John and Julie (1955)

Good idea lost in the noise

Charming and brutal

brilliant actors, brilliant editing

Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

This is a production which has the imprint of one of my favourite directors,John Baxter,albeit as executive producer.He had a great belief in the common touch and this shows itself in the scenes in Trafalgar Square.This does not compensate for the cringe factor of this production..The child actors are truly awful.The script is paper thin.Basically it is there to support the use of the Coronation footage.The music featuring the trumpet of Eddie Calvert will drive anyone round the bend.Every time there is an emotional moment up he blows.The only point of interest is seeing what a spruced up London was like in 1953.My parents took me up to the West End to look at the decorations.

This film is a weakly disguised excuse to recycle a few yards of footage of the most recent coronation to be held in Britain (1953). The supporting story is paper-thin, the cast (which includes Peter Sellers) struggles with a weak script, and the direction is leaden. The best reason for watching it is to be reminded of what the late 60's did for British society, in getting rid of all that deference and the pretence that everything and everyone in Britain was wonderful - even Americans! From tart to field-marshal, everyone has a heart of gold. Sid James' character is an attempt to introduce an element of dissension that fails to convince.

"John and Julie" evokes memories of my own childhood, seeing this sweet, wonderful comedy on TV in the sixties. A simple story, of two British children, separated from their families while en route to London to see Elizabeth crowned, the film offers a wide variety of British performers (including Wilfrid Hyde-White and a young Peter Sellers), as 'typical', if often eccentric, countrymen who aid the children on their way. Colin Gibson and Lesley Dudley, as the children, are completely natural, and captivating (Dudley pouts so wistfully that you want to hug her!) With a beautiful score (highlighted by a trumpet solo), stock footage of the actual event blended in with the story, and a joyous finale that could turn the most dedicated 'Yank' into an Anglophile, "John and Julie" is a small gem, something the entire family will love!

This was shown in America in the early seventies on the short lived CBS Children's Film Festival, which of course was hosted by Kukla, Fran & Ollie, the trio in which Fran was a human being, but Kukla the clown and Ollie the dragon were hand puppets operated by Burr Tillstrom. I had no idea this program was in color for starters, and now to see it nearly 30 years later, it really is an absolute escapist delight. Forget all your troubles in life and focus on two children wanting to see her majesty's coronation. Peter Sellers (nearly unrecognizeable as that cop), Sidney James (whom I just discovered earlier this year in the Carry On movies), and above all others, Wilfred Hyde White, always sensational to listen to.There is nothing I can say about the music. It carries the movie, enters at just the right moments.The coronation as well was brilliant. For her majesty and Winston Churchill's brief appearances? Certainly, but the stars were the British subjects themselves, shown throughout the movie aiding John and Julie in their quest to get to London as well, now gathered along the procession to cheer for the queen. These were the stars, as the movie triumphantly noted at the very end. And now to see it well half a century after the events, three decades after I was first exposed to the story, what more is there to say?God save the queen.