Le voyageur sans billet

I first saw John and Julie at the Double Bay Hoyts Theatre in the Sydney Harbour suburb in 1957 but not again in color till about ten years ago when I obtained the Video. It was a huge thrill to have a color copy after so long and be able to revisit the heartwarming film so many times since. The cast of excellent British actors and actresses brought humor and sensitivity to the characters and Colin Gibson and Lesley Dudley were ideally cast as the children. Good old Australian actor Vincent Ball also had a small part and Moira Lister, Noelle Middleton, Syd James, Megs Jenkins, Constance Cummings, Wilfred Hyde Whyte, Peter Sellers and others all added naturally to the proceedings. Briefly said,if you would like an enjoyable, satisfying and nostalgic look into the Fifties era of simplicity and wholesomeness, invite John and Julie into your life.

One of my favorite films even today after fifty years.

Just months later Katie Johnson (whose resemblance here to a statue of Queen Victoria is explicitly remarked upon) was sharing a much darker film with Peter Sellars (presently fifteenth in the cast list), this time recalling the Old Queen's death; at that time a more recent memory than the present Queen's coronation in 1953 is today.

This long-forgotten Group Three production follows the same narrative arc of the same year's 'The Night of the Hunter' of a small boy and an even smaller girl journeying across a landscape peopled by adults whose world they only dimly comprehend (or not at all, such as Moira Lister's profession) and occasionally frightens them.

While Laughton's film was deliberately stylised - shot largely on sound stages in gothic black & white - and this makes extensive use of locations and actuality footage of the Coronation parade itself, the fifties Eastmancolor in which it is bathed creates an experience in many ways just as strange to experience when seen today.

I saw this film for a second time on Talking Pictures and I was enthralled by it. A lovely nostalgic piece which had me close to tears. It brought back memories of a gentler more innocent time, beautifully acted and with two fabulous performances by the youngsters. Lesley Dudley was so adorable I could give her a big cuddle. Superbly made and a pure joy to watch. How I wish I lived in the 1950s.

John and Julie is written directed by William Fairchild. It stars Colin Gibson, Lesley Dudley, Noelle Middleton, Moira Lister, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Sid James and Megs Jenkins. Out of Beaconsfield Studios, film is shot in Eastman Color with music by Philip Green (trumpet solo's Eddie Calvert) and cinematography by Arthur Grant.

John (Gibson) and Julie (Dudley), two young children in 1953, set off on their own from Dorset to see The Queen's Coronation in London....

Utterly charming picture full of youthful bluster and eccentric adults. Film is very much of its time, it harks back to a time when kids were safe on the streets, people were only too glad to help and you could drink water from the local stream! In essence it's a road movie, one that is powered by two youngsters who by hook or by crook, want to see the Queen get crowned. Story shows how these two young kiddies use initiative and naivety to get to their destination, how they affect everyone who comes into contact with them, and finally how such an historical event brought about a joy and community spirit that is sadly all too lacking in today's modern British society. All of which is deftly flecked by Eddie Calvert's beautiful trumpet.

God bless her!

Is it contrived? And do you have to be a fan of the British Royals to get the most out of it? Not at all. Yes you need a modicum of disbelief suspension to accept that the kids could make it all that way without getting nabbed by the police, the latter of which hardly come off as sharp coppers here, but Fairchild is all about youthful determination and how young cherubs can often beguile us adults. Fairchild also knits it all together with ease, even managing to unobtrusively insert actual footage of the Coronation parade into the joyous climax. The child actors are thankfully, very likable, especially Dudley who is simply adorable, and the cast is a roll call of British film treasures. Stand outs are Sid James at his grumpy best as John's father, Hyde-White is classy and correct, Jenkins as usual delivers a memorable female touch and Lister scores high as a tart with a heart. Peter Sellers fans should note he has only a small role, that of a good old British Bobby.

Of its time for sure, but that is a good thing here. A true spirit lifting film and a beacon of unadulterated joy for the child in all of us. 8/10

Reviewer Jennifer Nicol from Vancouver states that Julie is played by Leslie Dunlop who later appeared in May to December. This is incorrect. Julie is played by Leslie Dudley, a completely different person, whose career did not continue much past this film.

This part could have been served better by a more talented and engaging child actress, but the film has a lot more to carry it through to a satisfying conclusion.

The stock footage of the coronation events is very interesting. I saw this coronation on television as a child and have always remembered it.

The children's escapades are very innocent and this film could not be made today, as we don't approve of adults giving children rides in cars (for instance) without even asking where their parents are!

This is a charming film of a bygone time and could be enjoyed by everyone. That it is filmed in colour is a bonus, as the English countryside is lovely.