Le voyageur sans billet

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.

"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 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.

This was shown in America in the early seventies on the short lived CBS Children's Film Festival, which of course was hosted by Kukla, Fran & Ollie, the trio in which Fran was a human being, but Kukla the clown and Ollie the dragon were hand puppets operated by Burr Tillstrom.

I had no idea this program was in color for starters, and now to see it nearly 30 years later, it really is an absolute escapist delight. Forget all your troubles in life and focus on two children wanting to see her majesty's coronation.

Peter Sellers (nearly unrecognizeable as that cop), Sidney James (whom I just discovered earlier this year in the Carry On movies), and above all others, Wilfred Hyde White, always sensational to listen to.

There is nothing I can say about the music. It carries the movie, enters at just the right moments.

The coronation as well was brilliant. For her majesty and Winston Churchill's brief appearances? Certainly, but the stars were the British subjects themselves, shown throughout the movie aiding John and Julie in their quest to get to London as well, now gathered along the procession to cheer for the queen. These were the stars, as the movie triumphantly noted at the very end.

And now to see it well half a century after the events, three decades after I was first exposed to the story, what more is there to say?

God save the queen.