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Half a Sixpence (film)
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Half a Sixpence is a 1967 British musical film directed by George Sidney. The screenplay by Beverley Cross is adapted from his book for the stage musical of the same name, which was based on Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul, a 1905 novel by H.G. Wells. The music and lyrics are by David Heneker.
Set in Edwardian England, the plot centers on Arthur Kipps, a draper's assistant who falls in love with a chambermaid named Ann. In quick succession, he comes into a fortune, nearly marries a wealthy girl, marries Ann instead, loses his fortune, but regains that fortune and lives happily ever after with a loving family .
tion scenes include The Pantiles in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and Oakley Court in Berkshire.
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Encyclopedia
Half a Sixpence is a 1967 British musical film directed by George Sidney. The screenplay by Beverley Cross is adapted from his book for the stage musical of the same name, which was based on Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul, a 1905 novel by H.G. Wells. The music and lyrics are by David Heneker.
Set in Edwardian England, the plot centers on Arthur Kipps, a draper's assistant who falls in love with a chambermaid named Ann. In quick succession, he comes into a fortune, nearly marries a wealthy girl, marries Ann instead, loses his fortune, but regains that fortune and lives happily ever after with a loving family .
Production notes
Location scenes include The Pantiles in Royal Tunbridge Wells, Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire and Oakley Court in Berkshire. Interiors were filmed in the Shepperton Studios in Surrey.
Principal cast
Principal production credits
Song list
- "All in the Cause of Economy," performed by Kipps, Pearce, and Apprentices
- "Half a Sixpence," performed by Kipps and Ann
- "Money to Burn," performed by Kipps, Chitterlow, Helen, and Chorus
- "I Don't Believe A Word of It"/"I'm Not Talking to You," performed by Ann and Friends, Kipps, Pearce, and Apprentices
- "A Proper Gentleman," performed by Chorus
- "She's Too Far Above Me," performed by Kipps
- "If the Rain's Got to Fall," performed by Kipps, Children, and Chorus
- "Lady Botting's Boating Regatta Cup Racing Song" (by David Heneker and Irwin Kostal), performed by Kipps and Chorus
- "Flash, Bang, Wallop!," performed by Kipps, Pearce, and Chorus
- "I Know What I Am," performed by Ann
- "This Is My World" (by Heneker and Kostal), performed by Kipps
- Finale: "Half a Sixpence" (reprise)/"Flash, Bang, Wallop" (reprise), performed by Kipps, Ann and Chorus
Critical reception
In her review in the New York Times, Renata Adler said the film "should be visually fascinating to anyone in a state that I think is best described as stoned. The movie is flamboyantly colorful [and] wildly active: hardly anyone holds still for a single line, and the characters — in the ancient tradition of musicals — live on the verge of bursting into improbable song. The songs themselves, trite, gay, and thoroughly meaningless, make absolutely no concession to anything that was happened in popular music in the last 10 years . . . some of it is quite beautiful to watch . . . . it is nice to have a musical photographed not on a sound stage, but in outdoor England . . . but most of the time one wonders where anyone found the energy to put on this long, empty, frenetic extravaganza . . . I cannot imagine that there will be many more musicals that are so lavishly, exuberantly out of touch with the world of rock and the music of our time."
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times felt that "Tommy Steele is just the performer for this sort of schmaltz. He is, in fact, a very good song-and-dance man, the only member of his generation who bears comparison with Gene Kelly and Dan Dailey . . . [George Sidney's] timing tends to lag, his sight gags telegraph ahead, and his songs drag."
Variety said, "The cohesive force is certainly that of Tommy Steele, who takes hold of his part like a terrier and never lets go. His assurance is overwhelming, and he leads the terping with splendid vigor and elan."
Channel 4 calls it "undeniably colourful and annoyingly energetic" and adds, "there is plenty of flash, bang and wallop, but very little warmth or soul, the hapless star attempting to carry the film by grinning goonishly throughout. He exudes as much charm as the deckchair he disguises himself as."
Time Out London says, "the film lays on the period charm rather exhaustingly, and the songs . . . don't exactly sweep you along."
Awards and nominations
The film was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Costume Design - Colour. Although it lost to A Man for All Seasons, its designers did not go home empty-handed, as they were responsible for the costumes in Seasons as well.
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