Heart of a Child is a 1958 British drama film directed by Clive Donner and starring Jean Anderson and Donald Pleasence.[1][2] It was adapted by Leigh Vance from the 1940 novel of the same title by Phyllis Bottome.[3]
| Heart of a Child | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Clive Donner |
| Written by | Leigh Vance |
| Based on | Heart of a Child by Phyllis Bottome |
| Produced by | Alfred Shaughnessy |
| Starring | Jean Anderson Donald Pleasence |
| Cinematography | Peter Hennessy |
| Edited by | John Trumper |
| Music by | Bruce Montgomery |
Production company | Beaconsfield Productions |
| Distributed by | J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 73 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Plot
editDuring wartime rationing, Karl, a young Austrian boy, is beaten by his father, Spiel, who threatens to sell the boy's St. Bernard dog to the butcher to pay for food for the family. However, much to the father's fury, Karl sells the dog himself to a kindly veterinarian. The dog, with the help of Maria, a spinster, then rescues Karl after he is trapped in a snowstorm. Maria ends up marrying the vet, and Karl's father ends up letting Karl keep the dog.
Cast
edit- Jean Anderson as Maria
- Donald Pleasence as Spiel
- Richard Williams as Karl
- Carla Challoner as Elsa
- Maureen Pryor as Frau Spiel
- Norman Macowan as Heiss
- John Glyn-Jones as Priest
- Willoughby Goddard as Stott
- Andrew Keir as Constable
- John Boxer as Breuer
Production
editIt was the second feature film directed by Clive Donner, who had turned down two films after his debut The Secret Place. He says they reshot the ending twice at the request of Earl St John who was dissatisfied with it. Then Sydney Box wrote another ending and that was used. Donner said the film "was not a happy experience" even though there was location work in Austria.[4]
Reception
editDonner said "I don't think it did as great business as it could have done because sentimentality of that sort is something I wasn't right for and I think I was fighting it. If I'd really gone for broke I think I would've done big, big business."[4]
References
edit- ^ "Heart of a Child". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
- ^ Tana Hobart. "Heart of a Child (1958) - Clive Donner - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ "Heart of a Child (1958)". BFI. Archived from the original on 29 June 2016.
- ^ a b Fowler, Roy (8 March 2000). "Interview with Clive Donner - Side Ten". British Entertainment History Project. Retrieved 17 March 2023.
External links
edit
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