A Kid for Two Farthings

Young Joe is constantly enthralled by tales of a Unicorn, told to him by Kadinsky the tailor, he is mesmerised by the notion that a Unicorn can make wishes come true. Whilst roaming the market he happens upon a seller who has a one horned Goat for sale, believing it to be a Unicorn, Joe barters for the Goat and begins to see little miracles happening to the folk around the area.

This is a positively delightful film, based on the novel by Wolf Mankowitz, this is the first colour film from acclaimed director Carol Reed. A Kid For Two Farthings plays out the innocence of youth amongst a backdrop of working class trades folk in London's Petticoat Lane, young Joe, believing the Unicorn has mystical powers, starts asking for little miracles to happen to those around him, low and behold fortunes start to take an upturn. That the miracles are easily explained is of no importance in the picture, it's the belief system that this one horned Goat, via Joe's prompting, instills in everyone, a hark back to the time in us all when we believed in magic and miracles.

The cast list boasts Celia Johnson {sadly underused}, Diana Dors, David Kossoff, Brenda de Banzie, Primo Carnera {perfectly cast as a hulking bully of a wrestler} and Sid James. Reed should take a lot of credit for getting such a joyous performance from Jonathan Ashmore as Joe, it's a lovely turn that has sweet innocence seeping from every frame. The film culminates in a well staged wrestling match that ups the tempo considerably, and then the film closes with a truly wonderful final shot that left this particular viewer feeling all the more richer for having just watched this picture. 8/10