''Once in a New Moon'' is a 1935 British

science fiction film Science fiction (or sci-fi) is a film genre that uses speculative, fictional science-based depictions of phenomena that are not fully accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial lifeforms, spacecraft, robots, cyborgs, interstellar ...

directed by

Anthony Kimmins Anthony Martin Kimmins, OBE (10 November 1901 – 19 May 1964) was an English director, playwright, screenwriter, producer and actor. Biography Kimmins was born in Harrow, London on 10 November 1901, the son of the social activists Charles Wi ...

and starring

Eliot Makeham Harold Elliott Makeham (22 December 1882 – 8 February 1956) was an English film and television actor. Career Makeham was born in London, England. Between 1931 and 1956, Makeham appeared, primarily in character roles, in 115 films and in ...

René Ray Irene Lilian Brodrick, Countess of Midleton (née Creese, known as Rene Ray, 22 September 1911 – 28 August 1993) was a British stage and screen actress of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s and also a novelist. Acting career Ray made her screen début ...

and

Morton Selten Morton Selten (6 January 1860 – 27 July 1939) was a British stage and film actor. He was occasionally credited as Morton Selton. Biography At birth, Selten was given the name Morton Richard Stubbs and claimed as the son of Morton Stubbs, a ...

. It is a

quota quickie The Cinematograph Films Act of 1927 ('' 17 & 18 Geo. V'') was an act of the United Kingdom Parliament designed to stimulate the declining British film industry. It received Royal Assent on 20 December 1927 and came into force on 1 April 1928. D ...

, made at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused w ...

.Wood p.83

Plot

When a dead star passes planet Earth, its magnetic pull dislodges the (fictitious)

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

town of Shrimpton-on-the-Sea and causes it to break away and become its own miniature globe in orbit around the Earth. The village is now an island, the only land, and the rest of the mini planet is water which can be circumnavigated in a day. Sail straight and you eventually find the town again. The sun rises and sets every few hours and the Earth can be seen as a new moon in the sky. Otherwise, life is as before. As panic sets in, the upper and lower classes of the village set about forming a new government. However, stubbornness, snobbery, distrust, paranoia and petty jealousy soon lead the population of the newly-named Shrimpton-in-Space to the brink of civil war.

Cast

as Harold Drake *

as Stella Drake *

as Lord Bravington *

Wally Patch Walter Sydney Vinnicombe (26 September 1888 – 27 October 1970) was an English actor and comedian. He worked in film, television and theatre. Biography Vinnicombe was born in Willesden, Middlesex and began working on the music hall stages in ...

as Syd Parrott *

Derrick De Marney Derrick Raoul Edouard Alfred De Marney (21 September 1906 – 18 February 1978) was an English stage and film actor and producer, of French and Irish ancestry. Actor The son of Violet Eileen Concanen and Arthur De Marney, and the grandson of ...

as Hon. Bryan-Grant * John Clements as Edward Teale * Mary Hinton as Lady Bravington * Gerald Barry as Col. Fitzgeorge *

Richard Goolden Richard Percy Herbert Goolden, OBE (23 February 1895 – 18 June 1981) was a British actor, most famous for his portrayal of Mole from Kenneth Grahame's ''Wind in the Willows'' in A A Milne's stage adaptation, ''Toad of Toad Hall''. Goolden t ...

as Rev. Benjamin Buffett *

Harold Saxon-Snell Harold Saxon-Snell (1889–1956) was a British stage and film actor. He appeared in twenty-three films during the silent and early sound eras. He is often credited as H. Saxon-Snell or Harold Snell. He and actress Kathleen Boutall married in 1 ...

as K. Pilkington-Bigge * John Turnbull as Capt. Crump * William Fazan * Ralph Howard * Franklyn Kelsey * Vernon Kelso * Cecil Landau * Charles Paton * Walter Roy *

Thorley Walters Thorley Swinstead Walters (12 May 1913 – 6 July 1991) was an English character actor. He is probably best remembered for his comedy film roles such as in ''Two-Way Stretch'' and '' Carlton-Browne of the FO''. Early life Walters was born in Tei ...

References

Bibliography

* Low, Rachael. ''Filmmaking in 1930s Britain''. George Allen & Unwin, 1985. * Wood, Linda. ''British Films, 1927-1939''. British Film Institute, 1986.

External links

* 1935 films British science fiction films Films directed by Anthony Kimmins Films set in England Quota quickies Films shot at Shepperton Studios 1930s science fiction films 1930s English-language films 1930s British films {{1930s-UK-film-stub