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Spanish Gardener (The)
- Director: Philip Leacock
- Writer: John Bryan; A.J. Cronin
- Producer: John Bryan; Earl St. John
CGiii Comment
'It's as a man that you fail'...
A simple story on the surface...but, look deeper.
The subtext is enthralling and remember it was made...in 1956 when innocence prevailed.
When abuse, homosexuality and paedophilia were only words that no-one used or understood.
Unfortunately, this film has slipped through the net and is viewed as a children's Saturday matinee movie - it most definitely is not.
Powerful stuff.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
British diplomat Harrington Brande takes up his new post in Spain accompanied by his son Nicholas. The posting is something of a disappointment to the elder Brande who was hoping for a promotion. That his wife had left him seems to have affected his career. Nicholas sees it all as something of an adventure and soon becomes fast friends with the new gardener, Jose. As Nicholas begins to spend more time with Jose, his father takes offense and is concerned at the boy's loss of affection for him, or so he perceives. It leads him to bar Nicholas from even speaking to the gardener. As tensions mount, another servant frames Jose for theft forcing everyone to review the situation.
Cast & Characters
Dirk Bogarde as Jose;
Jon Whiteley as Nicholas Brande;
Michael Hordern as Harrington Brande;
Cyril Cusack as Garcia;
Maureen Swanson as Maria;
Lyndon Brook as Robert Burton;
Josephine Griffin as Carol Burton;
Bernard Lee as Leighton Bailey;
Rosalie Crutchley as Magdalena;
Ina De La Haye as Jose's Mother;
Geoffrey Keen as Dr. Harvey;
Harold Scott as Pedro;
Jack Stewart as Police Escort;
Richard Molinas as Police Escort;
Susan Lyall Grant as Maid