Sky West and Crooked

I've seen every movie Hayley Mills was in (except for "The Truth About Spring"), from age 20 and under, and I like this one the best. You won't find this on video--it aired here on t.v. at about 3:00 am, and I was lucky to tape it. Just like anonymous from N.Y. said, you almost watch this movie more for the many interesting people than for the plot. The plot itself is pretty simple--Brydie White is a 17 year old girl who meets a gypsy named Roibin, and the two fall instantly in love, almost like their under a spell. However, it's the personalities that the characters are given that make this story different. Brydie is an innocent, somewhat simple girl, who's friends with all the children in the village. Hayley Mills was excellent in her portrayal of this lonely girl. Ian McShane did a good job as well, forever gazing about with those soulful eyes. The song sung at the beginning of the movie sets the right mood from the start. Another thing that I liked about "Gypsy Girl" was that throughout the movie Brydie and Roibin's love stayed innocent. If at all possible, try to track down this movie, or ask a local t.v. station to air it. It's a shame that such a beautiful film has only been seen by a few.

I love this film. It is very much a movie about a wild child. Haley acts very well and she truly becomes the character. This movie reminds me a lot of the 60s spirit of hippies, flower child and all that. It's about love and child-like spirit. Very sweet. The plot has issues, but I can overlook it because the movie is so sweet in a natural way. Like others have said, it is much better than her Disney movies.

To those who think the movie is rambling...it is, but I think it totally fits with the mood and theme of the movie. It is about a free spirit.

The English countryside is beautiful. Like someone else said, it makes me want to jump in the movie and run with her. It's a good advertisement for UK tourism.

Thanks TCM for showing this rare film.

It starts with the accidental death of a village boy who has been fooling around with a shotgun. Several years later, and the girl he was playing with has grown into Hayley Mills and is a semi-pariah in the village, being blamed by some for the boy's death. She is also 'not all there', but whether this was from birth or the accident is not clear. Hayley is more popular with the village youngsters, and her burial of her pet hamsters in the churchyard, starts off a trend which spreads to the interment of a few Sunday dinners!

This business, reminiscent of FORBIDDEN GAMES was to me the better part of the film, and is helped by the performances of Annette Crosbie (Victor Meldrew's long-suffering wife in 'One Foot in the Grave') as Hayley's alcoholic mother and Geoffrey Bayldon and the bewildered vicar trying to bring peace to the village.

Where the film lost it for me was in the other plot involving Ian MacShane as a Gypsy who takes a shine to Hayley and is subsequently unpopular with his fellows. That side of it was not so bad, but the romantic business with MacShane and Mills becomes very tedious indeed. Very much a family affair, this was directed by John Mills, and co-written by his wife Mary Hayley Bell, from her novel.

The British title comes from an expression meaning to be a bit cracked, and there was even talk of using 'Bats With Baby Faces', which would have upset nearly everybody. In America it was called GYPSY GIRL.

I did not much care for this film the first time I saw it, but a second viewing created a more favorable impression. The acting is very good all around, particularly from the talented Hayley Mills, who holds my attention at every moment that she is on screen. Ian McShane, too, is quite convincing as the young Gypsy man, Roibin. Also deserving of special praise is Geoffrey Bayldon as the vicar. For a change, it is nice to see a church pastor portrayed in a positive light. The direction (John Mills) is always acceptable and at times much more than that. The fleeing of Brydie White is nicely handled with swiftly moving camera and quick cuts. Close-ups are very effective indeed, especially of Brydie, Roibin, and Rev. Moss. I love the way Hayley Mills invests her character with tiny facial mannerisms that almost certainly were not in the script. For example, watch her while Brydie is recuperating in the wagon's bed. Her look of confusion when she wakes up, views her surroundings, and later tastes the hedgehog soup is so real and convincing! She is just a brilliant and captivating actress who is able to make her roles come to life in a believable way. Hayley is, of course, utterly beautiful throughout every frame of the film, and it is no wonder why the Gypsy would be so smitten by Brydie's charms. The acting of village children is rather a hit and miss proposition, sometimes quite good and often impossibly amateurish. Plaudits, too, for Brydie's lovable canine companion, "Dog," whose real name is "Hamlet." Be sure to see the image gallery, which is one of the DVD's bonus extras. It contains lots of black-and-white shots from behind the scenes. Several show Hayley Mills's father (director John Mills) and mother (writer Mary Hayley Bell) during the days of production. Not a perfect film, by any means, but if you liked the far superior "Whistle Down the Wind," you will probably find something to enjoy here as well.

I first saw this film in the early 70's when I was still in my teens. I remember it was called Gypsy Girl (the alternate title) and was a great and touching story. However, I just purchased the film from a Professional Source and it is missing the song Gypsy Girl, sung so beautifully by Hayley Mills. I think it set the stage for the story just wonderfully. In the 80s it aired on Life Channel and the song was there. My VHS was a little snowy, which prompted me to purchase a new DVD of it. Well, the one I just received does not have the song and is called Sky West and Crooked.

I think either title is clever, but the song was lovely. Wonder if anyone has an inkling of why it was missing.

That said, I loved the touching romance between Brydie and Roiban. I would love to have seen more of their romance and finally getting together. The vicar was very kind and wanted the best for Brydie.