A Kid For Two Farthings

Director: Carol Reed
Screenplay: Wolf Mankowitz
Starring: Celia Johnson, Diana Dors, David Kossoff, Joe Robinson, Jonathan Ashmore
Country: UK
Running Time: 96m
Year: 1955
BBFC Certificate: PG

A Kid For Two Farthings is a delightful film. Slight, scattershot and eccentric, but has a singular quality that balances the unabashed sentimentalism.

Set in the hustle and bustle of Petticoat Lane’s East End market, a small boy, Joe (Jonathan Ashmore), buys a unicorn. Actually, it’s a small goat with a single horn, but Joe has been taught by tailor Mr Kadinsky (David Kossoff) how important unicorns are in granting wishes. And there’s a lot of wishes to grant. Not least, Joe’s absent father to come home from Africa, and for body builder Sam (Joe Robinson) to win enough prize fights to finally afford to marry Sonia (Diana Dors).

Directed by Carol Reed, the tone is considerably different to The Third Man. Nor is it as effective as that behemoth of British film, but few can be. Fallen Idol Reed’s phenomenal Hitchcockian thriller was also at least told from a child’s perspective, but again, A Kid For Two Farthings is more a diversion. It’s Carol Reed’s humanism that set him apart in the first place, that gives this film the limited identity it does have.

First and foremost, it works as a light comedy. Not much happens and it swings between melodrama and farce, but letting us focus on Joe and his pursuit of the little goat, inconsequential to everyone else, gives the story focus. Wolf Mankowitz’s cheeky script has a couple of subtle zingers for grown-ups, despite the rather sentimental fantasy. I’ve seen other reviews question the balance of fantasy and reality, but on the contrary, I think in Reed’s hands, that’s the film’s best quality. The ‘unicorn’s’ questionable influence is limited and convenient, but enough for Joe to believe without the adults having to wonder too much. It’s left up to us, just how much the little goat brings everyone together.

Ultimately, the messy narrative struggles to carry us through, despite Reed’s deft and confident direction. Still, it’s a huge amount of fun and the insight into the busy, dilapidated East End market is incredible.

VIDEO

The transfer is wonderful, bringing to life the vivid detail and colours of Petticoat Lane and visibly pops across the various stalls with a lovely grain and consistently shifts with no loss of detail in night-time scenes. It has a smoky, painterly look about it, sometimes touching on a Nighthawks (Edward Hopper) vibe.

AUDIO

Sadly, the audio lets the film down. Dialogue is frequently indistinct in a poor balance. As with The Third Man Carol Reed once again favours characters speaking against either the score or the cacophony of the environment, but the levels are off and the result is muddy.

EXTRA FEATURES

An excellent collection of extra features expand on the good-hearted production. However, hidden unassumingly is Bespoke Overcoat, a short film marking the directorial debut of Jack Clayton.

• Memory Lane: Video Essay by Ella Taylor
• Dreams and Work: Jonathan Ashmore interview
• All in a Day’s Work: Vera Day
• Audio Interview with Joe Robinson
• Bespoke Overcoat (1955, Jack Clayton)
• Lobby Cards
• Behind The Scenes Stills