''The Rocking Horse Winner'' is a 1949

fantasy film Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction ...

about a young boy who can pick winners in horse races with complete accuracy. It is an adaptation of the

D. H. Lawrence David Herbert Lawrence (11 September 1885 – 2 March 1930) was an English writer, novelist, poet and essayist. His works reflect on modernity, industrialization, sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct. His best-k ...

short story ''

The Rocking-Horse Winner "The Rocking-Horse Winner" is a short story by D. H. Lawrence. It was first published in July 1926, in ''Harper's Bazaar'' and subsequently appeared in the first volume of Lawrence's collected short stories. It was made into a full-length film di ...

'' and starred

Valerie Hobson Babette Louisa Valerie Hobson (14 April 1917 – 13 November 1998) was a British actress whose film career spanned the 1930s to the early 1950s. Her second husband was John Profumo, a British government minister who became the subject of the Pro ...

John Howard Davies John Howard Davies (9 March 193922 August 2011)
' ...

and

Ronald Squire Ronald Launcelot Squire (25 March 1886 – 16 November 1958) was an English character actor. Biography Born in Tiverton, Devon, England, the son of an army officer, Lt.-Col. Frederick Squirl and his Irish-born wife Mary (Ronald's surname 'Sq ...

. Producer of the film

John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portray ...

also acted in the film. It was shot at Denham Studios with sets designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and unify the vis ...

Carmen Dillon Carmen Dillon (25 October 190812 April 2000) was an English film art director and production designer who won an Oscar for the Olivier version of ''Hamlet'' (1948). Life Dillon was born in Hendon to Irish-born Joseph Thomas Dillon and his wife ...

Plot

The upper middle-class Grahame family are beset by money troubles, because of the lavish tastes of Hester who spends far more than their income. Her elder brother Oscar bails her out several times but warns that he will not do so in future. Meanwhile her son Paul strikes up a friendship with Bassett, the new

handyman A handyman, also known as a fixer, handyperson or handyworker, is a person skilled at a wide range of repairs, typically around the home. These tasks include trade skills, repair work, maintenance work, are both interior and exterior, and are so ...

and a former

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

. Paul is delighted when he receives a

rocking horse __NOTOC__ A rocking horse is a child's toy, usually shaped like a horse and mounted on rockers similar to a rocking chair. There are two sorts, the one where the horse part sits rigidly attached to a pair of curved rockers that are in contact wit ...

for

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...

and shortly afterwards a

whip A whip is a tool or weapon designed to strike humans or other animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain. They can also be used without inflicting pain, for audiovisual cues, such as in equestrianism. They are generally ...

. Concerns about the family's finances and his mother's unhappiness and lack of luck begin to affect Paul who is convinced that the house is whispering about them. He is seen riding his rocking horse in a total frenzy, terrifying his younger sisters. Convinced that he is lucky, Paul asks Bassett to place a small wager on a horse. Proving to be able to pick winners consistently, which he claims to discover while riding his rocking horse, he forms a secret syndicate with Bassett and his uncle which is soon thousands of pounds in profit. Meanwhile, Hester is struggling with

bailiffs A bailiff (from Middle English baillif, Old French ''baillis'', ''bail'' "custody") is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. Bailiffs are of various kinds and their o ...

and forced to

pawn Pawn most often refers to: * Pawn (chess), the weakest and most numerous piece in the game * Pawnbroker or pawnshop, a business that provides loans by taking personal property as collateral Pawn may also refer to: Places * Pawn, Oregon, an his ...

clothes. Desperate to help his mother, Paul agrees that thousands of pounds be given to his mother without her knowing its true source. They pretend this is an inheritance from a distant relative. Rather than making her happier, Hester becomes even more driven in her reckless spending. Then Paul's apparent gift at picking winners vanishes, and the syndicate loses most of its winnings. Convinced that everything rides on choosing the victor for the

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby g ...

, Paul frantically rides on his horse. Eventually he cries out "Malabar" before suffering a

seizure An epileptic seizure, informally known as a seizure, is a period of symptoms due to abnormally excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain. Outward effects vary from uncontrolled shaking movements involving much of the body with lo ...

. Bassett places the money on the horse, in line with Paul's instructions, and wins £70,000. Shortly after the stricken boy is told of this, he reconnects with his mother telling her that he was 'lucky' and then dies. A distraught Hester instructs Bassett to burn the rocking horse, which he does, and also the money, which he refuses to do, stating he will give it to the family solicitor to find some good to do with it, as Paul would have wanted.

Cast

as Hester Grahame *

John Howard Davies John Howard Davies (9 March 193922 August 2011)
' ...

as Paul Grahame *

as Oscar Cresswell *

as Bassett *

Hugh Sinclair Admiral Sir Hugh Francis Paget Sinclair, (18 August 1873 – 4 November 1939), known as Quex Sinclair, was a British intelligence officer. He was Director of British Naval Intelligence between 1919 and 1921, and he subsequently helped to set ...

as Richard Grahame *

Charles Goldner Charles Goldner was an Austrian-born actor who appeared in a number of British films during the 1940s and 1950s. Born in Vienna, Austria, on 7 December 1900, he made his screen debut in the 1940 film '' Room for Two'' and went on to appear in '' ...

as Mr. Tsaldouris * Susan Richards as the nannie *

Cyril Smith Sir Cyril Richard Smith (28 June 1928 – 3 September 2010) was a prominent British politician who after his death was revealed to have been a prolific serial sex offender against children. A member of the Liberal Party, he was Member of ...

as the bailiff * Anthony Holles as Bowler Hat *

Michael Ripper Michael George Ripper (27 January 1913 – 28 June 2000) was an English character actor. He began his film career in quota quickies in the 1930s and until the late 1950s was virtually unknown; he was seldom credited. Along with Michael Gough ...

as 2nd Chauffeur *

Johnnie Schofield Johnnie William Schofield (10 March 1889 – 9 September 1955) was a British actor, known for '' The Middle Watch'' (1948), ''Tawny Pipit'' (1944) and '' Melody of My Heart'' (1936). Early life John William Schofield was born on 10 March 1889 i ...

as 1st Chauffeur * Caroline Steer as Joan Grahame * Melanie McKenzie as Matilda Grahame

Reception

The film was considered a faithful adaptation of Lawrence's story.

References

Bibliography

* ''The Great British Films'', pp. 137–139, Jerry Vermilye, 1978, Citadel Press, .

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Rocking Horse Winner, The 1940s fantasy drama films British black-and-white films British fantasy drama films Films based on short fiction Films based on works by D. H. Lawrence Two Cities Films films Films directed by Anthony Pelissier Films scored by William Alwyn Films set in London Gambling films British horse racing films Films shot at Denham Film Studios 1949 drama films 1940s British films