The Spanish Gardener
Directed by Philip Leacock
Written by Lesley Storm and John Bryan from a novel by A.J. Cronin
1956/UK
The Rank Organization
First viewing/Amazon Prime
If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. Marcus Tullius Cicero
This psychological drama sounded like it might be right up my street. Unfortunately, a child actor is in the lead and when that performance didn’t work it took the film with it.
Harrington Brande (Michael Hornden) is a British diplomat with a list of grievances against the world. His wife left him and he isn’t advancing in the foreign service at the rate he thinks he deserves. Once you get to know him, you understand exactly why. He is rigid, self-important and cold. He has more or less taken his young son hostage. He refuses to send Nicholas to school and doesn’t let him do much of anything else on grounds that the boy is “delicate”.
After Brande is again passed over for promotion, he and Nicholas are sent from Madrid to a Spanish port town to take over from the man who got the job. Brande is full of resentment, made worse by the popularity of his predecessor. Nicholas, however, is rescued by a warm relationship with Juan (Dirk Bogarde), a young gardener he adores. Brande’s jealousy almost destroys them all. With Cyril Cusak as a butler.
I have a fairly high tolerance for child actors but this one really missed the boat. He is artificially sweet and twee. The other acting is fine. The script is OK. And I was so looking forward to another Bogarde movie! He is good but miscast as what should be a hearty Spanish pelota hero.
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