A Kid for Two Farthings (1955)

In a lower-class London community of small shops, open-air vendors and flea-marketers, Joe, a small boy, lives with his mother, Joanne, who works in and rooms above the Kandinsky tailor ... See full summary »

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

Wolf Mankowitz (based on the book by), Wolf Mankowitz (screenplay)

Stars:

Celia Johnson, Diana Dors, David Kossoff

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Celia Johnson	...	Joanna
Diana Dors	...	Sonia
David Kossoff	...	Avrom Kandinsky
Joe Robinson	...	Sam Heppner
Jonathan Ashmore	...	Joe
Brenda de Banzie	...	'Lady' Ruby (as Brenda De Banzie)
Primo Carnera	...	Python Macklin
Lou Jacobi	...	Blackie Isaacs
Irene Handl	...	Mrs. Abramowitz
Danny Green	...	Bully Bason
Sydney Tafler	...	Madam Rita
Sidney James	...	Ice Berg
Vera Day	...	Mimi
Daphne Anderson	...	Dora
Joseph Tomelty	...	Vagrant

Storyline

In a lower-class London community of small shops, open-air vendors and flea-marketers, Joe, a small boy, lives with his mother, Joanne, who works in and rooms above the Kandinsky tailor shop. Joe is innocently and earnestly determined to help realize the wishes of his poor, hard-working neighbours. Hearing from Mr. Kandinsky the tale that a captured unicorn will grant any wish, Joe uses his accumulated pocket change to buy a kid with an emerging horn, believing it to be a unicorn. His subsequent efforts to make dreams come true exemplify the power of hope and will amidst hardship.

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Plot Keywords:

unicorn | tailor | horn | wish | yiddish | 

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Taglines:

CAROL REED, the master of The Unexpected, brings you a motion picture of mood and emotion that surpasses all your expectations!

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family | Fantasy | Sport

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 August 1955 (UK)

Also Known As:

A Rua da Esperança

Filming Locations:

Aldgate, London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

London Film Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Color:

Color (Colour by) (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.65 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Carol Reed's first colour film.

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Goofs

Python Macklin is clearly meant to be a British wrestler, yet he speaks in a foreign accent.

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Quotes

Madam Rita: You heard of Christian Dior? Well, I'm Yiddishe Dior.

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Connections

Featured in Talkies: Memories of Diana Dors (2017)

User Reviews

beautiful!!!

Wow, I can't believe reviews saying the boy was a bad actor. He is perfectly natural and adorable. Also, the color was magnificent, gritty, yet vibrant. Black and white would not have added anything to the colorful market days and red neon nights. This is a real gem and I highly recommend seeing it. I'm confused why it's considered a fantasy though, since nothing happens that couldn't happen in real life. This film really gives you a sense of place and time, and you feel you know these people and that they are real and a tight knit loving community so different from modern times. There is so much wit, wordplay and attention to detail. It's the little things that make it so nice, like the man watching ballet on the TV while the wrestling match is going on. This film is compelling and utterly charming. I highly recommend it.