The Horse's Mouth (1958)

A somewhat vulgar but dedicated painter searches for the perfect realization of his artistic vision, much to the chagrin of others.

Director:

Ronald Neame

Writers:

Joyce Cary (novel), Alec Guinness (screenplay)

Stars:

Alec Guinness, Kay Walsh, Renee Houston

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Alec Guinness	...	Gulley Jimson
Kay Walsh	...	Dee Coker
Renee Houston	...	Sara Monday
Mike Morgan	...	Nosey
Robert Coote	...	Sir William Beeder
Arthur Macrae	...	A.W. Alabaster
Veronica Turleigh	...	Lady Beeder
Michael Gough	...	Abel
Reginald Beckwith	...	Capt. Jones
Ernest Thesiger	...	Hickson
Gillian Vaughan	...	Lollie

Storyline

Gulley Jimson is broke, difficult, conniving, uncouth, and a welcher - but an artist. The visions in his head may not really satisfy him when realized, but the quest continues, for the perfect wall. The Beeders leave for six weeks of vacation and return to find a 7000 pound committment and the wall of their living room a national treasure, even though living with a wall mural of feet is not their cup of tea. Then - in a bombed out church scheduled for demolition - THE wall that can become his vision.

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Plot Keywords:

painter | nude model | thames | painting | screwball | 

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Taglines:

Smart Alec

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 November 1958 (USA)

Also Known As:

De la bouche du cheval

Filming Locations:

Wormwood Scrubs Prison, Du Cane Road, East Acton, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Knightsbridge Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

97 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mike Morgan died ten days before the end of shooting. Some of his lines were dubbed by an unknown actor in post-production.

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Goofs

(at around 12 mins) Gully Simson is served a pint of beer in the pub. The amount of beer in the glass varies inconsistently in subsequent shots.

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Quotes

Hodges: Are you sure that Sir and Lady Beeder are expecting you?
Gulley Jimson: Expecting me? They're down on their knees praying for me.

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Connections

References The Czar Wants to Sleep (1934)

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Soundtracks

"Lieutenant Kije"
by Sergei Prokofiev (as Prokofieff)
Arranged by Kenneth V. Jones
Conducted by Muir Mathieson

User Reviews

A real "Art" movie

One of the best movies about art ever made, `The Horse's Mouth' examines the relationships between vision and creation, between art and commerce, and – most importantly – between art and criticism; and makes us laugh at the same time. Alec Guinness is inspired (when was he ever not inspired, come to think of it) as Gully Jimson, a painter of unlimited ideas who has met with only limited success in the art marketplace – partly because he is so contemptuous of that marketplace. His search for the perfect wall on which to paint, and the subject matter he ultimately winds up painting on one of the walls found in his search, is priceless. The Joyce Cary novel, and its companions in the Jimson trilogy (`Herself Surprised' and `To Be a Pilgrim') are well worth reading, but this movie is a very British, very engaging classic. In many ways, it's the movie that `Pollack' (good though it was) should have been.