A heartwarming tale of an English minister and his family reunited at Christmas time. Their story includes a remembrance of their World War II trials.A heartwarming tale of an English minister and his family reunited at Christmas time. Their story includes a remembrance of their World War II trials.A heartwarming tale of an English minister and his family reunited at Christmas time. Their story includes a remembrance of their World War II trials.
Maureen Delaney
- Aunt Bridget
- (as Maureen Delany)
Mary Chapman
- Girl
- (uncredited)
Sally Owen
- Young Girl
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- Anatole de Grunwald
- Wynyard Browne(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaWynyard Browne's original play opened at London's Duchess Theatre in 1950. Maureen Delaney and Margaret Halstan reprised their stage roles for this movie.
- GoofsWhen Aunt Bridget hands her landlady a photograph of her nephew Michael (Denholm Elliott) from the sideboard, it's a different one. The close up shot of the photo shows him in uniform as opposed to civilian dress on the sideboard.
- Quotes
Richard Wyndham: Cheer up, Mick old boy. In a hundred years we'll all be dead.
- ConnectionsFeatured in The Andrew Klavan Show: Episode #1.436 (2017)
- SoundtracksThe Holly and the Ivy
(uncredited)
Traditional, music first published by Cecil J. Sharp, arranged by H. Walford Davies
Featured review
Preacher's Kids
Watching The Holly And The Ivy for the first time in decades tonight I was made
conscious of the fact that there is one unseen character in the film whose presence hovers over all the action. That is the presence of the late wife of
Ralph Richardson. This is the first year of Christmas without her and her role was
keeper of the home and keeper of the secrets. The late Mrs. Gregory provided
a proper balance for all concerned.
Ralph Richardson stars as a country vicar who is having the first Christmas without the wife. Will two of his three children even make it. His son Denholm Elliott is in the army and from what we see not the most military minded of soldiers. Still he has a gift of gab and wangles a pass.
Celia Johnson will be there, she now watches out for her father assuming her mother's role. But John Gregson wants to marry her and he's going away on an engineering job in South America, but she feels obligated to stay and take care of Richardson.
Margaret Leighton the other sister lives in London and writes for fashion magazines and also parties hearty. She has more secrets than any of them and she most of all feels the fact she's a minister's daughter and is really not living up to a standard.
When you come right down to it the three of them are preacher's kids. I don't think that we can ever solve the problem of the expectations one has when you are the offspring of clergy. For some reason more is expected of you though why that should be God only knows. Still a lot of things are kept from the vicar and I suspect their late mother was the one they went to and who kept things from Richardson.
The Holly And The Ivy provides Ralph Richardson with one of his finest cinematic roles. It's a complex part, he's not a bible thumping revivalist, in fact we see he's a very educated man. Still he has his standards and his children in one aspect of another have disappointed him.
The Holly And The Ivy ran on the London stage for a couple of years and two of the cast members, Margaret Halstan and Maureen Delaney, repeat their stage roles. They are the maiden aunts of the kids and provide some interesting commentary and advice.
This film about post World War II rural England holds up very well after three quarters of a century. It's an unusual holiday classic and not to be missed.
Ralph Richardson stars as a country vicar who is having the first Christmas without the wife. Will two of his three children even make it. His son Denholm Elliott is in the army and from what we see not the most military minded of soldiers. Still he has a gift of gab and wangles a pass.
Celia Johnson will be there, she now watches out for her father assuming her mother's role. But John Gregson wants to marry her and he's going away on an engineering job in South America, but she feels obligated to stay and take care of Richardson.
Margaret Leighton the other sister lives in London and writes for fashion magazines and also parties hearty. She has more secrets than any of them and she most of all feels the fact she's a minister's daughter and is really not living up to a standard.
When you come right down to it the three of them are preacher's kids. I don't think that we can ever solve the problem of the expectations one has when you are the offspring of clergy. For some reason more is expected of you though why that should be God only knows. Still a lot of things are kept from the vicar and I suspect their late mother was the one they went to and who kept things from Richardson.
The Holly And The Ivy provides Ralph Richardson with one of his finest cinematic roles. It's a complex part, he's not a bible thumping revivalist, in fact we see he's a very educated man. Still he has his standards and his children in one aspect of another have disappointed him.
The Holly And The Ivy ran on the London stage for a couple of years and two of the cast members, Margaret Halstan and Maureen Delaney, repeat their stage roles. They are the maiden aunts of the kids and provide some interesting commentary and advice.
This film about post World War II rural England holds up very well after three quarters of a century. It's an unusual holiday classic and not to be missed.
helpful•122
- bkoganbing
- Dec 24, 2018
- How long is The Holly and the Ivy?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Wynyard Browne's The Holly and the Ivy
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 20 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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