Sky West and Crooked

It starts with the accidental death of a village boy who has been fooling around with a shotgun. Several years later, and the girl he was playing with has grown into Hayley Mills and is a semi-pariah in the village, being blamed by some for the boy's death. She is also 'not all there', but whether this was from birth or the accident is not clear. Hayley is more popular with the village youngsters, and her burial of her pet hamsters in the churchyard, starts off a trend which spreads to the interment of a few Sunday dinners!

This business, reminiscent of FORBIDDEN GAMES was to me the better part of the film, and is helped by the performances of Annette Crosbie (Victor Meldrew's long-suffering wife in 'One Foot in the Grave') as Hayley's alcoholic mother and Geoffrey Bayldon and the bewildered vicar trying to bring peace to the village.

Where the film lost it for me was in the other plot involving Ian MacShane as a Gypsy who takes a shine to Hayley and is subsequently unpopular with his fellows. That side of it was not so bad, but the romantic business with MacShane and Mills becomes very tedious indeed. Very much a family affair, this was directed by John Mills, and co-written by his wife Mary Hayley Bell, from her novel.

The British title comes from an expression meaning to be a bit cracked, and there was even talk of using 'Bats With Baby Faces', which would have upset nearly everybody. In America it was called GYPSY GIRL.

This is, in fact, a forgotten film (note the absence of a video or DVD) and a largely underappreciated one. I have found on many occasions Mills's Disney films to be very syrupy and cloying; this one proves beyond that shadow of a doubt that she could act. Obviously, her father, who directed the film, had some knowledge of her capabilities. This performance, and the loving, detailed depiction of the British countryside (mentioned in the other user comments) overwhelm any other minor errors in technical knowhow (the sound and cinematography are not the best) and pacing. This is not a perfect film. One could better describe it as a rough, uncut diamond of a film -- and those are the most valuable of all.

This charming and unusual film was written by Mary Hayley Bell (with inspiration from DH Lawrence's story 'The Virgin and the Gypsy'), directed by John Mills, and starred their daughter Hayley as disturbed teenager Brydie.

The basic premise - that the girl is 'sky west and crooked' because of something that happened in her childhood that she can't remember - soon switches into a 'growing-up' kind of tale as Brydie meets gypsy boy Roibin (Ian McShane). The people in the village are equally well-drawn (Brydie's mother, played by Annette Crosbie; the vicar, played by Geoffrey Bayldon; the grudge-bearing Mr Dacres, played by Laurence Naismith; and the gypsy grandma played by Rachel Thomas).

From encouraging the children around her to bury dead animals in the consecration of the churchyard, to her love match amongst the caravans and the Romany customs, Hayley Mills makes Brydie a delight, although she acts and looks much younger than the character's age of seventeen. As Roibin, Ian McShane is very much in 'glamour' mode, perhaps photographed too sympathetically to make the character believable.

Still, 'Sky West and Crooked' is a well-written and directed piece, a lovely fairytale in which the idealism of first love is well presented and where the surroundings, whether a church or an open road, marry to the action perfectly.

An emotionally backward girl falls for a local gypsy. Coming-of-age film relies on setting (1960s British countryside) and strong character development for charm. Sure direction steers away from sappiness and holds interest despite the thin plot. A fine companion to "Railway Children". (Rating: A-minus)

I love this film. It is very much a movie about a wild child. Haley acts very well and she truly becomes the character. This movie reminds me a lot of the 60s spirit of hippies, flower child and all that. It's about love and child-like spirit. Very sweet. The plot has issues, but I can overlook it because the movie is so sweet in a natural way. Like others have said, it is much better than her Disney movies.

To those who think the movie is rambling...it is, but I think it totally fits with the mood and theme of the movie. It is about a free spirit.

The English countryside is beautiful. Like someone else said, it makes me want to jump in the movie and run with her. It's a good advertisement for UK tourism.

Thanks TCM for showing this rare film.