Sky West and Crooked

I am lucky as a 14-year-old to know this movie even exists, I was looking through Netflix and stumbled upon it. I found this movie positively delightful. Young handsome Gypsy boy Roibin, played by Ian McShane, falls instantly in love with the pretty fair haired Brydie White, played by Hayley Mills, who in time also returns his affections. It's sad to say that this movie is a forgotten classic. And that it is a miracle that someone as young as me even knows it exists, much less actually seen it. The beginning song that I hear is sung by Hayley Mills sets the mood just right. But I will not let this movie continue to be forgotten so easily. I will try my best to remind the world of this adorable button nose 17-year-old village girl and dashing dark-skinned boy. So in return to those who read these reviews and would actually like to see it, to you I leave a gift,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8xH4JN1u32o&feature=related

That's right, Sky West And Crooked completely on YouTube. Enjoy!

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.

An emotionally backward girl falls for a local gypsy. Coming-of-age film relies on setting (1960s British countryside) and strong character development for charm. Sure direction steers away from sappiness and holds interest despite the thin plot. A fine companion to "Railway Children". (Rating: A-minus)

This is, in fact, a forgotten film (note the absence of a video or DVD) and a largely underappreciated one. I have found on many occasions Mills's Disney films to be very syrupy and cloying; this one proves beyond that shadow of a doubt that she could act. Obviously, her father, who directed the film, had some knowledge of her capabilities. This performance, and the loving, detailed depiction of the British countryside (mentioned in the other user comments) overwhelm any other minor errors in technical knowhow (the sound and cinematography are not the best) and pacing. This is not a perfect film. One could better describe it as a rough, uncut diamond of a film -- and those are the most valuable of all.

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.