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A fine film that is mainly forgotten but still worth seeing, it deals with a homeless boy in Victorian London (1876) who rubs shoulders with two of the leading figures of the time - Queen Victoria and Benjamin Disraeli.

A heart-warming story of historical fiction, directed by Jean Negulesco, it displays the formidable acting talent of Irene Dunne and Alex Guinness. Disreali's audience with the Queen at the start draws us into the main themes of the movie. Andrew Ray, as the boy, is exceptional. The great character actor Finlay Currie plays the role of the Queen's friend John Brown, a crusty, boozy Scot and a close companion of the Queen, who takes a personal interest in the boy. (The character of John Brown was also the subject of the movie from the 1990's - Mrs. Brown, played by Dame Judi Dench.)

The role of the mudlark-a child who scavenges on the banks of the Thames is played by Andrew Ray. It was while doing this,that he found a cameo of the Queen. Illiterate and poverty-stricken, he knows nothing about the Queen but when he finds out who she is, he wants to meet her. The discovery of the child during a banquet at Windsor Castle becomes a national story, in which the Prime Minister (Alex Guinness as Disraeli) uses the issue to underscore the need for social reform and to thus win support for his government's program. The speech in the House of Commons is a high point in the movie, as is the widowed Queen's encounter with the boy near the end of the film.

Colourful conversations between Alex Guinness (Disraeli) and Findlay Currie (John Brown) add sparkle to the film as does a well-lubricated Brown as he takes the boy on a tour of the castle.

At the end, Disraeli and Brown, totally different in character, are drawn together by their love of the monarch. The widowed monarch, at first alarmed by the boy's stealing into her private residence, is moved by a second encounter when she learns that he merely wanted to see her. This also suited the Prime Minister's purpose of giving the monarch confidence to come out of seclusion.

When I saw that Irene Dunne was cast as Queen Victoria, I was ready to hate the film. After all, she seems about as much like this historical figure as Shirley Temple! There was absolutely no way they could make this work. Well, was I wrong...she was terrific and they managed to make her look like the middle-aged monarch. I was amazed.

The film begins on the filthy bank of the Thames River in London. Poor, wretched boys work the bank as 'mudlarks'--kids who will scour the shore for anything of value. This is much like the pathetic kids in places like India and Brazil who live among the garbage and scavenge for a meager living. A boy sees a cameo of the queen. He has no idea who she is but is captivated by how beautiful she looks. When he does learn it's the queen, he decides to go to Windsor Castle and try to see her. By some strange circumstances, he is able to make it inside and is eventually discovered. Where this fantasy story goes next is something you'll just need to see for yourself, but in some ways it's like another fictional story about the British monarchy, "The Prince and the Pauper". But it also has a bit of the Dickens touch--as there is quite an emphasis on social responsibility and the poor.

The acting is just lovely. Dunne is perhaps at her best, Alec Guinness is his usual amazing best and Finlay Currie, though not exactly a mirror image of the man he played (John Brown), was lovely as well. A great script, nice direction and quality all around make this a neat little fantasy film...and one that can be enjoyed by all ages.

This is one of those delightful post-war British films that once seen is hard to forget. The story centers around Wheeler, a London "mudlark" (an orphan who scavenges the Thames at low tide), who, upon finding a cameo of Queen Victoria, sets off to Windsor to see "the mother of England." Victoria is secluded as the "widow of Windsor" and a desperate Disraeli is vainly attempting to urge her to resume public duties. However, when Wheeler finally gets to meet his Queen, Victoria is moved to return to her public life. Wonderful performances by Irene Dunne as Victoria, Alec Guinness as Disraeli, Finlay Currie as John Brown and Andrew Ray as Wheeler, the mudlark. If only Fox would release this on DVD or VHS!

I found this on YouTube and I'm pleased I did. This is a black and white film from the good old days of movies, before CGI, profanity and mindless action were essential to a movie's credibility; when good acting and intelligent writing were much more important. I'm being overly cynical, I know, but you get the point.

The Mudlark is an enjoyable little film, with a cast of fine British actors of yesteryear who are a pleasure to see in action once more. The plot of this may be a bit silly in places, and sometimes it gets a bit slow (a half baked and totally unnecessary romantic sub plot doesn't help), but for the most part this is a charming movie and should be enjoyed by adults and older children alike.

This is a slightly stiff rendition of an old story about a young scavenger who makes his living from the debris found by the river Thames in London. One day he happens upon a portrait of Queen Victoria and sets off to Windsor Castle (no small distance) to try and meet his Sovereign. Meantime the Queen (Irene Dunne) is still wallowing in grief following the death of Prince Albert and her Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Alec Guinness) is trying to coax her from her melancholy before it is too late for both her and the monarchy. A combination of circumstances lead to an engaging and slightly humorous set of scenarios and the mudlark gets his wish. This film provides an interesting observation on just how detached the Queen was from all of her people, not just the poorest; and of how ultimately the demonstration of innocence and, to some extent, loyalty by the child - along with some sagely interventions from Finlay Currie's highland ghillie John Brown - served to bring the Queen out of her isolation. It also features quite a stirring - and potent - oration from Guinness analysing the poverty and injustice visited upon those whom the state regarded as dispensable. A touching and life-affirming little film well worth a watch.

Irene Dunne wore darn near as much make-up as Lon Chaney Jr. in the Wolfman, to portray the role of Victoria I. She was a much underrated actress and the role fit her like a glove. Then, there's the late Sir Alec Guinness as Disraeli and the incomparable Finlay Curie as John Brown, the only man who had leave to blow his nose in the presence of the Queen. The tale focuses on a "Mudlark," a street urchin who lives off scrounging castaway goods from the mud banks of the Thames, who finds a likeness of Queen Victoria and resolves to visit this "Mother of all England." How this event is used by Disraeli to get her to end her reclusive widowhood is the plot of the story. Alas, no video and no DVD. This superb classic, too good for even its own time shows up from time to time on the late show and if it does, don't miss it. You'll be charmed by some outstanding performances and a winsome story. Oh. Yes, the kid gets to meet the Queen and she does join polite society once more. That much is history.

The Mudlark is a story of a dark period of mourning in British history. So few love matches are found in the history of royalty that when one does occur, it's treated with great reverence. So it was with Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert who gave her a bunch of kids that have insured the succession down to today.

Albert died toward the end of 1861 of typhoid fever and Victoria went into an unusually long period of mourning. She boarded herself up in Windsor Castle, conducted her state business there, and made no public appearances for well over a decade.

Now it's the Mid-1870s and the monarchy is losing its appeal. Subjects like to see their ruler every now and then, but Victoria will not leave her seclusion.

All that is disturbed when a young street urchin played by Andrew Ray for whom the Queen has taken on mythic proportions has journeyed from London and crashed Windsor Castle, disrupting things pretty good. Of course security is breached, but Victoria gets a lesson in her duties and obligations as Queen.

Irene Dunne in her next to last big screen appearance plays a regal and imperious Victoria. A good supporting cast is led by Alec Guinness as Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and Finlay Currie as John Brown her equerry and companion. Currie is the best in this film, he fits my conception of Brown as the rough Scot who likes his drink, but loves his monarch.

An interesting tale of how the black veil of mourning for Queen Victoria is lifted.

I saw the Mudlark when it first came out in 1950 and have not seen it since. I remember the Mudlark as a very charming film and would love to see it again. If anyone is aware of available Video Tapes (NTSC) or DVDs of the Mudlark, please let me know. I remember the stirring performances of Alec Guinness (always top rate) and Finlay Currie. The little boy who plays the role of the Mudlark is really endearing and you pull for him in his quest to see the reclusive Queen Victoria. Thy British film industry of that time certainly was able to come up with some real classics. The ten years following WW 2 must have been the pinnacle of British film. I can't understand how such a first rate film can just disappear...Jim Mills

The Mudlark has a fine first half hour, filled with wonderully evocative London fog and Noir-ish photography, but runs ever more out of steam as the film progresses, ending up terribly bogged down in uninteresting talk and an unconvincing ending.

I sat through this entire movie just to see an unrecognizable Irene Dunne as Queen Victoria. While it was fun to see her wearing a fat suit and an old-fashioned wig, I had to wait an extremely long time for her to show up. The vast majority of the film doesn't even involve her, but instead a runaway little boy, Andrew Ray, who manages to sneak into the palace.

He comes from very humble beginnings, sleeping in the street, stealing food, wearing rags, but when he sees a cameo with the queen's likeness on it, he becomes determined to see the beautiful lady in person. He sneaks in, and along the way through the many rooms, hiding in corners and under tables, he overhears conversations of national importance. Alec Guinness is made up to look like Benjamin Disraeli, and he repeatedly tries to get the queen to improve her image among her people. Do you think she'll listen to a little boy more than her prime minister? If you think you can stand a long, wordy British flick with the main actors having very little screen time, you can find out the answer to the crux of the story.

A typically good and effective heartstrings film of the era, with the underdog predictably triumphing, but the very best part was the brilliant Alec Guiness. What a talent! His firm, honest but loyal role as PM Disraeli was surely one of the most intelligent I have seen in film. His entire role dialog was nothing short of premier, with equal talent in his delivery of it that are both so very lacking in today's films, for the most part.

His so very erudite and eloquent speech to the House of Commons about the rights of Britain's children that included Mudlarks(really about all underdogs everywhere), and the obligation for England(and all of us everywhere)to care for and about them was astonishing and encouraging, especially where underdogs and common folk are often seen as nuisances and impediments to rich men seeking political power primarily to help themselves and their rich cronies. In reality, nothing ever changes or improves in the wealthy's perception of those without wealth, but a good fantasy about caring never hurts and may someday help as it showcases human awareness of this best-of-all-worlds ideal if not the real accomplishment of it. Maybe one day? That is the message and benefit and hope of this kind of story.

A grand film in the old style, with outstanding writing and acting.

I've been looking for this film for so many years - only to see the IMDb tells me there is no copy on VHS or DVD.

Does anyone out there have a version I could get a copy of?? I remember Irene Dunne and Alec Guiness as being such wonderful actors. I especially enjoyed Miss Dunne in the earlier version of "Showboat." Who knew she could sing so well. And Sir Alec, of course, did everything well - from "The Man in the White Suit" up to "Star Wars." I'm looking forward to re-watching "Kiind Hearts and Coronets" soon, since it's been years since I've had that pleasure.

I have a vague memory of having read "The Mudlark" when I was much younger. But I've never seen the movie version with two of my favorite actors.

There's a lot of good to this old film but I admit it was a bit lacking for my taste. I'm just trying to figure out in what way. I suppose parts of it were a bit understated or deemphasized and happened to e the wrong parts to do so with. Or maybe it just had to do with the mood I was in rather than the movie.

A British period drama; A story set in 1875 about an orphan river scavenger who finds a cameo brooch and leads him to Windsor Castle. This is a handsome adaptation of Theodore Bonnet's fictional novel about an urchin from the murky lower reaches of the Thames and a widow in excelsis. The film has a sentimental plot and may seem a little far-fetched, but it is not dissimilar to a factual case of a child palace intruder at Windsor Castle in 1838. The story unfolds at a slow rate but the screen is filled with interesting production design, dramatic tension, humour and atmosphere. All the players make it a treat: Irene Dunne was considered unlikely casting but she embodied the ageing monarch very well. Matched to her was Alec Guinness who gave a fine performance as her Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. Andrew Ray is endearing as the boy looking for a mother-figure. Finlay Currie played a grand ghillie John Brown with his well-known traits. All in all, this is fine Christmas story-telling.

Charming adaptation of a story that could very well have happened during the days of Victoria's reign after Prince Albert died.

I am not sure if it is a concoction of the imaginative author or not.

Either way, the heavyweight cast delivers as does the director and production -- and of course -- the charming Mudlark simply named "Wheeler". Here is a tale where our imaginations are treated to a fantasy of grand proportions. The comedy of errors during some scenes are enough to make us all giggle. Dunne and Guiness were wonderful!

I have not heard where Andrew Ray wound up. Does anyone know of his whereabouts?

This unlikely Anglophile gives it 10 thumbs up!

Security at royal residences in the 19th century does not seem to have been very efficient. Although the story told in "The Mudlark" is fictitious, it is based upon a novel, which was in turn based upon a real-life incident in 1838 which a teenage boy named Edward Jones broke into Buckingham Palace Victoria herself was still only a teenager in 1838, and Jones's exploit appears to have been motivated by a sexual obsession with the young Queen. (He was caught trying to steal her underwear).

Theodore Bonnet, the author of the novel, transfers the story to much later in Victoria's reign, around 1876, and the break-in takes place at Windsor Castle rather than Buckingham Palace. The intruder is rather younger than Edward Jones and his motive for breaking into the Castle is more innocent. The "mudlark" of Bonnet's title is not a species of bird. In Victorian London, "mudlarks" were scavengers who made a meagre living selling whatever they could find on the banks of the River Thames. The one featured in this film is a homeless young orphan boy named Wheeler. After finding a picture of Victoria and being told that she is the "mother of all England", he makes a journey along the river to Windsor Castle to see her, entering the castle after evading the guards.

The film tells of how the Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, uses this incident to further his programme of social reforms and to persuade the Queen to end her self-imposed seclusion, which he sees as damaging to the monarchy. (The Queen had been living as a recluse since her husband, Prince Albert, had died more than a decade earlier). A sub-plot deals with a romance between Lady Emily, one of the Queen's Ladies-in-Waiting, and a handsome young Guards officer.

The film was a big box-office success in Britain when first released in 1950. Perhaps in the years of post-war authority it was comforting to be reminded that there was a time in the not-too-far-distant past when life had been even tougher, at least for Wheeler and those like him. The references to Disraeli's social reforms may have been intended as a reference to the similar reformist agenda of Attlee's Labour government, although if the film-makers had been accused of political partisanship they could have pointed out that Disraeli was in fact a Conservative.

"The Mudlark" is not particularly well-known today and only rarely turns up on television. Ever since the golden days of Merchant-Ivory and their imitators in the seventies, eighties and nineties, we have had a preconceived idea of what period dramas should look like- they should be made in sumptuous colour and preferably deal with the lives of the wealthy, or at least the prosperous middle classes. Black-and-white dramas about the mudlarks of this world do not really fit in with that idea. Even the Windsor Castle scenes are not particularly elaborate by the standards of modern heritage cinema.

There is, however, a lot to enjoy about the film. Young Andrew Ray is delightful as the irrepressible Wheeler. Unlike some child-actors called upon to play street urchins or guttersnipes (think, for example, of Mark Lester's impeccably middle-class workhouse boy in "Oliver!"), he really does look and sound like an authentic Cockney kid. There are also good performances from Alec Guinness as Disraeli and Irene Dunne as Queen Victoria. You wouldn't guess Dunne was American- her English even has the slight Germanic accent with which Victoria apparently spoke. This, perhaps, is not how Victoria actually was, but it is how we would like to imagine her. This is a charming little tale. 7/10

Quite an under-stated classic with some superb film-noir scenes shot on the river-bank.

Mudlarks, scavengers for anything at all on the Thames' tidal mud-banks, were only one of the Victorian under-class of homeless, often orphan kids forced to scratch a living, some-how, or die without raising an eye-brow in the great metropolis. This film tells how one of these poor kids attempts to see "The Mother of the Country". Andrew Ray, who plays 'Wheeler' died in 2003. The rest of the cast can never quite out-act the young lad though Findlay Currie as the boozy, kind and understanding John Brown comes close.

With my near-lifelong love of classic film and period dramas/films (particularly ones based on historical figures, and there are plenty of classics in this regard), 'The Mudlark' intrigued me straight away. Especially when it contained two of the biggest historical figures, the as of now second-longest reigning monarch Queen Victoria and one of Britain's most important prime minsters Benjamin Disraeli.

Further sparking interest was the cast, with the involvement of Irene Dunne, Alec Guinness and Finlay Currie promising an enormous amount. Will admit thinking before seeing 'The Mudlark' that Dunne seemed an odd choice for Victoria, having looked nothing like Victoria herself in middle age. Needn't have worried. Did have a gut feeling that even with that reservation 'The Mudlark' would be a little gem sadly overlooked today. It turned out to be exactly that.

Sure, figuring out how it would end may have been quite easy early on and occasionally at first the film is a touch stately, but one doesn't care so much about those when everything else is so brilliant.

On a visual level, 'The Mudlark' is very handsomely shot which does justice to the sets and costumes that are both lavish and evocative. The music score from William Alwyn is not discordant and has presence without intruding. The film was directed in a way showing a keen eye for detail and an ease and passion for the subject.

In terms of writing, the script is really quite masterly, very erudite and thought-provoking, with the highlight being Disraeli's speech which was really quite powerful. The story, both with the boy's quest and Disraeli's attempt to get Victoria out of solitude, is compelling and emotionally resonant with nothing ringing false.

'The Mudlark' is a masterclass when it comes to the acting. Andrew Ray is endearing and very easy to relate to and Currie is suitably crusty as John Brown. It's the two leads who dominate, especially the marvel that is Guinness who transforms himself into this shrewd, intelligent and sympathetic man. Unreognisable Dunne is imperious and dignified, making for some movingly sincere moments. Her and Guinness have a very believable chemistry together, an affectionate one which was very much accurate in reality.

Concluding, a little gem that should be better known. 9/10 Bethany Cox

You will never recognize Irene Dunne as Queen Victoria here, but that is really who she is. I have seen many Queen Victorias passing over the screen, and not one did ever fail in that part, and maybe especially not the American Irene Dunne. Alec Guinness is as magnificent as would be expected as Disraeli, and his major speech in Parliament is the principal highlight of the film. All the rest is the boy's show, gorgeously seconded by Finlay Currie as Mr Brown, the best Mr Brown I have seen and probably truer to reality than one would think, like this whole story is: they say the film and story is based on a legend, and there is never a legend without some ground for it. Jean Negulesco made almost exclusively masterpieces, and this was made in his prime after "Johnny Belinda" and "Britannia Mews" to add jewels to the crown. There are some charming subplots also with Anthony Steel as a dashing and very correct lieutenant, and the whole parade of servants at the Windsor Castle constitute a priceless comedy of its own. In brief, this is a wonderful picture.

This is one of many captivating British movies made in black and white in the 50's. Many of them were branded 'kitchen sink dramas', including 'Look Back in Anger', 'Saturday Night and Monday Morning', 'A Kind of Loving ,'A Taste of Honey' and 'Up The Junction'. They all had a gritty earthiness and down to earth reality which was a world away from the more refined, polite and escapist offerings of the 30's and 40's. When he became aware of this new school of movie making, Noel Coward - one of the most prolific actors and writers in the previous two decades - wrote the somewhat sad epic 'There are Bad Times Just Around the Corner'.

'The Mudlark' has all the anger, unfairness, and human frustration of the kitchen sink dramas, plus a lot more besides - including a dramatic focus on the history of the Victorian era towards the end of the 19th Century. While the British Empire is at its height, many of the country's citizens live in grinding poverty, including an orphan whose name is simply 'Wheeler'.

This poor little boy is one of many homeless impoverished children who scavenge in the mud of the River Thames, hoping to make some sort of a living by finding something to sell. He is played brilliantly by Andrew Ray, son of Ted Ray, one of the most popular contributors to BBC Radio comedy in the 50's.

Wheeler's searches in the mud reveal a cameo portrait of Queen Victoria, which he finds most beautiful. His fellow mudlarks try to steal it from him and he ends up falling into the river. The night watchman who rescues him tells him that the lady is the Queen, the mother of England. 'Wheeler takes that description literally and goes to Windsor Castle to find 'mother'. After falling down a coal shute, he ends up in the splendour of the Royal residence where he is ultimately discovered and captured by servants.

After being abused and threatened by his captors, Scotsman John Brown - Queen Victoria's friend, confidante and man Friday - takes the boy under his wing, feeds him and shows him around, while swigging heavily on a bottle of whiskey. John Brown is a perfectly tailored role for Finlay Currie, whom you may remember played the convict in David Lean's production of 'Great Expectations', another outstanding British black and white movie made in 1946.

Wheeler's adventure runs in parallel with the late years of Queen Victoria's reign, which she spends in seclusion and protracted mourning following the death of her beloved Prince Albert in 1861. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (in office from 1874 -1880) does his best to persuade her to return to public life, pointing out that she owes it to an adoring public and also that it is endangering the popularity of the monarchy. Irene Dunne is Queen Victoria, and her portrayal of the aging monarch is stunning, as is the performance of Alec Guinness as Disraeli.

When Wheeler's discovery in Windsor Castle is exposed in the press, Disraeli makes a brilliant speech in the House of Commons focusing on the plight of homeless children. He was a man with a strong social conscience and the author of much applauded books on the poor and down trodden workers who toil in the mines and factories which the industrial revolution has created. John Brown is also shown lamenting the fact that 'the nation sends little children like Wheeler down coal mines or choking in the dark in chimneys'.

Wheeler ultimately makes it to an audience with the Queen and consequently breaks her heart. At the same time she at last realises the wisdom of Disraeli's advice and appears in public again, much to the delight of her cheering subjects.

'The Mudlark' is a moving and absorbing historical fairy tale which can bring you to tears in several scenes. The immediate post war years were a golden age of British movie making, and 'The Mudlark' is an outstanding example - a riveting story, beautifully scripted, and superbly brought to life by magnificent settings and a cast in a million. Needless to say, they don't like 'em like this anymore.