Milagre de Amor

Soho in the fifties was synonymous with vice protection rackets and gang wars.It wasn't a particularly pleasant place and no comparison with the area today.This is a rather mushy romantic film with good actors such as Ian Bannen trying to cope with a truly atrocious Italian accent.John Gregson plays his usual sort of role,an itinerant labourer who yearns for romance but is afraid to settle down.He is enamoured by Belinda Lee,a beautiful actress who was sadly killed in a car crash.It is difficult to say harsh things about Emeric Pressburger as he was such a talented man.However the responsibility for this tripe must lay on his shoulders alone.

This film was made in a studio, as it would have been impossible to shoot it in the real Soho due to the necessity to dig up a whole street, which is the basis for the story. But the greatest attention to authenticity has resulted in accurate shop fronts, signs, polyglot names (the baker is Czech, called Svoboda, which means 'freedom' for those unversed in Czech), products (such as pub ads for Mackeson stout and Cinzano apertitif, which were such firm favourites of that time), and period atmosphere which was then, of course, not 'period' but contemporary. This film records a time when people of all nations speaking many languages lived in Soho and could lift up their sash windows and shout at one another either in other windows or down in the street. In other words, it portrays the genuine street life which existed before television caused everyone to grow taproots which affixed their bottoms firmly to their chairs and sofas (or as the American say, couches). The lead female role is played by the glamorous young actress Belinda Lee, who made 33 films and then met a tragic end in a car crash in America when she was only 25 years old. This long-forgotten film has been rediscovered for DVD release. The film is based upon a novel by Emeric Pressburger, who also produced the film. The director was Julian Amyes, whose career was mostly spent directing for British television. The story is set in a fictional street called St. Anthony's Lane. One day, a team of road workers arrives to dig up the entire street, which will take weeks. One of the road diggers is a ladies' man played by John Gregson. He is very convincing and good for the part. Naturally he and Belinda Lee fall for each other, but not until after a great deal of hesitation and difficulty. At the beginning of the film, Gregson heartlessly dismisses a young girl who has chased him since his last job in another neighbourhood, professing her love for him. She is played by a young Billie Whitelaw, later to become so famous with British audiences, long after Gregson had been forgotten by them. Cyril Cusack plays the whimsical local postman who is also an officer in the Salvation Army. He goes round trying to calm everybody down and offers gentle advice on every conceivable subject. Can Gregson overcome his 'love 'em and leave 'em' attitudes and realize what a prize Belinda Lee is? Or will he break her heart too? Will she and her Italian immigrant family realize their dream of getting visas to emigrate on to Canada? Will Belinda go or stay? The film is a romantic tale and an affectionate portrait of a neighbourhood, and has much to offer concerning its genuine period insight into those now-vanished times.

MIRACLE IN SOHO is an odd film, an overly romantic picture of a single street in London's Soho District in 1957. The street itself is a miniature United Nations, although here everyone gets along with everyone else, regardless of national origin (or ethnicity, for that matter, although the families of color disappear after the first scene). The plot itself doesn't surprise, which is a shame, as a different ending could have made for at least a somewhat richer film, particularly since the would-be here is basically a jerk throughout. But the biggest problem with this film is the repeated lack of follow-through on plot lines. Characters get into situations, most fairly serious, but the writers and director never wrap up those stories (poor Tom's story, for example). As the film runs 93 minutes, I can only guess that scenes would up on the cuttingroom floor. The viewer can only wonder what the denouement is for many of the secondary characters.

On the plus side, the cast itself is fairly good. Billie Whitelaw has a smallish part, and Cyril Cusack is always winning. Belinda Lee is absolutely lovely. And Johnny, the hero's rival for Lee's hand, is a young Brian Bedford, looking like he should pop into one of the era's teen musicals at any time.