User reviews

I bought this black & white video recently from a street vendor in St Albans market, Hertfordshire as part of a job lot of three Ealing comedies he was selling for £15.The others were "Whisky Galore" and "Passport to Pimlico".The other comments written below adequately deal with the basic plot, so I shall not elaborate further on that.What is interesting is to see the young William Fox play the juvenile lead small boy and whose later stage name was changed to James Fox (brother of Edward Fox) who later became well known in the film "The Servant" and "Performance".I was born in 1946 and this film was produced in 1950 so those scenes shown of early post war Britain have a reminiscence for me, when I remember those bomb sites, school dinners, food rationing which extended up to 1955, and an altogether more simple life.In those days children went "out to play" with their friends much more than todays TV/computer bound generation.

The jokes about the Labour Government and psychiatry give the film a distinctly middle class feel which Ealing Studios did not usually portray in their comedies but which was firmly entrenched in the mainstream British film industry at the time.It would be some time before genuine British working class actors exploded onto the screen.The dockside gang the small boy befriends appeared to be genuine working class and so those scenes were the highlight for me.Of course this film being produced in 1950, there has to be a morality tale in the script.Here the evils of cheating someone bring inevitable feelings of guilt until assuaged by an equal measure of generosity by the little boy to the aggrieved party, a handicapped boy of similar age.

I had never seen this Ealing comedy before so was delighted by the unexpected twists and turns in the plot.If you are a fan of gentle Ealing comedies, you may want to seek out this long forgotten (by the major TV networks) film and you will be entertained I feel sure.

After a characteristically stressful Physiology exam, decided to settle down with a movie, and what better than an offering from that beloved British institution, Ealing Studios? 'The Magnet (1950)' is one of the studio's lesser-known comedies, but ranks among their most charming efforts. The film is directed by Charles Frend, who also commandeered the excellent 'A Run for Your Money (1949)' – which succeeded despite being a veiled reworking of Capra's 'Mr Deeds Goes to Town (1936).' In 'The Magnet,' resourceful youth Johnny Brent (William Fox) cheats another boy out of an expensive magnet, before realising that this sin might eventually catch up to him. His attempts to dispose of the magnet are humorously futile, until he unloads the stolen object onto a kindly engineer, who interprets the gift as a noble gesture of Dickensian kindness. While little Johnny worries that his crime will be the death of him, his anxious parents (Stephen Murray and Kay Walsh) become concerned about his odd behaviour. The father, a trained psychiatrist, attempts to apply Jungian psychoanalysis to his son, and smugly reaches an entirely erroneous conclusion. This pleasant, easy-going film has all the hallmarks of an Ealing classic, with a particularly excellent and likable performance from its young star.

A lot of the film was shot in New Brighton, and I have added this to the database as a location. The pier and ferry are no longer there but the Floral Pavilion and Wilkie's fairground (where they try to influence the pinball machine with the magnet) are. The swimming baths where the Miss New Brighton Competition takes place has gone as well. The bike shop was Longworths in Rowson St. You went and chose your bike and Mr Longworth told you to come and collect it next week so he had time to put the seat at the right height, check the brakes,oil it for you and check the tyres.

What a refreshing sight this film was to be enjoyed with my ten year old son, who by coincidence, was the same age as the protagonist in this film. I shuddered to think that Joseph might be able to act in a similar fashion on several occasions when I was not present, but I trust he will not. The film is funny, sharp-witted, and intelligent in its satire. The British have an understated way of delivering these kind of gems to the screen; whereas Hollywood always goes for the big production values and star power most of the time. Only the small independent filmmakers in America have a chance at making a film like this. See it and enjoy. And be careful buying your son or daughter a large magnet.

Though The Magnet oozes middle-class wholesome 1950's family values, which can be seen these days as starchy and very straight-laced, this unusual offering from the Ealing Studios works well on many levels.

With his father a child psychologist, ten year old Johnny Brent (James Fox) has a very colourful imagination and loves inventing things and questioning everything. Johnny keeps getting under his mother's feet and so he is sent off out to play at the local beach to explore.

There, he trades rather dishonestly a magic (non-existent) watch for a giant magnet from a younger lad. The lad's nanny tells him off and so Johnny scarpers and starts imagining that he's in trouble with the police. Then, through completely contrived, but affectionately drawn events, the giant magnet comes up for auction and raises money for a hospital appeal. Johnny becomes hero.

Yes, this is whimsical nonsense and is rather Disney, before Disney did such things. But it's also the locations and snapshot of British life back then. It'll certainly appeal to the older generation and undoubtedly, to us boys of all ages, more, as it harks back to our own childhoods.

Generally, the acting is quite average and the direction from Ealing regular Charles Friend is about passable, though there are some fantasy sequences which are OK. However, the young James is a tonic, eschewing youthful zest and intrigue. He's completely natural and believable, little wonder that he went on to become the mega star he did.

The DVD transfer is OK but is a bit soft.

All in all, if you're expecting a comedy caper, as in the best Ealing tradition, you may be disappointed. But if you love your Ealing's and want to explore beyond the box-set classics, then this does quite nicely.

This is a delightful film about a young boy growing up in a small riverside town,just across from Liverpool, in 1950.He experiences guilt after conning a younger boy out of a magnet and wrongly believing that this has lead to the other boy's death.Humour is provided by the boy's father a psychiatrist/psychologist who has a theory and an answer for everything, unfortunately these are usually wrong. Lots of nostalgia for those of us brought up at that time and place:New Brighton Pier and Lido;Mersey Ferry and Dockland Overhead Railway;Blitzed Area of Liverpool below Anglican Cathedral;Biscuits being delivered in large tin boxes.

Most memorable scene:Liverpool/Chinese boy(played by Geoffrey Yin)- When his mother shouts at him in Chinese from a window,he turns to his friends and says "Me mam sez I've gotta ave mi tea" ...in a strong Liverpool accent.

Ealing often sent their crews to exotic locations and the claim in the opening credits that this fanciful whimsy was filmed at Ealing Studios - unusually without Alec Guinness - is ironically promptly contradicted by its's vivid rendering by cameraman Lionel Banes of the Merseyside locations around which a young 'William' Fox (as he was then called) is pursued; although Banes does also do an atmospheric job on the interiors.

This film is very much of its time, and evokes a more gentler, long gone age. In many ways it is a typical "Ealing" film, although much location work takes place on Merseyside and, in particular New Brighton. I remember seeing this film on the children's' matinée in the 1950's - I enjoyed it then, and it has lost none of its charm now. It's main theme of "cheats not prospering" was a fine ideal then, and still applies today. The comparison of the affluent, comfortable, public school lifestyle of the main character to that of the boys he meets when he crosses the river to Liverpool, is very well drawn and brings an excellent sense of realism to the film. The location shots are first class, and lend an authenticity to the proceedings. The characters are, in the main, well portrayed and it's good to see another bravura performance from that most underrated of character actors, Meredith Edwards. All in all a lovely, timeless classic of a movie!

I must go against the grain of most reviewers here and despite the waste of the good actress Kay Walsh this film is in my opinion utterly boring. Some may consider the adventures of a boy and a magnet interesting but it left me cold. Incidents come and go but James Fox is annoying as an actor and his accent is totally out of character in Liverpool, and the rest of the actors suffer from the same Kensington/Chelsea complaint, or should I say Belgravia and Mayfair. This jars and the film is not strong enough to survive it. Set in London it would have been boringly believable but further North it just imposes London snobbery. Stephen Murray is a psychiatrist who uses jargon that is nonsense most of the time and the mention of Jung had me in fits of unwanted laughter. This is a long way from the great ' Passport to Pimlico ' but to be fair whoever reads this must make up their own minds. To put it in a nutshell this male brat is avoiding 'growing up ' and wearing long trousers by behaving ( in 1950's terms ) badly. Anyway that is what father psychiatrist says and while saying that looks as if he needs one of his own.

This post-war British film from the great Ealing studios, is a charming tale of innocence lost, and particularly the idea of childhood guilt, brought on by a small incident and exacerbated by fear and misconstrued information. Johnny Brent (a young James Fox - billed as William Fox), a 10 year old wanderer, cons a younger boy into giving him his magnet. After feeling guilt (and particularly the fear of being caught out) he hands the powerful magnet to a charity organiser, feeling that he would be rid of his culpability. His imagination - coupled with his stricken conscience - takes over, as the boy with the magnet becomes of interest to the local authorities. He overhears and misinterprets some information he believes is connected with the boy he stole from. Fearing that he has caused the death of the boy, Johnny runs away.

The Magnet is full of genuine charm. It almost perfectly captures those moments of childhood where we believe we have done great wrong - a usual emotion of guilt, but particularly it is the acquisition of information in these situations that are fundamentally ingrained on our conscience. Johnny's father, Dr Brent (Stephen Murray), is a Jungian Psychoanalyst who attempts to interpret the unusual behaviour of his son, which leads to some interesting asides - this could possibly even be a criticism of this form of psychology, and it's intrinsic hypotheses that all strange behaviours are connected to the parents.

This is by no means the greatest of Ealing Studios output, but it is a delightful story of youth, with a good lead performance from Fox. It is always irresistible to watch old British films, and see an autonomous country that looks individual, before the signs and signifiers of American consumerism invaded and changed the landscape forever.

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A friend of mine recently told me of this film and was amazed that I was able to buy it at Amazon for the amazing price of £5.65 including P&P,just took 2 days ! living now in New Brighton,where the film is set and mostly filmed,and being at an age the be able to remember the 50's well,I was actually born the year this film was made,but it was a total delight to watch,seeing the overhead railway again,the beach,the Perch rock,the indoor fairground,I spent half my youth in there,and spotting all the locations around was wonderful,every person over 50 living on the Wirral should see this little film,not many real "scouse" accents though !...did anybody spot the businessman on the Overhead railway...surely that was Arthur Lowe but not mentioned in the credits,wonderful wonderful film.

A lovely film giving us all a taste of nostalgia. One reviewer mentions the London accents being wrong for a Liverpool setting. It's clear he doesn't know Liverpool, also the parents are professionals and Johnny speaks as his parents do - plus he attends boarding school, not a local one. I worked with many colleagues in Hackney (east London) where they was born bred and worked - most had a beautiful speaking voices and were well spoken.

Another reviewer complains that there are no working class actors in it -well the story is about a boy whose parents are professional psychologists and are middle class. I'm sure why they weren't aware of that - if you want working class, there are many supporting cast of working class origins. Even James Robertson J plays a tramp. Or watch some 'kitchen sink' dramas!

The wonderful Johnny is played by James Fox (although the name in the credits is William). His and his brother Edwards's lovely features are now seen though James' son, and Edwards' daughter Emilia - such a strong family resemblance and all great actors.

The lovely 1950s black and white film is a joy to watch. The beautiful house and neighbourhood as well as the seaside and beach senes. Such beautiful accents too.

I love the scene when Johnny (after his many adventures) has supper in bed as he tells mum he's not feeling too well. It's brought up on a tray, there he is with his poached egg on toast and shaking sat and pepper on it! I don't recall doing this a as child.

Another lovely and nostalgic scene is when Johnny is old enough to have long trousers - dad sees them thrown on the floor and nicely reprimands Johnny and reminds him he's now of an age to look after his clothes. 'Sorry dad' says Johnny.

Such a lovely film which I'll be watching again in the near future. Some odd accents - and not all Liverpudlian (where the film is set).

Full circle at the end - great story and one I would highly recommmend.

A wonderful, poignant and heartwarming movie. As a fan of Hue and Cry, I was expecting something similar, which it is, but even better. The star in this case (a very young William/James Fox) is a lonely schoolboy, recovering from scarlet fever and wandering the streets of what is now Merseyside, as well as the streets of his imagination, bowling an imaginary cricket bowl as he goes. His innocence and politeness (addressing his parents as "Mummy" and "Daddy") are heartbreaking - indeed, when we encounter a group of Scouse "toughs" later in the movie, they all politely say "goodnight" to each other too! Scouse accents are notable by their absence, but post-war Liverpool (and New Brighton, across the Mersey) provides a beautiful setting. Some of the satire (on the profession of psychology, and in the way a false scenario causes the cash for the iron lung to be raised) is lacking in subtlety, but there are a couple of surreal scenes (young Johnny depicted as various types of urchin as the eccentric inventor parlays the story of the generous child into a fairy tale) which must have been quite innovative in 1950. At an hour and a quarter, it's frustratingly short, and definitely left me wanting more.

English films from right after the war — particularly those from Ealing or Archers — are a pretty interesting pocket to mine. Its a strange mix of experiments of all types. There's no predictability, no massive copying. Its as if everything is reset in a cultural medium and tastes need to be rediscovered or even reinvented.

This story as two elements. One is a story about a boy in a boy's clever world of invention and exploration. That's the bits you are meant to see. The other is overtly symbolic: his father is a clinical psychologist who has a need to "explain things." The story is about the hunger of certain stories, one would almost say the attraction or magnetism of stories, and that can be the only reason why the possession that triggers the story-story is a magnet.

What happens here is an ordinary episode triggers several fantastic stories, all of them with lives of their own as they adapt to live and propagate. There's extreme attention to symbols as if it were written by the psychologist: iron lungs, remote alarms, "secret" sign language, an invisible watch.

The story itself has minor charms. Its the loading of the overt symbols that is the fun part, especially since the writer seems to be poking fun at the notion of symbols the whole time.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.