The Rocking Horse Winner (1949)

A young boy receives a rocking horse for Christmas and soon learns that he is able to pick the winning horse at the races.

Director:

Anthony Pelissier (as Anthony Pélissier)

Writers:

D.H. Lawrence (short story), Anthony Pelissier (screenplay) (as Anthony Pélissier)

Stars:

Valerie Hobson, John Howard Davies, Ronald Squire

Cast

Cast overview:
Valerie Hobson	...	Hester Grahame
John Howard Davies	...	Paul Grahame
Ronald Squire	...	Oscar Cresswell
John Mills	...	Bassett
Hugh Sinclair	...	Richard Grahame
Charles Goldner	...	Mr. Tsaldouris
Susan Richards	...	Nannie
Cyril Smith	...	Bailiff

Storyline

In London, the young Paul Grahame lives with his upper class, but financially broken family. His wasteful mother Hester Grahame is a compulsive buyer, spending all the family money on new expensive dresses, jewels, and objects for their house. His father Richard Grahame is a gambler, losing money in the horse races. His uncle Oscar Cresswell is permanently covering the Grahame family debts. When the servant Bassett is hired, Paul finds that he can predict the winner of the horse races by rocking his wooden horse. Paul asks Bassett to become his partner. The two of them bet their money on the races. Paul wants to prove that he is lucky in order to silence the house, which perpetually whispers to him that it needs more money.

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Plot Keywords:

horse | money | horse race | rocking horse | debt | 

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Taglines:

From the Classic by D.H. LAWRENCE

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

30 November 1949 (UK)

Also Known As:

Amartiai goneon

Filming Locations:

Denham Studios, Denham, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

J. Arthur Rank Organisation, Two Cities Films, John Mills Productions

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Commenting on this movie, John Baxter in his book "Science Fiction in the Cinema" (1970) notes that: "The ability to pick horse-race results is probably British sf's only genuine contribution to the list of sf film elements."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Bassett: Are you looking for me?
Paul Grahame: You're Bassett, aren't you?

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Connections

Version of The Rocking Horse Winner (1997)

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Soundtracks

Silent Night
(uncredited)
Music by Franz Xaver Gruber
English lyrics by John Freeman Young

User Reviews

A 50's gem

I saw this movie when it first came out in the early 50's, when I was about the same age as the little boy who is portrayed in the story, and I must say it has stuck in my mind ever since. It is the story of a boy who discovers that he can predict the outcome of horse races by rocking on his own wooden horse, while his Father reads off the names of the horses. The family has fallen on hard times and this would be a way for them to get out of the financial hole that they find themselves in. It is like a twilight zone episode, before the show was created. I haven't seen it since it first came out, mostly because I'm afraid that maybe time and maturity will have made it seem quaint and silly today. I would recommend this movie for children 8-12, but maybe this was a movie made for a simpler time, and less sophisticated movie audience, but, give it a try I think that adults will like it also, especially if you are a fan of movies from the 50's