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The Magnet

  • 19501950
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 19m
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
518
YOUR RATING
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
The Magnet (1950)
  • Comedy
A boy steals a powerful magnet from a younger boy and gets him into all sorts of trouble.A boy steals a powerful magnet from a younger boy and gets him into all sorts of trouble.A boy steals a powerful magnet from a younger boy and gets him into all sorts of trouble.
IMDb RATING
6.9/10
518
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Charles Frend
  • Writer
    • T.E.B. Clarke(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Stephen Murray
    • Kay Walsh
    • James Fox
Top credits
  • Director
    • Charles Frend
  • Writer
    • T.E.B. Clarke(original screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Stephen Murray
    • Kay Walsh
    • James Fox
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 19User reviews
    • 6Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos47

    The Magnet (1950)
    The Magnet (1950)
    The Magnet (1950)
    The Magnet (1950)
    The Magnet (1950)
    Meredith Edwards and James Fox in The Magnet (1950)
    The Magnet (1950)
    Joss Ambler and James Fox in The Magnet (1950)
    Bryan Michie in The Magnet (1950)
    Wylie Watson in The Magnet (1950)
    Grace Arnold, Jane Bough, and Stephen Murray in The Magnet (1950)
    James Robertson Justice in The Magnet (1950)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Stephen Murray
    Stephen Murray
    • Dr. Brentas Dr. Brent
    Kay Walsh
    Kay Walsh
    • Mrs. Brentas Mrs. Brent
    James Fox
    James Fox
    • Johnny Brentas Johnny Brent
    Meredith Edwards
    Meredith Edwards
    • Harperas Harper
    Gladys Henson
    • Nannieas Nannie
    Thora Hird
    Thora Hird
    • Nannie's Friendas Nannie's Friend
    Michael Brooke
    • Kitas Kit
    • (as Michael Brooke Jr.)
    Wylie Watson
    Wylie Watson
    • Pickeringas Pickering
    Julien Mitchell
    • The Mayoras The Mayor
    Anthony Oliver
    • Policemanas Policeman
    Molly Hamley-Clifford
    • Mrs. Deanas Mrs. Dean
    Harold Goodwin
    Harold Goodwin
    • Pin-Table Attendantas Pin-Table Attendant
    Edward Davies
    • Delinquent Youthas Delinquent Youth
    Keith Robinson
    • Spikeas Spike
    Thomas Johnston
    • Perceas Perce
    David Boyd
    • Mikeas Mike
    Geoffrey Yin
    • Choppoas Choppo
    Joan Hickson
    Joan Hickson
    • Mrs. Wardas Mrs. Ward
    • Director
      • Charles Frend
    • Writer
      • T.E.B. Clarke(original screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    A mixture of a psychological study of a ten-year-old boy, an English domestic comedy and a satire on psychologists finds young Johnny Brent, the only child of a pair of psychologists, trading an "invisible watch" to a much-younger child for a large magnet. His nurse/nanny accuses him of stealing and scolds him and he runs away. He soon convinces himself that the police are after him and following several unsuccessful attempts to get rid of the magnet, he presents it to an organizer of a fund-raising campaign for acquiring an iron-lung for the local hospital. The magnet is one of the auction items and finally is mounted on the iron-lung as a tribute to the unknown donor. Meanwhile, the father makes a completely inaccurate diagnosis for the mother of the boy's worries. In the end the boy meets the child he thought had died as a result of losing the magnet, and trades the boy back for the return of his "invisible watch" the gold medal the town mayor had given him for his part in the hospital campaign. —Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
    • psychologist
    • iron lung
    • mother son relationship
    • father son relationship
    • family relationships
    • 5 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • It turned the whole town TOPSY-TURVY!
    • Genre
      • Comedy
    • Certificate
      • Approved
    • Parents guide
      • Add content advisory

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The four Liverpudlian lads that Johnny meets were all amateurs, not child actors.
    • Goofs
      Near the start of the film, Johnny chalks a diamond shape on a gatepost. When a tramp appears moments later, the diamond is lower down and the corners are much sharper.
    • Soundtracks
      Quickie
      (uncredited)

      Music by Jack Parnell

    User reviews19

    Review
    Top review
    A delightful story of youth
    This post-war British film from the great Ealing studios, is a charming tale of innocence lost, and particularly the idea of childhood guilt, brought on by a small incident and exacerbated by fear and misconstrued information. Johnny Brent (a young James Fox - billed as William Fox), a 10 year old wanderer, cons a younger boy into giving him his magnet. After feeling guilt (and particularly the fear of being caught out) he hands the powerful magnet to a charity organiser, feeling that he would be rid of his culpability. His imagination - coupled with his stricken conscience - takes over, as the boy with the magnet becomes of interest to the local authorities. He overhears and misinterprets some information he believes is connected with the boy he stole from. Fearing that he has caused the death of the boy, Johnny runs away.

    The Magnet is full of genuine charm. It almost perfectly captures those moments of childhood where we believe we have done great wrong - a usual emotion of guilt, but particularly it is the acquisition of information in these situations that are fundamentally ingrained on our conscience. Johnny's father, Dr Brent (Stephen Murray), is a Jungian Psychoanalyst who attempts to interpret the unusual behaviour of his son, which leads to some interesting asides - this could possibly even be a criticism of this form of psychology, and it's intrinsic hypotheses that all strange behaviours are connected to the parents.

    This is by no means the greatest of Ealing Studios output, but it is a delightful story of youth, with a good lead performance from Fox. It is always irresistible to watch old British films, and see an autonomous country that looks individual, before the signs and signifiers of American consumerism invaded and changed the landscape forever.

    www.the-wrath-of-blog.blogspot.com
    helpful•11
    1
    • tomgillespie2002
    • Apr 3, 2012

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 26, 1951 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Alba generosa
    • Filming locations
      • New Brighton, Wallasey, Merseyside, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • J. Arthur Rank Organisation
      • Ealing Studios
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 19 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    The Magnet: watch an exclusive clip of the rarely-seen Ealing comedy – video
    Jul 2The Guardian - Film News

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