The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp (1954) watch online HD

I have been a fan of 'The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp' ever since I watched it on television as a child, and I consider myself fortunate to have the film on video. Based on a novel by Charles Terrot, it was shot partly on location at the Angel, Islington, and at Harringay Stadium, London. The plot concerns a beautiful blonde angel who arrives in Islington on a mission of goodwill. To raise some money, she pawns her harp at a second-hand store owned by Joshua Webman. Bringing out the best in the people she meets, she shows them the road down which their happiness lies. Combining ingenuity and sentiment, fantasy and realism, it is a consistently entertaining and often moving story. The acting of all involved is outstanding, especially Diane Cilento, Felix Aylmer, Jerry Desmonde, Joe Linnane, Philip Guard, Sheila Sweet, Edward Evans and Alfie Bass.

Once you accept the premise, that an angel needs to pawn a harp in order to fund her good works on Earth, this film trundles along nicely. The cast performs commendably, with Alfie Bass and Jerry Desmonde adding their talents to the mix.

Diane Cilento positively 'glows angelically' on screen, in no small measure because of Arthur Grant (of Hammer Film fame, whose credits include 'Quatermass and the Pit') being in charge of the cinematography.

Every scene is beautifully lit in it's own way; it is a pleasure to see a nicely crafted film like this. I daresay the budget wasn't huge, but they made a really nice job of it. Many of the shots (both indoors and out) offer glimpses into how things would have looked at the time, making the film's look very much of its period. The story on the other hand is somewhat more timeless.

I have been fortunate enough to see this film on the 'Talking Pictures' UK freeview channel. The print used appears to be unrestored, but this did not mar my enjoyment of the film. Indeed the only real complaint I would make is that the sound and the film image were not synchronised properly when the film was broadcast.

Well worth watching.

A Group 3 Production. New York opening at the Symphony (on a double bill with Make Me An Offer): 28 February 1956. U.S. release (through Associated Artists): February 1956. U.K. release (through British Lion): 11 April 1955. Australian release (through London Films/Universal): 11 August 1955. 6,694 feet. 74 minutes.

SYNOPSIS: This is the story of a female angel — a beautiful captivating blonde young angel to be sure — who descends from the upper reaches of the atmosphere to practice the gospel of love through word and deed.

Appropriately enough, she selects the area known as The Angel, Islington, for her goodwill tour, and it is to that not-too- endearing part of London where she is suddenly deposited from the Celestial Regions. Unfortunately, her flight from above was hurried to an extreme and she is forced to pawn her harp in order to raise money for her subsistence in the more material world she finds herself. As luck, or shall we say heavenly direction, would have it, she deposits the instrument in the very pawnshop her superiors had planned her work should commence.

Here, our damsel finds work a-plenty. Old Mr Webman, the owner of 'Uncle's', the pawnshop, becoming crotchety in his old age and only worrying about his priceless collection of music boxes, Len, his young assistant, who loves Jenny Lane and fears for his chances; there is Jenny herself, really in love with Len but not quite ready to admit it; and Mr Lane troubled by his wife's never-ending toil, while Len's widowed mother, an vitriolic friend, a hard-hearted bookmaker, two gentlemen crooks and some boon drinking companions ensure that Angel shall never be at a loss for good words and deeds.

COMMENT: A British "B" movie that earned plenty of money in Diane Cilento's home country, Australia. True, Miss Cilento is certainly a rather fetching angel, but the rest of the players (and characters) are more routine and make little impression. Dull direction doesn't help either.

Presumably the lovely Diane still has lots of fans in England, as the movie is or was available on a good quality (but by no means perfect) Simply Media DVD.

OTHER VIEWS: Diane Cilento has a definite personal success... perfectly charming... I enjoyed it. — Jympson Harman in The Evening News.

Innocent and appealing... Diane Cilento — a find if ever there was one. — John Gay in Empire News.

The week's most charming offering... pleasant and heartwarming. — Peter Burnup in News of the World.

Enchanting comedy... A film to strum your heart-strings. — Ross Shepherd in The People.

This is an endearing film. ...Diane Cilento is enchanting. — Harris Deans in Sunday Dispatch.

What a pleasant surprise... out-of-this-world charm... delightful. — Robert Ottaway in Sunday Graphic.

Full of wonderful character actors and good humour. — Bernard McElwaine in Sunday Pictorial.

I don't do lists, but this may be the loveliest film I've ever seen. It grabbed me from the opening sequence, the camera sweeping over Islington while there is a distinctly odd, & oddly amusing conversation going on. At this point though you feel this film could go either way. But as soon as the angel appears at the pawnbrokers you know it's going to be good. Cilento is just perfect; innocent & wise at the same time, her beauty transcending sexuality. What followed was a small scale unpretentious masterpiece. There are caricatures & characters, some good performances, some excellent, some lovely comic touches (the drunken drummer confused as he exited the dance amused me inordinately). Possibly the only complaint was Aylmer's accent, which I think was meant to be Oi Vey Jewish but kept wandering across several ethnic possibilities. Apart from that his actual performance was excellent.

Are we supposed to take any of it seriously? Of course not. But there was a serious message at its core, something rather wonderful about things that really matter, something sometimes more effective for being told in a whimsical, light-hearted way.

It's the oldest & most important message ever. It's inherently implicit in every significant piece of art, literature & music - even if by it's absence. Love. Genuine transcendental love & compassion for all the human race, for all that lives & breathes. That quality suffused this modest little film, & it moved me immensely, far more than many big budget extravaganzas that hit you over the head trying to force a similar response. I adored it. I will treasure it till the day I (hopefully) acquire a harp of my own :-)

A modest effort that should, on paper, come out twee but somehow wins you over by it's combination of charm, personality and whimsey, Theatre buffs will relish the too-little narration by Robert Eddison who had one of the best speaking voices in English theatre, fully on a par with Johnny Geildgud but made only a handful of films. The premise is flimsy in the extreme; a newer angel is sent back to earth to spread a little happiness but, lacking any actual money she resorts to pawning her harp. You could argue that this is a flaw in the script because although without funds she has no trouble finding a brand new outfit for virtually every scene and is clearly having no trouble putting a roof over her head and food in her mouth. She makes her landfall on earth in Islington, a place where my cinema of choice is located - I was there today, in fact - and I fail to recognise one single landmark but that is a minor flaw. The premise is that the Angel moves amongst a small community in which everyone has minor problems which are all sorted in the short time the Angel sojourns amongst them. In other words a modest feel good entry that is well worth a look.

This is is a very derivative film.Diane Cilento is sent to earth with a harp and has to beneficial affect the lives of the people she comes in contact with.The main recipient of her largess is Felix Aylmer,a Pembroke to whom she pawns her harp.I could think of about a dozen films made prior to this which have a similar basic premise.To be honest I found the most interesting part to be the introduction where the camera moves around The Angel Islington and we can see London as it was in 1953.The streets full of trolleybuses on their wires,being the successors to the trams.