Ha'penny Breeze

Ha'penny Breeze is a 1950 British film. It was the first writing credit for Don Sharp who also appears as an actor.[4]

Directed byFrank Worth
Produced byDarcy Conyers
Written byDon Sharp
Frank Worth
StarringDon Sharp
Music byPhilip Green
Production
company
The Storytellers
Release date
1950
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£8,000[1][2] or "well less than £20,000"[3]

Plot

David and his Australian friend Johnny return to a Suffolk village after the war to find the community completely dispirited. Gradually by their enthusiasm they win support for a scheme to enter a boat designed by David in a race.

Cast

Production

The film was an idea of Australians Don Sharp and Frank Worth who met in England. Sharp was appearing in a play with Conyers called Call Me a Peacock. They were inspired by low budget films being made in Italy on location, which saved money by not using sets or stars. They decided to find a location and write a script around it. Conyers had an old sailing cutter at Pin Mill and suggested that as a location.[1]

Sharp and Worth wrote the story together over a three-month period. They formed their own production company with Conyers and succeeded in raising finance with William Freshman attached as executive producer.[5] The bulk of the money came from and George N. Gregory who sold his Leeds auction business to help finance. Filming took place in October 1949.[1]

Associated British Pathe offered to distribute on the understanding that everyone would be paid ten pounds a week. A Leeds auctioneer chipped in a few thousand pounds and the filmmakers provided money themselves.[6][7]

The film was shot in Pin Mill, a small fishing village in East Anglia.[8] Some scenes were shot in the Butt and Oyster inn.

Reception

The critic from The Scotsman said the film had "too much of the naivete and the emotion of the amateur shine through... often the dialogue is trite and for most of the film the tempo is depressingly perambulatory" but praised the "camera's mobility and many a good character sketch by" the actors.[9] "Has both charm and talent" said the Sunday Times.[10]

References
  1. 'Ha' penny Breeze' is an £8,000 weather gamble Author: Ronald Downing Date: Saturday, Oct. 15, 1949 p 5 Publication: Daily Mail (London, England)
  2. "FORMER TASMANIAN IN NEW FILM COMPANY". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 26 November 1949. p. 12. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  3. "Disorderly Conduct". Kalgoorlie Miner. 56 (15, 793). Western Australia. 17 October 1950. p. 2. Retrieved 28 January 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. Vagg, Stephen (27 July 2019). "Unsung Aussie Filmmakers: Don Sharp – A Top 25". Filmink.
  5. "Better Incidental Music for NEW FILMS". The Mercury. Hobart, Tas.: National Library of Australia. 30 July 1949. p. 10. Retrieved 23 March 2013.
  6. "AUSSIES' "HOME-MADE MASTERPIECE"". The Sunday Herald. Sydney: National Library of Australia. 17 December 1950. p. 4 Supplement: Sunday Herald Features. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  7. "Australians in brave film bid". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 16 December 1950. p. 49. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  8. "Fame—but no funds". The Mail. Adelaide: National Library of Australia. 4 November 1950. p. 27. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  9. "HA'PENNY BREEZE": New British Productions The Scotsman (1921-1950) [Edinburgh, Scotland] 30 Dec 1950: 7.
  10. Powell, Dilys. "Heroinanity." Sunday Times [London, England] 7 Jan. 1951: 2. The Sunday Times Digital Archive. Web. 16 Apr. 2014.


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