Sammy Going South
Encyclopedia
Sammy Going South, retitled A Boy Ten Feet Tall for its later US release, is a 1963 British adventure film
directed by Alexander Mackendrick
, photographed by Erwin Hillier
, and starring Edward G. Robinson
, Fergus McClelland and Constance Cummings
. The film was based on a novel by W.H. Canaway
and adapted for the screen by Denis Cannan
. It was produced by Michael Balcon Productions and Bryanston Films
. It was first broadcast on British television on BBC2 on Christmas Day, 1970 and on American television by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 1971.
, Egypt
, with his parents. When they are killed in a bombing during the Suez Crisis
, the boy flees the city in the ensuing panic. He sets out to reach his only living relative, an aunt who lives 5000 miles to the south in Durban
, South Africa
-- on the other side of the continent and in a different hemisphere. Along his journey Sammy encounters a colourful array of characters. His first "guide" is an Arab peddler who dies in a freak accident. Sammy is then "rescued" by wealthy tourist Gloria van Imhoff (Constance Cummings
). When she wants to return him to Port Said
, Sammy runs off and encounters a crusty old hunter/diamond smuggler, Cocky Wainwright (Edward G. Robinson
), whose life is subsequently saved by the boy. When the police search for Sammy, they arrest the old man, who has been a fugitive for years. After Sammy is finally united with his Aunt Jane (Zena Walker
), he learns that the old smuggler left him his entire fortune. As Cocky Wainwright, Edward G. Robinson
gave "one of the subtlest performances of his later career." Chosen for 1963's Royal Film Performance
and nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for best British cinematography in 1964, the film had a difficult production period; Robinson suffered a heart attack and cast members were bitten by snakes.
in London in March, 1962 when he was chosen, from hundreds of other boys, to play Sammy. Alexander Mackendrick thought that Fergus was perfect for the role. “He was a lean, hard, little boy. Tough as old nails...a really strong character”, said Mackendrick. “He had the hunted look of an abused child, which in some ways he was. He came from a disturbed home; his parents were getting divorced and there were problems. So he was the perfect casting. But when he went out to Africa, he started having the time of his life. The unit adored him and, to my dismay, started to feed him...he put on weight and there was no way I could stop it. So, instead of this hunted and abused child, who’s supposed to be starving and neurotic, you had a sturdy, stocky, well fed little character. A good actor, but the physique betrayed itself.”
Filming began in Africa in May, 1962 in CinemaScope and Eastman Colour and finished at Shepperton Studios in England in November of that year (Fergus McClelland celebrated his 12th birthday on the set in September, 1962). For political reasons, filming couldn't be done in Port Said, Egypt, so Mombasa in Kenya stood in for the scenes set at the height of the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the air attack on Port Said. Some long shots were done clandestinely by a second unit in Egypt, with an Arab boy dressed as Sammy and with the negative later being smuggled out of the country. Originally, the finished film came in at over three hours and two film editors were brought in by executive producer Sir Michael Balcon to trim it considerably to a more manageable 129 minutes. When submitted to the British Board of Film Censors in February, 1963, they ordered further cuts totalling one minute where the Syrian peddler was shown lusting after Sammy before they would grant the film the "U" certificate that the producers were after (oddly enough, a small part of these censored scenes apparently made it to the release version and can be seen on the present DVD). It was chosen as The Royal Performance Film of 1963 and premiered at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London, attended by H.M, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on Monday, March 18, 1963 and released nationally in April. Shortly after its initial release in 1963, the film was trimmed of a further nine minutes and this version was the one that was used for its first showing on British television in 1970 and all subsequent television showings in the United Kingdom. In 2010, when Optimum Releasing in the UK wanted to release the film on DVD, they made a thorough search for the original 128 minutes release version without success. Not even the British Film Institute had one. So reluctantly, Optimum released the 119 minutes version instead (running 114 minutes at PAL running speed). The original release version is now believed lost. When the film was released in the United States, it was retitled "A Boy Ten Feet Tall" and it was cut by forty minutes so that it would fit on a double bill, which considerably ruined the narrative. Tristram Cary's score was also replaced by another score composed by Les Baxter. Regarding the American distributors changing the title of the film, in a BBC radio interview recorded in June, 2010, Fergus McClelland recalled: "They were very worried that white Americans would think it was about a black boy called Sammy and wouldn't go to see the film."
The actual history of the making of the film is a very troubled one. Executive Producer Sir Michael Balcon saw the story as a Disney-fied and heartwarming tale of a ten years old innocent boy’s triumph over adversity, set against the fantastic CinemaScope and Eastman Colour scenery of the African continent. However, the film’s director, Alexander Mackendrick, had an entirely different understanding of the story and his understanding of it was altogether darker: He saw it as “the inward odyssey of a deeply disturbed child, who destroys everybody he comes up against”. Mackendrick tried his best to compromise with these two contrasting interpretations and this is probably the reason why Sammy Going South turned out not to be quite the classic film it should have been and the complete cutting by Balcon of key scenes vital to the narrative undermined the film considerably. However, despite the cutting of these scenes, something of the quality and realism that Mackendrick strived to put on film still came through.
Adventure film
Adventure films are a genre of film.Unlike pure, low-budget action films they often use their action scenes preferably to display and explore exotic locations in an energetic way....
directed by Alexander Mackendrick
Alexander Mackendrick
Alexander Mackendrick was a Scottish American director and teacher. He was born in Boston, Massachusetts and later moved to Scotland...
, photographed by Erwin Hillier
Erwin Hillier
Erwin Hillier was a German-born cinematographer known for his work in British cinema from the 1940s to 1960s.-Early career:...
, and starring Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
, Fergus McClelland and Constance Cummings
Constance Cummings
Constance Cummings, CBE was an American-born British actress, known for her work on both screen and stage.Born Constance Halverstadt in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Dallas Vernon Halverstadt, a lawyer, and his wife, Kate Logan Cummings, a concert soprano. she began as a stage actress,...
. The film was based on a novel by W.H. Canaway
W.H. Canaway
William Hamilton Canaway, known as W.H. Canaway, also known as Bill Canaway, was the author of novels that combined adventure with natural history and a love of the outdoors...
and adapted for the screen by Denis Cannan
Denis Cannan
Denis Cannan was a British dramatist, playwright and script writer. Born Denis Pullein-Thompson, the son of Captain Harold J. Pullein-Thompson and novelist Joanna Cannan, he changed his name by deed poll in 1964. His younger sisters were Josephine, Diana and Christine Pullein-Thompson.Born in...
. It was produced by Michael Balcon Productions and Bryanston Films
Bryanston Films (UK)
Bryanston Films was a British film company formed by Michael Balcon and Maxwell Setton in mid-1959 following the collapse of his Ealing Studios. Neither a production studio, nor a distributor it released independent British films through British Lion Films In operation until 1963, it was intended...
. It was first broadcast on British television on BBC2 on Christmas Day, 1970 and on American television by the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) in 1971.
Plot
Ten-year-old Sammy (Fergus McClelland) lives in Port SaidPort Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, with his parents. When they are killed in a bombing during the Suez Crisis
Suez Crisis
The Suez Crisis, also referred to as the Tripartite Aggression, Suez War was an offensive war fought by France, the United Kingdom, and Israel against Egypt beginning on 29 October 1956. Less than a day after Israel invaded Egypt, Britain and France issued a joint ultimatum to Egypt and Israel,...
, the boy flees the city in the ensuing panic. He sets out to reach his only living relative, an aunt who lives 5000 miles to the south in Durban
Durban
Durban is the largest city in the South African province of KwaZulu-Natal and the third largest city in South Africa. It forms part of the eThekwini metropolitan municipality. Durban is famous for being the busiest port in South Africa. It is also seen as one of the major centres of tourism...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
-- on the other side of the continent and in a different hemisphere. Along his journey Sammy encounters a colourful array of characters. His first "guide" is an Arab peddler who dies in a freak accident. Sammy is then "rescued" by wealthy tourist Gloria van Imhoff (Constance Cummings
Constance Cummings
Constance Cummings, CBE was an American-born British actress, known for her work on both screen and stage.Born Constance Halverstadt in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Dallas Vernon Halverstadt, a lawyer, and his wife, Kate Logan Cummings, a concert soprano. she began as a stage actress,...
). When she wants to return him to Port Said
Port Said
Port Said is a city that lies in north east Egypt extending about 30 km along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal, with an approximate population of 603,787...
, Sammy runs off and encounters a crusty old hunter/diamond smuggler, Cocky Wainwright (Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
), whose life is subsequently saved by the boy. When the police search for Sammy, they arrest the old man, who has been a fugitive for years. After Sammy is finally united with his Aunt Jane (Zena Walker
Zena Walker
Zena Walker was an English actress in film, theatre, and television.Walker was born in Birmingham, the daughter of George Walker, a grocer, and his wife Elizabeth Louise . She attended St. Martin's School in 1960 and then went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She starred in an...
), he learns that the old smuggler left him his entire fortune. As Cocky Wainwright, Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson
Edward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
gave "one of the subtlest performances of his later career." Chosen for 1963's Royal Film Performance
Royal Film Performance
The Royal Film Performance is a charity performance of a British film which is attended by members of the British Royal Family. The proceeds from the evening's entertainment are donated to the Cinema and Television Benevolent Fund, a charity which offers financial support to people from the film,...
and nominated for a BAFTA Film Award for best British cinematography in 1964, the film had a difficult production period; Robinson suffered a heart attack and cast members were bitten by snakes.
Production
Fergus McClelland was an eleven years old pupil at Holland Park Comprehensive SchoolHolland Park School
Holland Park School was opened in London, UK, in 1958. It became the flagship for comprehensive education, and in its heyday had over 2000 in the student body. It became known as the "socialist Eton", and a number of high-profile socialists sent their children to Holland Park School, adding to its...
in London in March, 1962 when he was chosen, from hundreds of other boys, to play Sammy. Alexander Mackendrick thought that Fergus was perfect for the role. “He was a lean, hard, little boy. Tough as old nails...a really strong character”, said Mackendrick. “He had the hunted look of an abused child, which in some ways he was. He came from a disturbed home; his parents were getting divorced and there were problems. So he was the perfect casting. But when he went out to Africa, he started having the time of his life. The unit adored him and, to my dismay, started to feed him...he put on weight and there was no way I could stop it. So, instead of this hunted and abused child, who’s supposed to be starving and neurotic, you had a sturdy, stocky, well fed little character. A good actor, but the physique betrayed itself.”
Filming began in Africa in May, 1962 in CinemaScope and Eastman Colour and finished at Shepperton Studios in England in November of that year (Fergus McClelland celebrated his 12th birthday on the set in September, 1962). For political reasons, filming couldn't be done in Port Said, Egypt, so Mombasa in Kenya stood in for the scenes set at the height of the Suez Crisis of 1956 and the air attack on Port Said. Some long shots were done clandestinely by a second unit in Egypt, with an Arab boy dressed as Sammy and with the negative later being smuggled out of the country. Originally, the finished film came in at over three hours and two film editors were brought in by executive producer Sir Michael Balcon to trim it considerably to a more manageable 129 minutes. When submitted to the British Board of Film Censors in February, 1963, they ordered further cuts totalling one minute where the Syrian peddler was shown lusting after Sammy before they would grant the film the "U" certificate that the producers were after (oddly enough, a small part of these censored scenes apparently made it to the release version and can be seen on the present DVD). It was chosen as The Royal Performance Film of 1963 and premiered at the Odeon, Leicester Square, London, attended by H.M, Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, on Monday, March 18, 1963 and released nationally in April. Shortly after its initial release in 1963, the film was trimmed of a further nine minutes and this version was the one that was used for its first showing on British television in 1970 and all subsequent television showings in the United Kingdom. In 2010, when Optimum Releasing in the UK wanted to release the film on DVD, they made a thorough search for the original 128 minutes release version without success. Not even the British Film Institute had one. So reluctantly, Optimum released the 119 minutes version instead (running 114 minutes at PAL running speed). The original release version is now believed lost. When the film was released in the United States, it was retitled "A Boy Ten Feet Tall" and it was cut by forty minutes so that it would fit on a double bill, which considerably ruined the narrative. Tristram Cary's score was also replaced by another score composed by Les Baxter. Regarding the American distributors changing the title of the film, in a BBC radio interview recorded in June, 2010, Fergus McClelland recalled: "They were very worried that white Americans would think it was about a black boy called Sammy and wouldn't go to see the film."
The actual history of the making of the film is a very troubled one. Executive Producer Sir Michael Balcon saw the story as a Disney-fied and heartwarming tale of a ten years old innocent boy’s triumph over adversity, set against the fantastic CinemaScope and Eastman Colour scenery of the African continent. However, the film’s director, Alexander Mackendrick, had an entirely different understanding of the story and his understanding of it was altogether darker: He saw it as “the inward odyssey of a deeply disturbed child, who destroys everybody he comes up against”. Mackendrick tried his best to compromise with these two contrasting interpretations and this is probably the reason why Sammy Going South turned out not to be quite the classic film it should have been and the complete cutting by Balcon of key scenes vital to the narrative undermined the film considerably. However, despite the cutting of these scenes, something of the quality and realism that Mackendrick strived to put on film still came through.
Cast
- Edward G. RobinsonEdward G. RobinsonEdward G. Robinson was a Romanian-born American actor. A popular star during Hollywood's Golden Age, he is best remembered for his roles as gangsters, such as Rico in his star-making film Little Caesar and as Rocco in Key Largo...
- Cocky Wainwright - Fergus McClelland - Sammy Hartland
- Constance CummingsConstance CummingsConstance Cummings, CBE was an American-born British actress, known for her work on both screen and stage.Born Constance Halverstadt in Seattle, Washington, the daughter of Dallas Vernon Halverstadt, a lawyer, and his wife, Kate Logan Cummings, a concert soprano. she began as a stage actress,...
- Gloria van Imhoff - Harry H. CorbettHarry H. CorbettHarry H. Corbett OBE was an English actor.Corbett was best known for his starring role in the popular and long-running BBC Television sitcom Steptoe and Son in the 1960s and 70s...
- Lem - Paul StassinoPaul StassinoPhaedros Stassinos is a Greek-Cypriot actor whose international stage name is Paul Stassino.He was born in Cyprus but spent most of his acting career in Britain....
- Spyros Dracandopolous - Zia MohyeddinZia MohyeddinZia Mohyeddin is a Pakistani actor famed for his voice.He was born in Faisalabad, , British India in a Urdu Speaking Family. He passed his early life in Karachi. He was trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London from 1953-1956...
- The Syrian - Orlando MartinsOrlando MartinsOrlando Martins was a pioneering black actor in film and on stage. In the late 1940s, he was one of England's most prominent and leading black actors, and in a poll conducted in 1947, he was listed among England's top 15 favorite actors.-Life:...
- Abu Lubaba - John TurnerJohn Turner (actor)John Turner is a British television actor.One of his most recognisable roles was that of Roderick Spode in the ITV television series Jeeves and Wooster based on the P. G. Wodehouse novels...
- Heneker - Zena WalkerZena WalkerZena Walker was an English actress in film, theatre, and television.Walker was born in Birmingham, the daughter of George Walker, a grocer, and his wife Elizabeth Louise . She attended St. Martin's School in 1960 and then went on to train at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She starred in an...
- Aunt Jane - Jack GwillimJack GwillimJack William Frederick Gwillim was a prolific English character actor.-Career:Born in Canterbury, Kent, England, he served in the Royal Navy for over twenty years, attaining the rank of Commander...
- District Commissioner - Patricia Donahue - Kathy
- Jared Allen - Bob
- Guy Deghy - Doctor
- Marne MaitlandMarne MaitlandJames Marne Maitland was an Anglo-Indian character actor in British films and television programmes.He made his film debut in Cairo Road , and went onto be type cast as villains from the Far East, particularly for Hammer Film Productions...
- Hassan (scenes cut from finished film). - Steven Scott - Egyptian Policeman