The astounding thing about this film is that I found myself watching it. My wife had recorded it as a time filler but I found it quite enjoyable. Set at the end of World War 2, returning prisoner of war David King has been regaling his pal Johnny with tales of his idyllic home village of Pin Mill. However, as they view it from a nearby hill it is obvious that the place is now a ghost town. David's sister Joan explains that sunken shipping in the estuary destroyed the fishing industry and with it the boat builders and associated trades. David decides to resurrect the fortunes of Pin Mill by converting his boat Elena into a yacht and winning a race, thereby attracting orders for boat building.
This is a rather well-worn tale involving initially sceptical locals coming round and helping out. Such films were a staple of the British film industry at the time, but tended to be the preserve of the Ealing Studios with much bigger budgets. Here, the action is gentle and charming. The race does not end as expected. But, this is obviously a feelgood film and everything is resolved satisfactorily. Surprisingly, David King is played by Edwin Richfield, whose hawkish looks featured in many movie and TV roles in the fifties and sixties, usually as a villain or henchman. Nice to see him as a goody for a change. Never in line for any awards, this is still a fascinating glimpse of a bygone age when people were having to get used to a changing world.
Review of Ha'penny Breeze
