HA'PENNY BREEZE is one of those low budget but enthusiastic little pictures currently doing the rounds on Talking Pictures TV, a British TV channel dedicated to showing old and forgotten British cinema. It's a typical kind of movie but one made with local charm and enthusiasm, and it reminded me rather a lot of the classic Children's Film Foundation pictures from the era. A couple of characters show up in their old home village in Suffolk to discover it forgotten and crumbling, so they decide to set up a yacht race to breathe new life into the locality. The writer and main star is none other than Australian actor Don Sharp, who would later become a director of B-pictures including THE FACE OF FU MANCHU and THE KISS OF THE VAMPIRE. The plot is simplistic but the backdrop is well drawn and the film provides a fitting snapshot of rural life during the era.
12 Reviews
Availability
andy-3348 December 2019
Restful
TondaCoolwal8 December 2020
The astounding thing about this film is that I found myself watching it. My wife had recorded it as a time filler but I found it quite enjoyable. Set at the end of World War 2, returning prisoner of war David King has been regaling his pal Johnny with tales of his idyllic home village of Pin Mill. However, as they view it from a nearby hill it is obvious that the place is now a ghost town. David's sister Joan explains that sunken shipping in the estuary destroyed the fishing industry and with it the boat builders and associated trades. David decides to resurrect the fortunes of Pin Mill by converting his boat Elena into a yacht and winning a race, thereby attracting orders for boat building.
This is a rather well-worn tale involving initially sceptical locals coming round and helping out. Such films were a staple of the British film industry at the time, but tended to be the preserve of the Ealing Studios with much bigger budgets. Here, the action is gentle and charming. The race does not end as expected. But, this is obviously a feelgood film and everything is resolved satisfactorily. Surprisingly, David King is played by Edwin Richfield, whose hawkish looks featured in many movie and TV roles in the fifties and sixties, usually as a villain or henchman. Nice to see him as a goody for a change. Never in line for any awards, this is still a fascinating glimpse of a bygone age when people were having to get used to a changing world.
East coast England sailing yarn.
offbeatlen-121 January 2003
It has been many years since I saw this film and it does not appear to have ever been released in home-viewing format. From my memory the action takes place on a river in Eastern England (the Orwell in fact) at a small village (Pin Mill) and concerns the usual good guys and bad guys in a sailing race aboard barges. The plot is not unusual with anticipated cheating and other shenanigans, but the good buys win the race and all live happily ever after. Made soon after the end of World War II, this was a pleasant Sunday afternoon at the cinema allowing the citizenry of U.K., who were still under some rationing even in 1950, a little escapism. It did the job admirably. I would love to find a copy, somewhere, somehow.
Hugely enjoyable but not very good
jc-8912 February 2012
Warning: Spoilers
If you want to see this movie contact the Commodore of the Pin Mill Sailing Club. At one time they had an acetate copy but they gave this to the East Anglian Film Archive who lost it. Over the years they transferred it to VHS, DVD and MP4.
We watched it in early 2012 at the Sailing Club as an OGA get together. I'll add a more complete synopsis with spoilers.
Its an important historical record of Pin Mill, the Orwell, yachting and post war British society in the early years after the second world war. Not intended to be historically accurate, it starts from real events and people and builds a fictional human interest story upon it.
In some ways its a precursor to movies like the Titfield Thunderbolt and has certain similarities to the previous year's Passport to Pimlico. Both of these are big budget Ealing comedies and are much more successful than Ha'penny Breeze.
Its under-written, under-directed and under-acted, but we still had a wonderful evening watching it.
We watched it in early 2012 at the Sailing Club as an OGA get together. I'll add a more complete synopsis with spoilers.
Its an important historical record of Pin Mill, the Orwell, yachting and post war British society in the early years after the second world war. Not intended to be historically accurate, it starts from real events and people and builds a fictional human interest story upon it.
In some ways its a precursor to movies like the Titfield Thunderbolt and has certain similarities to the previous year's Passport to Pimlico. Both of these are big budget Ealing comedies and are much more successful than Ha'penny Breeze.
Its under-written, under-directed and under-acted, but we still had a wonderful evening watching it.
Little to recommend it
malcolmgsw1 February 2020
This is a long forgotten B feature about the revival of a yacht building harbour.The story is a bore.The acting is amateurish.A lot of footage is devoted to a yacht race,so if you don't like watching such things then you will find viewing this film a chore.
Olde Worlde England!
rxelex8 December 2019
Nice film showing bygone life in little boatyard in isolated village up a muddy river.
Super acting and excellent filming despite what Wiki critics say!
Plot is believable and cast are perfect and natural with none of the affectation of many other postwar British films.
Well worth watching to get itchy feet to go seek out the location and have a drink in the little village pub where the landlord draws pints from an oak cask.
Typical morality play where good triumphs over not so good
offbeatlen18 October 2001
I recall seeing this old movie back in the 1950's when I was living in UK. It was particularly interesting at the time since the action takes place at Pin Mill in Suffolk on the River Orwell which is just up the river from where I lived at the time.
As mentioned by the other reviewer, it is b&w and involves yachts and I believe barges are also part of the action. I would love to see a release of this on late night TV or in a collection of B-movies since it has the kind of appeal which so few movies have today.
As mentioned by the other reviewer, it is b&w and involves yachts and I believe barges are also part of the action. I would love to see a release of this on late night TV or in a collection of B-movies since it has the kind of appeal which so few movies have today.
Alanna
richardchatten8 December 2019
The River Orwell ran through Ipswich - mentioned occasionally in this film as the big place up river - were my family lived during the late sixties (at the same time as Veronica Lake, I later learned) and early seventies. I remember visiting Pin Mill in 1968, and this charming little sub-Ealing anecdote was already nearly twenty years old even then!
As usual none of the speaking cast even attempt the local accent. But it makes good use of the Orwell foreshore (which my family occasionally drove out to to stroll), and Aussie hero Don Sharp (who shows promise, I wonder what became of him?) is seen reading the local paper 'The Evening Star' in one scene at the local pub selling Cobbald ales (before they merged with Tolly in 1957. My father always preferred Adnams).
As usual none of the speaking cast even attempt the local accent. But it makes good use of the Orwell foreshore (which my family occasionally drove out to to stroll), and Aussie hero Don Sharp (who shows promise, I wonder what became of him?) is seen reading the local paper 'The Evening Star' in one scene at the local pub selling Cobbald ales (before they merged with Tolly in 1957. My father always preferred Adnams).
Theme tune
ronald.tupper4 March 2000
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this movie when it was first released in about 1950. It was a typical British B movie made on a low budget but was pleasant enough. The story basically was how a group of friends got together to build a small sailing yacht (the "Ha'penny Breeze") which they entered in a race. Guess who won!
However, I remember the movie particularly because it had a very tuneful theme, which was broadcast a lot on radio at that time and must have gone quite high in the charts (if there were charts then). I recall that it was written by Phil Green, a bandleader and light music composer.
> It is a pity that he is not credited in the database details.
However, I remember the movie particularly because it had a very tuneful theme, which was broadcast a lot on radio at that time and must have gone quite high in the charts (if there were charts then). I recall that it was written by Phil Green, a bandleader and light music composer.
> It is a pity that he is not credited in the database details.
A Beautiful and Lovely Film - Britain at its Best
andyrobert8 August 2020
After a slow and sombre start, this story gradually turned out to be a quite delightful and lovely film.
It seems it is quite a hard film to get hold of, but I do believe that it is now available on DVD.
At first, I started to wonder whether it was a film using "non-actors" or locals from the amateur dramatic society. However, looking at the credits, it seems that the characters were all played by both professional and well-known actors.
I only recognised the actor playing the part of "David King". His name was Edwin Richfield. Although never a big star, his face could be recognised in a variety of films, where he played police inspectors, officers in the Armed Forces and barristers. His most famous role was that of Inspector Mornay in "Interpol Calling", a detective series broadcasted from 1959 to 1960. He played in 33 episodes of this series and was Inspector Duval's (played excellently by Charles Korvin) opposite number in the French Sûreté.
I will make one confession. I missed the uncredited performances of Basil Radford and Michael Gough.
The story was filmed in Pin Mill, a small fishing village in East Anglia. It is ironic that the location played the part of a dispirited community, because Pin Mill has always been quite famous for its venue as a sailing area and was used as a base for Royal Naval Motor Launches during the Second World War. Many Landing Crafts were launched from there during the Normandy Landings. It has also been used for location work on other British films and is mentioned in a few novels, including "Swallows and Amazons".
I will give the film 10 out 10. They should make more films like this to advertise what a lovely country England is.
It seems it is quite a hard film to get hold of, but I do believe that it is now available on DVD.
At first, I started to wonder whether it was a film using "non-actors" or locals from the amateur dramatic society. However, looking at the credits, it seems that the characters were all played by both professional and well-known actors.
I only recognised the actor playing the part of "David King". His name was Edwin Richfield. Although never a big star, his face could be recognised in a variety of films, where he played police inspectors, officers in the Armed Forces and barristers. His most famous role was that of Inspector Mornay in "Interpol Calling", a detective series broadcasted from 1959 to 1960. He played in 33 episodes of this series and was Inspector Duval's (played excellently by Charles Korvin) opposite number in the French Sûreté.
I will make one confession. I missed the uncredited performances of Basil Radford and Michael Gough.
The story was filmed in Pin Mill, a small fishing village in East Anglia. It is ironic that the location played the part of a dispirited community, because Pin Mill has always been quite famous for its venue as a sailing area and was used as a base for Royal Naval Motor Launches during the Second World War. Many Landing Crafts were launched from there during the Normandy Landings. It has also been used for location work on other British films and is mentioned in a few novels, including "Swallows and Amazons".
I will give the film 10 out 10. They should make more films like this to advertise what a lovely country England is.
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alanpowell-9197824 March 2018
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