This effort is a slight tale of a boy, Joe (portrayed by Jonathan Ashmore, who went on to a career as a noted physicist), who lives in a bustling raucous part of London’s East End, and whose family and friends work in Petticoat Lane Market. Well known to local shops and businesses, one day Joe is talking to a local tailor, Kandinsky (David Kossoff, playing far older than his mid-thirties age), who spins him a tale about the magical power of unicorns to grant people’s wishes, leading the boy to dreaming of finding one.
Joe is surrounded by a host of characters all with their own dreams, such as his bodybuilder brother Sam (Joe Robinson – later to portray Peter Franks in Diamonds are Forever), who is made an offer to make some money from wrestling; Sonia (a youthful Diana Dors) who is dating Sam, and works making textiles, and who dreams of marriage to Sam after many years together – she wants her diamond ring; and Joe’s mother, Joanna (Celia Johnson, of Brief Encounter fame), who works for Kandinsky and whose husband is working away in South Africa. Kandinsky himself dreams of being able to afford a steam press. There are also small roles for former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Primo Carnera, Sid James, and Irene Handl (a dream talent mixture we never thought we’d see).
Act one is concerned chiefly with setting the scene and our getting to know the characters. Far from depressed, they face their challenges with optimism and ingenuity. Once established, we see Joe and Kandinsky talking about the death of a pigeon Sam had been trying to capture. Wanting a bigger animal so it will live a ‘bigger life’, he turns down the tailor’s offer of a dog, asking for the unicorn he has been told about. Joe believes he can grant everyone’s dreams if only he can get his hands on the mythical animal. Going in search of one, he manages to buy one from a man in the market who wants rid of it and is happy to confirm it is the mythical creature. It turns out that this ‘unicorn’ is a small goat with a small, twisted horn in the middle of his head – the ‘kid’ for two farthings of the title. Kandinsky is happy to indulge the child’s dream, confirming to him he has found what he wanted. From there on his goal will be to see everyone’s dreams come true.
The film as a whole does not belong with the best of Carol Reed’s, as it is very slight, and is more of a quirky diversion than anything else. It is well directed, with the area feeling alive and the characters reasonably authentic (if also somewhat slight), despite some cliched dialogue. The film wisely intersperses the boy’s scenes with plenty of the adult characters, so that he does not grate too much (though you will be as sick of hearing him say the word ‘unicorn’ as we are of writing it here).
The film manages to give its characters real concern whilst keeping a lightness of tone, with the exception of some of the actions of Carnera’s character. This is complemented by a lovely score from Benjamin Frankel. It manages to build to a genuinely poignant ending. Picture quality is serviceable, if grainy in places, whilst the audio is fine. One small complaint is the dialogue is slightly uncoordinated with lip movements: it is difficult to ignore. For fans of Carol Reed, any of the major players, or this era of British cinema it is fine; a decent, if slightly lesser effort from a legendary filmmaker.
As for bonus features, this is fairly typical of a Vintage Classics set. We begin with ‘Memory Land: Video Essay by Ella Taylor’. This is around ten minutes in duration and does add layers that will not be immediately obvious to all from the main picture, particularly in the presence of Jewish refugees in the area. It is mostly a run through who is in the film with a few bits of added trivia that are reasonably interesting. The content of the essay appears to be available and complete here.
Next, we have ‘Dreams and Work: An Interview with Jonathan Ashworth’. This is a newly shot feature that interviews him over around 21 minutes at University College London, where he is currently a professor. He talks of how he was found for the role, and how his parents’ background in theatre led to doubts over giving him his role, as they would be tough bargainers. In the event, they truly were, as the boy’s salary for the film paid for the entirety of his education, so he credits this film for his current station in life. It is interesting seeing a-near 80-year-old man talking of his memories through the eyes of a child. He is grateful for the way Reed worked with him and seems to have fond memories. A very standard type of interview for these releases but made more interesting by the fact that he was a boy at the time and ended up making his name in a vastly different industry, meaning this is neither film analysis nor showbusiness memories.
READ MORE: Dawn of the Dead (2004) – Throwback 20
‘All in a Day’s Work: Vera Day Looks Back’ is an interview with Day, who played Mimi in the film. This is not a new feature, as it appeared on the 2017 release, but this is forgivable, as the actress in 90 years of age at the time of writing. The interview has value in capturing another voice from that generation, but it is far from a standout example, as she is a minor character and is telling us about her marriages and other work, which will have limited interest to the more casual viewer.
Also on the archival side is and audio interview with Joe Robinson from 2006, which was also on the older release, as Robinson passed away the year of that release. One small complaint: the release says it is 2006, but the feature itself tells us it was shot at the BFI in 2009, as a post-screening Q&A. At least he was captured before he passed. The set is rounded off by a couple of galleries (lobby cards and behind the scenes) and a short film – at 37 minutes – from Clayton, ‘The Bespoke Overcoat’, shot the same year. This features Kossoff and Alfie Bass as poor Jews working in the cloth trade in London, also written by Mankowitz. Its inclusion is understandable given the subject matter and the people involved. This won best short at the Academy Awards the following year and adds substantial value to a decent set.
A Kid for Two Farthings is out now on Blu-ray, DVD and Digital from Studiocanal.
