12 y.o. Hayley Mills delivers a performance that is so authentic, real, powerful and just plain excellent in this 1958 film shot in Cardiff, the coal capital of the world. Horst Buchholz (damn, I just read he died in 2003) and John Mills are fabulous in their roles as well. This is a thriller involving a murder, a street urchin who has developed all of the survivor skills all these kids have, and a sailor. It's a black and white film with great shots of the harbor, the docks and dock workers, and the diverse families who call this rough area home. Reminds me in many ways of the waterfront dock neighborhoods in Brooklyn. We've been reminded by Jim Kolmar, AFS guest curator, that these diverse neighborhoods no longer exist in Cardiff and as always it reminds me of all that is lost when we lose that diversity.
Many of us wanted the murderer to get away with his crime. Not just because he's the gorgeous Horst Bucholz, but because we really cared about him and the relationship he developed with Gillie. For me, that is the most important element of a film. This is a gorgeous film, spellbinding and realistic.
Now I have a list for Kathy for January. Hope she can get some, of not all!
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