The White Unicorn
| The White Unicorn | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Original British trade advertisement | |
| Directed by |
|
| Screenplay by | Moie Charles A. R. Rawlinson Robert Westerby |
| Based on | novel The Milk-White Unicorn by Flora Sandström[1] |
| Produced by | Harold Huth |
| Starring | Margaret Lockwood Joan Greenwood Ian Hunter Dennis Price |
| Cinematography | Reginald H. Wyer |
| Edited by | Robert Johnson |
| Music by | Bretton Byrd |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors (UK) |
Release dates | 30 October 1947 (London)(UK) June 1948 (US) |
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £150,000 (approx)[2] |
The White Unicorn is a 1947 British drama film directed by Bernard Knowles and starring Margaret Lockwood, Joan Greenwood, Ian Hunter and Dennis Price.[3] Kyra Vayne appeared as the singer. It was made at Walton Studios by the independent producer John Corfield, and released by General Film Distributors. The film's sets were designed by Norman G. Arnold.[3] It was also known as Milkwhite Unicorn and Bad Sister (its title in the US).[4]
Plot[edit]
At a home for delinquent girls, a troublesome girl, swaps reminiscences with the warden, who recounts her own unhappy marriage, divorce and tragic death of her second husband.[5]
Cast[edit]
- Margaret Lockwood as Lucy
- Joan Greenwood as Lottie Smith
- Ian Hunter as Philip Templar
- Dennis Price as Richard Glover
- Eileen Peel as Joan
- Guy Middleton as Fobey
- Catherine Lacey as Miss Cater
- Paul Dupuis as Paul
- Bryl Wakely as Matron of Remand home
- Joan Rees as Alice Walters
- Mabel Constanduros as Nurse
- Lily Kann as Shura
- Valentine Dyall as Storton
- Julia Lockwood as Norey
- Vernon Conway as Son of Pompous Matron
- Kyra Vayne as Singer
- Cecil Bevan as Clerk to the Assizes
- John Boxer as Bill
- Dorothy Bramhall as Parlourmaid
- Clifford Cobbe as Drunken Father
- Amy Dalby as Landlady
- David Evans as Ted – Parcels Boy
- John Howard as Kaarlo
- Noel Howlett as Sir Humphrey Webster
- Elizabeth Maude as Mrs. Madden
- Robert Moore as Clerk to the Judge
- Thelma Rea as Pompous Matron
- Desmond Roberts as Elderly Roue
- Stewart Rome as Charles Madden
Production[edit]
In December 1946 Phyllis Calvert was scheduled to play the lead.[6]
Filming began in March 1947.[7] The film was made at Nettleford Studios.[8] It was used to help build up Joan Greenwood who Rank were trying to make a star.[9]
Some scenes had to be re-cut for release in the US, notably when Margaret Lockwood and Dennis Prices's characters went on honeymoon together – their twin beds were too close together.[10] Lockwood's daughter had a small role.[11]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
According to trade papers, the film was a "notable box office attraction" at British cinemas in 1947.[12]
Critical[edit]
AllMovie called it "A "woman's picture" if ever there was one";[13] but Bosley Crowther in The New York Times was less sympathetic, calling it "...not an especially dramatic or otherwise appetizing serving of entertainment";[14] whereas Variety wrote "...his romantic melodrama will have rough handling by the highbrows, but should prove a box office winner. Story is on hokey side, but a tearjerker."[15]
References[edit]
- ^ Goble, Alan (1 January 1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. Walter de Gruyter. ISBN 9783110951943 – via Google Books.
- ^ Lawson, Alan (21 August 1995). "Gerry Humphreys". British Entertainment History Project.
- ^ a b "The White Unicorn (1947)". Archived from the original on 8 August 2016.
- ^ Schallert, Edwin (9 March 1947). "British Film Star Irked by Censors: 'Silly,' Says Margaret Lockwood in Trans-Atlantic Phone Chat". Los Angeles Times. p. B1.
- ^ "The White Unicorn". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 16, no. 10. 14 August 1948. p. 26. Retrieved 28 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "British Film Briefs". Variety. 4 December 1946. p. 16.
- ^ Tims, Hilton (1989). Once a wicked lady : a biography of Margaret Lockwood. W.H. Allen. p. 145. ISBN 9781852271800.
- ^ "Old-time players at studio party". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 15, no. 7. 26 July 1947. p. 36. Retrieved 28 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "BRITISH FILMS". The Sun. No. 2326. Sydney. 9 November 1947. p. 17. Retrieved 28 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Margaret Lockwood's fame brings problems". The Australian Women's Weekly. Vol. 15, no. 23. 15 November 1947. p. 32. Retrieved 28 September 2017 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ Lockwood, Margaret (1955). Lucky Star: The Autobiography of Margaret Lockwood. Odhams Press Limited. p. 132.
- ^ Robert Murphy (2003). Realism and Tinsel: Cinema and Society in Britain 1939–48. p. 209. ISBN 9781134901500.
- ^ "The White Unicorn (1947) - Bernard Knowles - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related". AllMovie.
- ^ "Movie Reviews". The New York Times. 27 August 2021.
- ^ "Variety (November 1947)". Variety. November 1947.
External links[edit]
- The White Unicorn at IMDb
- The White Unicorn at the British Film Institute[better source needed]
- The White Unicorn at Silver Sirens
- Review of film at Variety
