Half a Sixpence

Amazon.com

When orphaned shop clerk Arthur Kipps inherits a fortune, his future seems assured--but money doesn't buy happiness, as the gawky lad learns when he mixes with the swells. The splashy musical Half a Sixpence was adapted from H.G. Wells's novel, Kipps, and it saw considerable success as a stage vehicle for the exuberant Tommy Steele. The film version gets caught in that mid-1960s mode of the lumbering super-production (the kind that helped kill the movie musical). Lavishly mounted by old pro director George Sidney, and boasting some echt-sixties photography by the great Geoffrey Unsworth, Half a Sixpence offers its share of eye candy. The blowhard presence of Cyril Ritchard and the spectacular dancing of Grover Dale help. Then there's Tommy Steele, whose stage-scaled performance is all teeth and hair; he attacks the razzmatazz numbers with ferocity--maybe more ferocity than charm. Songs by David Heneker. --Robert Horton

Customer Reviews:

Like It Somewhat.......2007-03-13

I saw this movie on Saturday and I thought it was good. It was 20 minutes too long. I think Tommy Steele was convincing as Arthur Kipps. Let's also give credit to Julia Foster's performance (one of the women that Michael Caine's character romances in "Alfie" in case you didn't know) as Anne. I noticed that the movie is in the same timeframe that "My Fair Lady" was. My favorite scene is early on when Kipps visits a stage rehersal (it leads to the song "If I Had a Banjo") and it leads to him meeting an actress named Nora (played by Juila Sutton-correct me if I'm wrong); who is in her lingerie and Kipps puts his head on her lap! Then it leads to the musical number and how often do you see a movie today in which one of the actresses (with the exception of Nicole Kidman in "Moulin Rouge") dance while wearing lingerie and shaking it in front of the lead actor's face? That scene as a whole was a hoot (an example that "The Times They Were a Changin'" in the 1960's). You should of felt my blood pressure drop when Kipps almost married Helen (Penelope Horner) and then feel it go back up again when Kipps breaks the engagment (when that happened I yelled out 'Good! What a bitch!') and goes back to Anne and marries her. A rarity: The lead character gets the girl. Above all, it is a decent movie. It's too bad this movie is not a special edition.

'ARF' A MOVIE IS BETTER THAN NONE.......2005-08-10

IT'S WELL KNOWN THAT MOST MUSICALS SUFFER FROM WEAK SCRIPTS. THE LIBRETTO FOR 'HALF A SIXPENCE ON BROADWAY AS WELL AS LONDON WAS ESPECIALLY SLUGGISH BUT THE MUSICAL NUMBERS AND TOMMY STEELES' DYNAMIC PERFORMANCE ON STAGE MADE THE LIBRETTO BEARABLE. WHEN THE MOVIE VERSION WAS MADE-I CAN ONLY ASSUME MUCH EFFORT WAS MADE TO MASK THE SLUGGISH AND SNOOZY SCREENPLAY. COLORS WERE BRIGHT PASTELS, A LOT OF COUNTRY-SIDE VISTAS-AND MOST IMPORTANTLY MUSIC AND DANCE NUMBERS LAVISHLY EXPANDED IN SOME CASES TO OVER EIGHT MINUTES OF SCREEN TIME EACH('MONEY TO BURN' 'IF THE RAIN'S GOTTA FALL' 'FLASH,BANG, WALLOP') AND MANY RUN OVER FIVE MINUTES ('HALF A SIXPENCE' 'ALL IN THE CAUSE OF ECONOMY' 'I'M NOT TALKING TO YOU') THIS TREATMENT OF NUMBERS IS NOT MEANT AS A CRITICISM, THE MUSICAL NUMBERS IN THIS MOVIE ARE SIMPLY FINE BUT ONCE THEY END IT'S BACK TO THE TEDIOUS STORY UNTIL THE NEXT NUMBER POPS UP- AND ALTHOUGH I REGRET IT I MUST ALSO NOTE THAT TOMMY STEELE WHILE HE IS A GREAT ALL-AROUND ENTERTAINER HIS VAUDEVILLE-LIKE MANIC ENTHUSIASM AND TOOTHY PEPSODENT GRIN DO NOT TRANSLATE WELL ON CELLULOID.

SO THE GIST OF THIS REVIEW IS- MUSICAL NUMBERS...YAY! STORY....BOO!

Is Better Than None by Dan the Bookman!.......2004-12-30

I saw "Half A Sixpence" about a week ago and I thought it was semi-enjoyable. The story is about an orphan named Arthur Kipps who has grown up working and living in a department store in England. He gets his big break when he finally meets his now grown-up childhood sweetheart Anne after what seems like forever, and discovers that he has inherited the mansion and fortune of his unknown grandfather. After returning from a long trip, much to the shock and anger of Anne, Arthur is engaged to a rich girl named Helen. But Helen is not as kind as she seems and her brother, Hubert may want more than a brother-in-law in Arthur Kipps.
The songs are bleak and repetitive, focused more on the dancing, except for the beautiful and charming title song, "Half A Sixpence!" and the catchy "If The Rain's Gotta Fall".
Arthur Kipps's character is somewhat dislikable, because of his extreme worship of money and his cruel, harsh behavior towards Anne.
All in all, "Half A Sixpence" may bring delight into your home and heart (all 3 hours of it) or may not.

Half a Sixpence, is better than half a farthing..........2004-09-17

Tommy Steele was at this point in time making it in the film world. He had just gotten a lead role in Disney's THE HAPPIEST MILLIONAIRE, and was soon to be cast as Og in Coppola's FINIAN'S RAINBOW. In between them he made this medium scale musical based on H.G. Wells's KIPPS. The film itself is a mixed bag; the lyrics are often uninspired, and the plotting feels like imitation Dickens. Also, the construction of the film is lopsided: the roadshow version is 2:26:55, and the intermission appears at 1:39:19. By the time Act 2 begins, there are only 46:09 to go. But the film has its rewards; particularly the touching muscial number "Half a Sixpence" between Steele and Julia Foster. It stands as one of the more touching moments in cinema.

James Teller

A constant joy.......2004-05-26

I resent the Amazon reviewer's caustic remarks about the movie, Richard and Steele. This movie was a true delight from beginning to end. The dancing was glorious and lots of it. The songs by this time were old friends. Incidentally, I've heard the cast recordings of the London, Bway and movie versions. A few songs were the same in all 3, others came and went, which I thought was odd. Tommy Steele (35 years ago, can you believe it!) was wonderful as was everyone, it was a little long (2 hours and 25 minutes), but it was always fun and exciting. I loved it. Incidentally, the villains were just nasty enough to get their point across, nothing to enrage you, and their comeuppance was also just right, not some scathing triumph. I found the whole thing a pleasure, just as I did 35 years ago.

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