A Boy, a Girl and a Bike (1949)

Just so...so bad

Absolutely amazing

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

A Gainsborough Picture, presented by J. Arthur Rank. Never theatrically released in the U.S. Released in the U.K. through General Film Distributors: 20 June 1949. Australian release through G-B-D/20th Century-Fox: 10 November 1950. 8,468 feet in Australia; 8,251 feet in U.K. Australian running time: 94 minutes. SYNOPSIS: Landowner's son buys a bike to aid him in his pursuit of a pretty cyclist. VIEWER'S GUIDE: Suitable for all. COMMENT: This little-known (it isn't even so much as mentioned in Best of British) naturalistic regional comedy gem not only boasts a fine cast of interesting players who are all given excellent opportunities in a fascinating script, but takes its characters firmly out of doors to explore the picturesque Yorkshire countryside (which is cleverly contrasted to the cramped, gloomy, claustrophobic environs of the town). Whether you're interested in cycling or not, this movie is a must. A further bonus is the presence of Honor Blackman and Diana Dors, both of whom are not only attractive in looks and personality (though Diana has a character role), but act with pleasing assurance and total conviction. The script is well- paced and deftly directed, guaranteed to rivet the attention from starter's flag to finish line.Mind you, it's difficult to believe that Diana Dors of all people would have to scratch around for someone to take her to the local dance. (Admittedly, the film was made before her period of super- stardom when Diana was in brilliant form in character roles, but even at her most girl-in-the-crowdish, she exuded terrific sex appeal). Otherwise the direction and the exterior camera-work with its rapid tracking shots of cyclists along country roads is exhilarating. And it's nice to see Honor Blackman (with a very convincing Yorkshire accent too) even though she is not all that attractively costumed or photographed. Holt rates as fair, Newley, Denham and Blythe come over with appropriate conviction, Hal Osmond and Amy Veness never fail to be amusing (yes, it's a shame they have only the one scene here) and the rest of the cast is more than okay. Music figures attractively and credits ride smooth.

I try to be objective with my marks for the films I occasionally review on this website, but on this occasion my vote of 9 comes from the heart. The film came out in 1949, just ten years before I started cycling, but it evokes a bygone age,when the postwar roads were free of traffic and cycling was carefree (even if the industrial settings and living conditions portrayed in the film were grim). The film struck a further chord with me because like its hero I came from a posh background and my family frowned on me mixing with those common rough types. It's a gentle film of a long-lost age - even though it starts with what today what would be a road-rage incident - McCallum hoots aggressively at the club run as he motors along, only then for him to stall his car and to be gently mocked by the cyclists as they overtake him; today such an incident would provoke swearing if not physical contact.The race at the film's end is well-staged, though at a cyclists' filmshow some years ago the close-ups of the competitors against back projection provoked much mirth (but then comparable shots of horse-riders also look artificial in old films, with the riders bouncing up-and-down on saddles in the studio).Like RitaRisque in her preceding review, I too thought a young Diana Dors looked very nice, as did Honor Blackman. And the supporting cast is a delight for those of us who like to spot British character actors.

I saw the film in our local cinema in Paddington in 1949, when I was nearly 13 and a keen cyclist. All of us young boys rated it highly, not least for the unique way the rear brake cable was routed to the brake via a small pilot tube within the bike's top tube. It was the first time that we had seen the young Diana Dors (I think she was 16 at this time) and a real head-turner. Honor Blackman spoke with a creditable Yorkshire accent and I particularly remember the scene when, after having a puncture, she asks John McCullum to "pass the patches and solution". Years later I met Miss Blackman when she was learning to fly at my flying club, Flairavia, at Biggin Hill in 1964 after having just played the part of Pussy Galore in "Gold Finger" - she couldn't remember saying those (to me) immortal lines from the 1949 film! I think the film has stood the test of time and is well worth viewing to remind us how we all lived.Peter Woodman.

It is always easy to make fun of fifties British films of this genre. If you have patience with it, this film has a lot of social and political messages to impart. The are not of any great relevance today, it is true, but at the time things and life were very different.It helps that the film was shot on location in Bath - the atmosphere helps enormously.