''Heart of a Child'' is a 1958 British second feature ('B')

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

directed by

Clive Donner Clive Stanley Donner (21 January 1926 – 6 September 2010) Ronald Berganbr>Obituary: Clive Donner ''The Guardian'', 7 September 2010 was a British film director who was part of the British New Wave, directing films such as '' The Caretaker'', ...

and starring

Jean Anderson Mary Jean Heriot Powell (12 December 1907 – 1 April 2001), better known by her stage name Jean Anderson, was an English actress best remembered for her television roles as formidable matriarch Mary Hammond in the BBC drama ''The Brothers (197 ...

and

Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He was known for his "bald head and intense, staring eyes," and played more than 250 stage, film, and television roles across a nearly sixty-year career. Pleas ...

. It was adapted by Leigh Vance from the 1940 novel of the same title by

Phyllis Bottome Phyllis Forbes Dennis ( ; 31 May 1884 – 22 August 1963) was a British novelist and short story writer. Life and career Bottome was born in 1884, in Rochester, Kent, the daughter of an American clergyman, Rev. William MacDonald Bottome, and a ...

Plot

During

wartime rationing Rationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, services, or an artificial restriction of demand. Rationing controls the size of the ration, which is one's allowed portion of the resources being distributed on a particular ...

, 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

as Maria *

as Spiel * Richard Williams as Karl * Carla Challoner as Elsa *

Maureen Pryor Maureen St John Pook (23 May 1922 – 5 May 1977), known professionally as Maureen Pryor, was an Irish-born English character actress who made stage, film, and television appearances. ''The Encyclopaedia of British Film'' noted, "she never playe ...

as Frau Spiel * Norman Macowan as Heiss *

John Glyn-Jones John Glyn-Jones (28 August 1908 – 21 January 1997) was a British stage, radio, television and film actor. His father, William Glyn-Jones, was a Member of Parliament and he was educated at Bishop's Stortford College and Oxford University. He ...

as Priest *

Willoughby Goddard Willoughby Wittenham Rees Goddard (4 July 1926 – 11 April 2008) was an English actor whose trademark rotund figure was well known on television and in films for more than 40 years. Biography Goddard was born in Bicester, Oxfordshire. He ...

as Stott *

Andrew Keir Andrew Keir (né Buggy, 3 April 19265 October 1997) was a Scottish actor who appeared in a number of films made by Hammer Film Productions in the 1960s. He was also active in television, and especially in the theatre, in a professional career ...

as Constable * John Boxer as Breuer

Production

It was the second feature film directed by Clive Donner, who had turned down two films after his debut '' The Secret Place''. Filming started September 1957 and took place in Austria and at Beaconsfield Studios. Alfred Shaugnessy who produced said it was made by the "Box organisation". He called it "a very sentimental story in what I would call ‘Lassie’ territory" and claimed he took over directing for ten days when Donner came down with the flu, although says Donner reshot most of this. According to Donner they reshot the ending twice at the request of

Earl St John Earl St. John (14 June 1892 – 26 February 1968) was an American film producer in overall charge of production for The Rank Organisation at Pinewood Studios from October 1950 to June 1964, and was credited as executive producer on 131 films. ...

who was dissatisfied with it; then

Sydney Box Frank Sydney Box (29 April 1907 – 25 May 1983) was a British film producer and screenwriter, and brother of British film producer Betty Box. In 1940, he founded the documentary film company Verity Films with Jay Lewis. He produced and co- ...

wrote another ending and that was used. Donner said the film "was not a happy experience" even though there was location work in Austria.

Reception

Donner 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." After watching the film Bottome said Donner had "done an excellent job. The spirit and the characters have been kept—and that’s what counts.” ''

The Monthly Film Bulletin The ''Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 until April 1991, when it merged with '' Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those wi ...

'' wrote: "This conventional boy-loves-dog story appears something of a retreat for the director, Clive Donner. His first film, ''The Secret Place'', in itself a not very original East End crime story, revealed a promising talent for characterisation and realistic settings, freshly observed. ''Heart of a Child,'' with its mainly platitudinous dialogue and somewhat vague sense of time and place, lacks these virtues. Spiel, rather theatrically played by Donald Pleasence, never comes convincingly to life, and it is difficult to hold confidence in his abrupt reformation so soon after beating his son about the head with a log, and then refusing to help save his life when he is trapped in the snow. The boy is characterised with almost Dickensian sentimentality, and inexpertly played by Richard Williams. However, if young audiences can accept the happy ending without question, then they are not likely to be unduly critical of the somewhat inflexible direction and the heavily insistent music score. Jean Anderson acts with firm sympathy; and Rudi, the St. Bernard, is undoubtedly the film's best friend." ''Filmink'' argued "who wants to see Donald soften at the love of a boy for his dog?" In ''British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959'' David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Heavily made tear-jerker doesn't touch the emotions."

References

External links

* {{Clive Donner 1958 films Films directed by Clive Donner Films shot at Pinewood Studios British drama films 1958 drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films