John and Julie

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.

"John and Julie" evokes memories of my own childhood, seeing this sweet, wonderful comedy on TV in the sixties. A simple story, of two British children, separated from their families while en route to London to see Elizabeth crowned, the film offers a wide variety of British performers (including Wilfrid Hyde-White and a young Peter Sellers), as 'typical', if often eccentric, countrymen who aid the children on their way. Colin Gibson and Lesley Dudley, as the children, are completely natural, and captivating (Dudley pouts so wistfully that you want to hug her!)

With a beautiful score (highlighted by a trumpet solo), stock footage of the actual event blended in with the story, and a joyous finale that could turn the most dedicated 'Yank' into an Anglophile, "John and Julie" is a small gem, something the entire family will love!

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.

This is one of those films that brings out my nostalgic tendencies. John and julie is a simple story of a little girl called Julie who decides to run away to london with her best friend John to see the Queens coronation. The film was made just a couple of years after the events the film depicts. It's a simple story, its told with total charm and warmth. The two young actors playing John and Julie are totally believable natural. They are surrounded by cameos of the cream of 50s acting talent from Wilfred Hyde White to Peter Sellers... Although this is obviously a celebration of the event of 1953. The film trys to represent all walks of life. There is a very early attempt to show a multi cultural uk along with Londons slightly seedy night life. John and Julie works because it just so cosy. It show a bygone age that we could learn alot from.. It might not have the prestige of an Eailing Comedy but deserves to be shown more.

This was a most enjoyable film, using the coronation of a year or so before as a backdrop for the story. Lots of very familiar British actors, many of whom became well-known in later years, were in the film and Eddie Calvert's theme became a hit in those less beat-conscious years.