The Woman for Joe

Last updated • 2 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The Woman for Joe
"The Woman for Joe" (1955).jpg
British poster
Directed by George More O'Ferrall
Written by Neil Paterson
Produced by Leslie Parkyn
Starring Diane Cilento
George Baker
Jimmy Karoubi
David Kossoff
Cinematography Georges Périnal
Edited by Alfred Roome
Music by Malcolm Arnold
Production
company
Group Film Productions
Distributed by J. Arthur Rank Film Distributors
Release date
  • 25 August 1955 (1955-08-25)(London)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Woman for Joe is a 1955 British drama film directed by George More O'Ferrall and starring Diane Cilento, George Baker, Jimmy Karoubi and David Kossoff. [1] The screenplay concerns the owner of a circus sideshow and his prize attraction (a midget), who become romantically involved with the same woman. The film was made at Pinewood Studios. [2] The sets were designed by the art director Maurice Carter.

Contents

Plot

Midget George Wilson pulls strings to obtain a job in the circus for Mary, a Hungarian lady he's fallen madly in love with. Mary is happy to have the job, singing to the lions, but although she likes George, her feelings for circus owner Joe Harrop are stronger. The jealousy and tensions caused affect the running of the circus.

Cast

Critical reception

The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 2/5 stars, writing: "A slow and rather disappointing Rank production, this is the old "Hunchback of Notre Dame" chestnut, about fairground owner George Baker who hires a midget, only for him to turn into a Napoleon figure, lusting for power and lusting, too, for Diane Cilento, who's in love with Baker. It's pretty nasty, in fact, with none of the poetry of Victor Hugo's story, let alone Tod Browning's similarly themed masterpiece, Freaks [1932]." [3]

TV Guide wrote, "the highlight of this picture is the elaborate circus set, but this does little to benefit the unfolding of the plot, which is predictable." [4]

AllMovie noted "an excellent showcase for leading lady Diane Cilento (later better known as Mrs. Sean Connery)... What could have been an exercise in tawdriness is redeemed by the colorful camerawork of Georges Perinal." [5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "average", writing: "Difficult subject, not too cleverly handled." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Baker (British actor)</span> English actor and writer (1931–2011)

George Morris Baker, MBE was an English actor and writer. He was best known for portraying Tiberius in I, Claudius, and Inspector Wexford in The Ruth Rendell Mysteries.

<i>Carry On Again Doctor</i> 1969 British comedy film by Gerald Thomas

Carry On Again Doctor is a 1969 British comedy film, the 18th release in the series of 31 Carry On films (1958–1992). It was released in December 1969 and was the third to feature a medical theme. The film features series regulars Sid James, Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Joan Sims, Barbara Windsor and Hattie Jacques. This was Jim Dale's last Carry On appearance for 23 years until his return in Carry On Columbus. It also marks the debut of Patsy Rowlands to the series in her first of 9 appearances. Alongside James, Rowlands who also appears in the ITV sitcom Bless This House from 1971 to 1976. The film was followed by Carry On Up the Jungle in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">June Lang</span> American actress

June Lang was an American film actress.

<i>Hell Drivers</i> 1957 British film by Cy Endfield

Hell Drivers is a 1957 British film noir crime drama film directed by Cy Endfield and starring Stanley Baker, Herbert Lom, Peggy Cummins and Patrick McGoohan. It was written by Endfield and John Kruse, and produced by the Rank Organisation and Aqua Film Productions. A recently released convict takes a driver's job at a haulage company and encounters violence and corruption.

<i>The Ship That Died of Shame</i> 1955 British film by Basil Dearden

The Ship That Died of Shame, released in the United States as PT Raiders, is a black-and-white 1955 Ealing Studios crime film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Richard Attenborough, George Baker, Bill Owen and Virginia McKenna.

<i>Jet Storm</i> 1959 British film by Cy Endfield

Jet Storm is a 1959 British thriller film directed and co-written by Cy Endfield. Richard Attenborough stars with Stanley Baker, Hermione Baddeley and Diane Cilento. The film is a precursor to the later aviation disaster film genre such as Airport (1970).

Who Done It? is a 1956 British slapstick black and white comedy crime film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Benny Hill, Belinda Lee, David Kossoff, Garry Marsh, and George Margo. It was wrtten by T. E. B. Clarke.

<i>The Glass Cage</i> (1955 film) 1955 British film by Montgomery Tully

The Glass Cage is a 1955 British second feature mystery film, directed by Montgomery Tully and starring John Ireland, Honor Blackman and Sid James. It was made by Hammer Film Productions. The screenplay was by Richard H. Landau based on the 1945 novel The Outsiders by A. E. Martin.

<i>Street Corner</i> (1953 film) 1953 film by Muriel Box

Street Corner is a 1953 British drama film directed by Muriel Box and starring Peggy Cummins, Terence Morgan, Anne Crawford, Rosamund John and Barbara Murray. It was written by Muriel Box and Sydney Box. While it is not quite a documentary, the film depicts the daily routine of women in the police force from three different angles. It was conceived as a female version of the 1950 film The Blue Lamp.

<i>Violent Playground</i> 1958 film by Basil Dearden

Violent Playground is a black and white 1958 British film directed by Basil Dearden and starring Stanley Baker, Peter Cushing, and David McCallum. It was written by James Kennaway.

<i>An Alligator Named Daisy</i> 1955 British film by J. Lee Thompson

An Alligator Named Daisy is a 1955 British comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Donald Sinden, Jeannie Carson, James Robertson Justice, Diana Dors, Roland Culver and Stanley Holloway. It was written by Jack Davies based on the 1954 novel of the same name by Charles Terrot.

<i>The Devils Circus</i> 1926 film

The Devil's Circus is a 1926 American silent drama film directed by Danish director Benjamin Christensen, based upon his screenplay. The film stars Norma Shearer and Charles Emmett Mack. It was the first of seven films directed by Christensen in the United States, and one of only four of those films that have not been lost. The film involves a young female trapeze artist who is in love with a pickpocket.

<i>Tread Softly Stranger</i> 1958 British film

Tread Softly Stranger is a 1958 British crime drama film directed by Gordon Parry and starring Diana Dors, George Baker and Terence Morgan. The screenplay was written by George Minter adapted from the stage play Blind Alley (1953) by Jack Popplewell. The film was shot in black-and-white in film noir style, and its setting in an industrial town in northern England mirrors the kitchen sink realism movement coming into vogue in English drama and film at the time.

<i>The Young Lovers</i> (1954 film) 1954 British film by Anthony Asquith

The Young Lovers is a 1954 British Cold War romantic drama film directed by Anthony Asquith and starring Odile Versois and David Knight. The film was produced by Anthony Havelock-Allan, with cinematography from Jack Asher and screenplay by George Tabori and Robin Estridge. It was shot at Pinewood Studios with sets designed by the art directors John Box and John Howell. At the 1955 British Film Academy Awards, The Young Lovers picked up the prizes for Best Screenplay and Most Promising Newcomer to Film.

<i>Rattle of a Simple Man</i> 1964 British film by Muriel Box

Rattle of a Simple Man is a 1964 British comedy-drama film directed by Muriel Box and starring Diane Cilento, Harry H. Corbett and Michael Medwin. It was written by Charles Dyer, based on his 1962 play La Crécelle(Rattle of a Simple Man).

<i>The Passing Stranger</i> 1954 British film by John Arnold

The Passing Stranger is a 1954 British crime film written and directed by John Arnold, and starring Lee Patterson, Diane Cilento and Duncan Lamont. It was produced by Anthony Simmons, who also wrote the original film story, and Ian Gibson-Smith, with Leon Clore as executive producer for Harlequin Productions.

<i>The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp</i> 1954 British film by Alan Bromly

The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp is a 1954 British fantasy comedy film directed by Alan Bromly and starring Felix Aylmer, Diane Cilento and Jerry Desmonde. The film was based on a novel by Charles Terrot and is a remake of his television play broadcast in 1951. It was remade as a West German film of the same title in 1959.

<i>House of Secrets</i> (1956 film) 1956 British film by Guy Green

House of Secrets, also known as Triple Deception, is a 1956 British crime thriller film directed by Guy Green and starring Michael Craig, Anton Diffring and Gérard Oury. It was wrirtten by Robert Buckner andBryan Forbes based on the 1955 novel Storm Over Paris by Sterling Noel.

<i>Things Are Looking Up</i> (film) 1935 British film

Things Are Looking Up is a 1935 British musical comedy film directed by Albert de Courville, produced by Michael Balcon for Gaumont British and starring Cicely Courtneidge, Max Miller and William Gargan. It was made at Islington Studios by British Gaumont, an affiliate of Gainsborough Pictures. The film's sets were designed by Alex Vetchinsky. The film was distributed by Gaumont British Distributors.

<i>Night Ride</i> (1937 film) 1937 British film

Night Ride is a 1937 black and white British drama film directed by John Paddy Carstairs and starring Julian Vedey, Wally Patch and Jimmy Hanley. It was written by Ralph Gilbert Bettison.

References

  1. ↑ "The Woman for Joe". BFI. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012.
  2. ↑ "Pinewood Studio". Archived from the original on 17 March 2013.
  3. ↑ Radio Times Guide to Films (18th ed.). London: Immediate Media Company. 2017. p. 1035. ISBN   9780992936440.
  4. ↑ "The Woman For Joe". TV Guide.
  5. ↑ "The Woman for Joe (1955) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". AllMovie.
  6. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 401. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.