PENNY PRINCESS

UK, 1952, 94 minutes, Colour.
Dirk Bogarde, Yolande Donlan, A.E. Matthews, Anthony Oliver, Edwin Styles, Reginald Beckwith, Kynaston Reeves, Peter Butterworth, Laurence Naismith, Mary Clare.
Directed by Val Guest.

Penny Princess is a pleasant light British comedy of the early '50s. It is in the vein of such films as The Mouse That Roared. In a post-war setting, it shows a little country in Europe, independent and relying on smuggling for its economy. An American millionaire buys it and a cousin, a shop assistant, becomes the princess. She has the help of a cheese salesman from England to help her revive the economy. Yolande Donlan, wife of writer-director Val Guest, is pleasant in the central role. It was early in the career of Dirk Bogarde who gives one of his standard (Doctor in the House style) romantic leads.

1.Enjoyable light comedy? Britain? Europe?

2.Colour photography, London, Switzerland, Europe? The mediaeval style settings? The stunt work and special effects for the making of the cheese and its export? Musical score?

3.The title, the small countries of Europe? Royalty? The ironies for the post-World War Two period?

4.The situation of Lampadora, the officials, the meetings, the poverty? The Americans wanting to transport it, buying it? Johnson Johnson and his death? The inheritance to Linda?

5.Linda, the potato peeler, her work, her learning of the inheritance, going to Switzerland, at the hotel, the encounters with Tony and their clash? Growing friendship? The officials? Tony being kidnapped and accused of sedition, her enjoyment of it, the banquet in Lampadora, the question of the cheese, getting Tony to come back? Their work together, the manufacture and the sales? The reaction of France and Italy? The smuggling of the cheese and its sales? Paying off the national debt? Falling in love with Tony?

6.Tony, his work in the store, war experience, over-educated? Going to Switzerland, the convention, being kidnapped, the night in jail, being taken back, taken again? His collaboration, the making of the cheese, the export, the strategy for export? In love with Linda?

7.The comic scenes of the British store and its management?

8.The comic scenes of the Lampadoran officials, obsequious, poor? The population and the speeches, their enthusiastic making of the cheese?

9.Enjoyable and quaint little comedy?