers[1] |
| Written by | Darcy Conyers George Ewart Evans Gerard Bryant |
| Produced by | Anthony Gilkison[1] |
| Starring | Kit Terrington Jacqueline Cox |
| Cinematography | Sydney Samuelson |
| Edited by | John Reeve |
| Music by | DeWolfe[1] |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | British Lion Film Corporation Children's Film Foundation |
Release date |
|
Running time | 61 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editSpoilt children Henry and Caroline are excavating an ancient burial site when two crooks, having stolen a gold cup and hidden it in the site, return to retrieve it. Johnny and Mary, children of the local chief forester, see the trouble from a forest fire-watch tower and send for help.
Cast
edit- Kit Terrington as Henry
- Jacqueline Cox as Caroline
- Barry Knight as Johnny
- Diana Day as Mary
- Michael Balfour as Len
- Arthur Lovegrove as Wally
- Vincent Ball as Mr Lawson
- John Drake as P.C. Oates
- Roy Purcell as Mr Carver
- Ewan Solon as Mr Roberts
- Pamela Abbott as Mrs Roberts
- Charles Saynor as Jack Hodges
- John Stirling as fire watcher
- Ned Hood as police motorcyclist
- Dan Cressy as police motorcyclist
Production
editThe film was inspired by the late 1930s archaeological discovery of Sutton Hoo.[4] The film was made on location in Suffolk including scenes in Ipswich Museum, Rendlesham Forest and on the Deben River.[5]
Reception
editThe Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "An adequate children's film which makes occasional breaks with the traditional pattern. The plot is contrived and becomes somewhat confused through the introduction of incidents relatively unimportant to the main story-line – for instance, the overemphasis on the inconsiderate nature of Henry and Caroline, already established as spoilt children. The chase sequence makes an exciting climax, compensating for some slow development in the early stages."[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "The Secret of the Forest - Production & Contact Info | IMDbPro". pro.imdb.com. IMDb. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "The Secret of the Forest". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ Strobel, Hans; Strobel, Christel (1987). "DER KINDERFILM IN GROSSBRITANNIEN" (PDF). Sonderdruck der Jugend Kinderfilm I Korrespondenz (in German). ISSN 0175-0933. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Films made to entertain children - East Anglia Film Archive". EAFA. East Anglian Film Archive. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ Markham, R. A. D. (1990). A Rhino on High Street : Ipswich Museum, the early years. Ipswich: Ipswich Borough Council. ISBN 0-906688-12-4.
- ^ "The Secret of the Forest". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 23 (264): 49. 1 January 1956 – via ProQuest.
External links
edit- The Secret of the Forest Film available to view at East Anglian Film Archive