Robert Newton and Celia Johnson head the cast in David Lean’s “This Happy Breed”

This Happy Breed (1944) is a British drama directed by David Lean and starring Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, Stanley Holloway, and John Mills. The screenplay is by Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, and Ronald Neame. The screenplay is based on the play This Happy Breed (1939) by Noel Coward.

The story dramatizes the life of a suburban London family from 1919 to the early years of World War II.

Robert Newton and Celia Johnson

David Lean (1908 - 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. Lean started out working in silent films where he worked his way up from teaboy to film editor. He made the transition to talking pictures and in directed his first feature In Which We Serve in 1942 which was made in collaboration with Noel Coward. Lean collaborated with Coward on This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Brief Encounter (1945) widely considered one of the greatest British films ever made. Today Lean is best known in America for his epic productions of films like The Bride on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984).

Robert Newton (1905 – 1956) was a popular English actor and is probably best remembered for his role as Long John Silver in the Walt Disney version of Treasure Island (1950). His exaggerated accent in that role is credited with what we consider the “pirate voice.” Newton was a popular player in London’s West End and he also appeared on Broadway, replacing Laurence Olivier in Private Lives. He made several films in Hollywood including The Desert Rats (1953), Les Miserables (1952), Blackbeard the Pirate (1952), and The High and the Mighty (1954).

Celia Johnson (1908 - 1982) was an English actress who was a star on the stage, film, and television. She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Brief Encounter. Other films Johnson starred in include This Happy Breed (1944) and Captain's Paradise (1953). Later in her career, Johnson won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

This Happy Breed trivia

• Laurence Olivier is the narrator during the film’s opening.
• David Lean’s first Technicolor movie and first solo directing credit.
• John Mills was the only cast member to reprise his role for the film.
• Robert Donat was offered the role of Frank Gibbons but turned it down.
• Celia Johnson plays John Mills’s mother-in-law but they were both the same age in real life.

 

To watch the film on YouTube, click here or the link below.

 

Discussion questions

1. Do you think Lean had an underlying message in the telling of the story of the Gibbons family?
2. Did Newton and Johnson make a believable married couple?
3. Were the family situations realistic? Could you relate to any of them?
4. Did the situation with Queenie (Kay Walsh) ring true?
5. Did you have a favorite character or scene?
6. Were you surprised that the film was in Technicolor? Was color a plus?

 

To join the discussion on August 7, 2023, at 6 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

 

Charles Laughton, John Mills, and Brenda de Banzie star in “Hobson’s Choice”

Hobson’s Choice (1954) is a British romantic comedy film directed by David Lean and starring Charles Laughton, John Mills, and Benda de Banzie. The film is based on the play of the same name written by Harold Brighouse. The film’s setting is 1880 Salford, England.

Henry Horatio Hobson (Laughton) is the proprietor of a somewhat fancy boot shop that he runs with his three daughters. Hobson is a widower who rules his business with an iron hand. He doesn’t even pay his daughter any wages. Not only do they work for him, but they keep house for him as well.

The eldest daughter, Maggie (de Banzie) has a real head for business and at 30 years old, she’s too old for marriage, according to her father. One of his main reasons for believing this is because she’s invaluable to his business. The two younger sisters are both keeping company with young professional men but their father is against paying marriage settlements.

Maggie decides that she wants to get out from under her father’s control so she sets her sights on Will Mossop, the most talented boot maker in the city. She convinces him that they should marry and start their own boot business. At first, Will is reluctant. However, Maggie sees potential in Will and she is determined to develop it. She tutors him in writing and advises him in the ways of business.

As a married couple, Maggie and Will have managed to turn their little startup into a very profitable business.

How will this all work out with Henry Hobson who has resented his daughter’s foray into the boot business in direct completion with him?

Brenda di Banzie and John Mills

Charles Laughton (1899 – 1962) had a long career on the stage and in Hollywood. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Henry VIII in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and was nominated for two other Best Actor Oscars for his performances in Mutiny on the Bounty (1933) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). His performance in The Suspect is considered one of Laughton’s most natural screen performances, which is credited to director Siodmak, a close personal friend of the actor.

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

Brenda de Banzie (1909 – 1981) was a British actress of stage and screen. American film audiences may remember her as Lucy Drayton in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), but she had many roles in British cinema. She costarred with Laurence Olivier as his wife in The Entertainer (1960). She starred with Olivier on Broadway in role she created, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Other film roles include The Mark (1961), and The Pink Panther (1963).

John Mills, Brenda di Banzie, and Charles Laughton

Hobson’s Choice trivia

• Charles Laughton played the role of Hobson on the stage as a teenager.
• Brenda de Banzie plays a 30-year-old in the film but was 44 at the time of filming.
• John Mills was only nine years younger than Charles Laughton and considered his role as  Will Mossop among his favorite film roles.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

 

To join the discussion on July 24, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. What was your overall impression of the film?
2. Did you find the family relationships relatable?
3. Was the relationship between Will and Maggie believable?
4. Which role did you think was most critical to the success of the film?
5. Did anything about this film surprise you?

Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard have a “Brief Encounter”

Brief Encounter (1945) is a British romantic film directed by David Lean and starring Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard. The screenplay was written by Noel Coward which was based on his play Still Life (1936).

Laura Jesson (Johnson) and Dr. Alec Harvey (Howard) are two strangers who meet by chance at a train in England. The two, both married to other people, begin to meet and develop a relationship that goes deeper than friendship. How will these two reconcile their growing love for each other when they’re both attached to other people?

Brief Encounter was only the fourth film that Lean directed. It was also the first time he was nominated for Best Director by the Motion Picture Academy. Lean won two Best Director Academy Awards for The Bridge on the River Kwai (1958) and Lawrence of Arabia (1963). He was nominated for Best Director a total of seven times from a total output of 17 films.

Celia Johnson and Tevor Howard

David Lean (1908 - 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. Lean started out working in silent films where he worked his way up from teaboy to film editor. He made the transition to talking pictures and in directed his first feature In Which We Serve in 1942 which was made in collaboration with Noel Coward. Lean collaborated with Coward on This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Brief Encounter (1945) widely considered one of the greatest British films ever made. Today Lean is best known in America for his epic productions of films like The Bride on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984).

Celia Johnson (1908 - 1982) was an English actress who was a star on the stage, film, and television. She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Brief Encounter. Other films Johnson starred in include This Happy Breed (1944) and Captain's Paradise (1953). Later in her career, Johnson won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).

Brief Encounter trivia:

• The film was shot during the winning days of World War II.
• This was Trevor Howard’s first major film role.
• Billy Wilder says he got the idea for his film The Apartment (1960) from a pivotal scene in this film.
• The film was banned in Ireland on its initial release.
• Celia Johnson was married to Peter Fleming, the elder brother of Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond.

To watch the film on YouTube click the link below.

Why watch this movie?

This was director David Lean’s first Best Director Academy Award nomination.

The film is considered one of the best British films of all time.

Lean’s film focuses more on the story than “star power” or a glamorous setting.

It influenced future director Robert Altman.

To join us for a discussion of the film on April 13, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time on Zoom. To join the discussion click here. Once you RSVP you’ll receive an email and invitation for the Zoom meeting.

Questions for discussion:

1. Why do you think this film has the reputation for being one of the best films of all time?
2. What did you think of the characterizations of Johnson and Howard? Were they likable?
3. Did anything in the film surprise you?
4. Was the ending satisfying? Did it end the way you had anticipated?

John Mills, Horst Buchholz, and Hayley Mills struggle in “Tiger Bay”

Tiger Bay (1959) is a British crime drama directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, Horst Buchholz, and Hayley Mills in her first major film role.

The plot centers around a young Polish sailor named Bronislav (“Bronek”) Korchinsky (Buchholz) who returns from a voyage to visit his girlfriend, Anya (Yvonne Mitchell). He discovers that she is no longer living in the apartment he was paying for, he tracks her down at her new flat. There she tells him that she no longer wants him and is involved with a married man (Anthony Dawson). They argue and in a fit of jealously, he hits her. She defends herself with a gun, but Bronek takes the gun from her and shoots her dead. 

Unbeknownst to Bronek at the time, a young tomboy named Gillie (Mills) watches the whole scene through the letterbox. Gillie at first fears for her life when Bronek confronts her, but instead the two develop a bond that will change both their lives.

Hayley Mills and Horst Buchholz

J. Lee Thompson (1914 - 2002) was a British film director. He made pictures in England and Hollywood and is best remembered for Cape Fear (1962) and The Guns of Navarone (1961). Thompson began his career as a screenwriter and dialogue coach. After a stint in the RAF during World War II, he went back to screenwriting. In 1950 he directed his first feature Murder Without Crime (1950) in England. Other Hollywood films directed by Thompson include What a Way to Go! (1964), John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965), and Mackenna’s Gold (1969).

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

Horst Buchholz (1933 - 2003) was a German actor who was once called “the German James Dean” was an international movie star and voice artist. In America, he starred in The Magnificent Seven (1960), On, Two Three (1961). He starred opposite Leslie Caron in Fanny (1961) and Nine Hours to Rama (1963). He’s almost as famous for the roles that got away. He was offered the roles of Tony in West Side Story (1961) and Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) but scheduling conflicts prevented him from starring in those films.

Hayley Mills (1946 - ) is an English actress and at one time was one of the biggest child stars in the world. The daughter of actor John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of Juliet Mills, she got her start in films playing Gillie in Tiger Bay (1959). It was her performance in that film that brought her to the attention of Walt Disney and international stardom. Mills made her American movie debut in Pollyanna (1960), winning the Academy Juvenile Award in the process. Other films she made at Disney include The Parent Trap (1961), In Search of the Castaways (1962), Summer Magic (1963), and That Darn Cat! (1965).

Tiger Bay trivia:

• The role of Gillie was meant to be a boy, but when the director met John Mill’s daughter Hayley, he thought making Gillie a girl would improve the movie.
• This was the English-speaking movie debut of Horst Buchholz.
• John Mills said that Hayley received no film offers in the U.K. after her acclaimed performance.
• John and Hayley Mills worked together again in The Chalk Garden (1964).

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on Zoom on Tiger Bay on February 16, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time click on the link here. Once you RSVP, you will get an email with a Zoom link.

Questions for discussion:

1. Do you think the film would have been different if the role of Gillie had been played by a boy?
2. Why do you think Gillie bonded with Bronek?
3. Did anything about the film surprise you?
4. What do you think happened to Bronek after his arrest at the end?