''The Spanish Gardener'' is a 1956 VistaVision and Technicolor film based on the 1950 eponymous novel by

A. J. Cronin Archibald Joseph Cronin (19 July 1896 – 6 January 1981), known as A. J. Cronin, was a Scottish physician and novelist. His best-known novel is ''The Citadel'' (1937), about a Scottish doctor who serves in a Welsh mining village before achievi ...

. The film, which stars

Dirk Bogarde Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as '' Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Org ...

and

Jon Whiteley Jon James Lamont Whiteley (19 February 1945 – 16 May 2020) was a Scottish child film actor and in adult life a distinguished art historian. Life and career The Monymusk-born Whiteley appeared in five films during his brief acting career, a ...

, was directed by

Philip Leacock Philip David Charles Leacock (8 October 1917 – 14 July 1990) was an English television and film director and producer. His brother was documentary filmmaker Richard Leacock. Career Born in London, England, Leacock spent his childhood in the C ...

. The adaptation was filmed both at

Pinewood Studios Pinewood Studios is a British film and television studio located in the village of Iver Heath, England. It is approximately west of central London. The studio has been the base for many productions over the years from large-scale films to t ...

near London and in Palamós nearby Mas Juny estate, as well as in S'Agaro, on the

Costa Brava The Costa Brava (, ; "Wild Coast" or "Rough Coast") is a coastal region of Catalonia in northeastern Spain. Whilst sources differ on the exact definition of the Costa Brava, it can be regarded as stretching from the town of Blanes, northeast ...

Catalonia Catalonia (; ca, Catalunya ; Aranese Occitan: ''Catalonha'' ; es, Cataluña ) is an autonomous community of Spain, designated as a '' nationality'' by its Statute of Autonomy. Most of the territory (except the Val d'Aran) lies on the no ...

. There were also two other adaptations of the story for Brazilian television: ''Nicholas'' (1958) and ''

O Jardineiro Espanhol ''O Jardineiro Espanhol'' is a 1967 Brazilian telenovela that is based on A. J. Cronin's 1950 novel '' The Spanish Gardener''. The series was written by Tatiana Belinky and directed by Fabio Sabag. It starred Ednei Giovenazzi as Nicholas, and O ...

'' (1967). The film was entered into the

7th Berlin International Film Festival The 7th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 21 June to 2 July 1957. The International Federation of Film Critics awarded FIPRESCI Award for the first time this year. The Golden Bear was awarded to the American film ''12 Angry ...

. The ending of the film differs from that of the book.

Plot

British diplomat Harrington Brande (Michael Hordern) takes up a minor provincial consular post in Spain. The appointment is a disappointment to Harrington, who was hoping for a more senior position. His abandonment by his wife may have adversely affected his career, as might his brusque manner. He is accompanied by his eleven-year-old son, Nicholas (Jon Whiteley), whom he teaches at home, contrary to his friend's advice that the boy would benefit from the social engagement with other boys at a boarding school. Harrington prefers to monopolise his company. Nicholas sees it as an adventure, and soon becomes friends with the teenage gardener, José (Dirk Bogarde), spending time every day helping him with the plants and relaxing together. The exercise he is getting is much better for him than his father's mollycoddling of the perfectly healthy boy. However, the middle-aged Harrington is jealous of his son's enthusiasm for and friendship with the much younger man. He rebukes his son for taking him to watch Jose play pelota and refuses Jose's gift of fish that he had caught. Similarly, he refuses to let Nicholas join a youth group organized by a junior colleague. He later bans Nicholas and Jose from speaking on pain of Jose's dismissal. He also sets Jose to clear a large rockery as punishment. While Harrington is away on a business trip, the drunken Garcia, the butler/ chauffeur, threatens Nicholas with a knife and tries to break into his bedroom and the terrified boy takes refuge overnight with Jose with whom he has again been spending time. His father discovers this and is furious. Garcia then frames José by convincing the father that Jose has stolen Nicholas' wristwatch, that Garcia himself had stolen, to cover up his own thieving behaviour. Jose is arrested and is taken in handcuffs on a train with two armed soldiers guarding him. Brande is on the same train and suddenly realises his fault, but at the same time, Jose jumps from the train. It is initially unclear if he survived the jump. Brande goes home and discovers his son has run away. He goes to Jose's family, but they have little sympathy, but the old father thinks he knows where they have gone. On a stormy night Nicholas finds Jose in a derelict old mill, then Brande finds both. Normality is restored and Jose returns to the garden saying, "there is much to do".

Cast

as Jose *

as Nicholas Brande *

Michael Hordern Sir Michael Murray Hordern Commander of the Order of the British Empire, CBE (3 October 19112 May 1995)Morley, Sheridan"Hordern, Michael Murray (1911–1995)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press, 2004, online e ...

as Harrington Brande *

Cyril Cusack Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish stage and screen actor with a career that spanned more than 70 years. During his lifetime, he was considered one of Ireland’s finest thespians, and was renowned for his in ...

as Garcia *

Maureen Swanson Maureen Ward, Countess of Dudley (25 November 1932 – 16 November 2011), was a British actress. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, Lady Dudley was the daughter of James Swanson. As Maureen Swanson, she featured in British pictures during the 1950s and ...

as Maria * Lyndon Brook as Robert Burton *

Josephine Griffin Josephine Griffin (13 December 1928 – 15 September 2005) was a well-known English film actress who appeared in a string of British films in the 1950s, such as '' The Purple Plain'' (1954), ''The Man Who Never Was'' (1956) and '' The Spanish Gar ...

as Carol Burton *

Bernard Lee John Bernard Lee (10 January 190816 January 1981) was an English actor, best known for his role as M in the first eleven Eon-produced James Bond films. Lee's film career spanned the years 1934 to 1979, though he had appeared on stage from ...

as Leighton Bailey *

Rosalie Crutchley Rosalie Sylvia Crutchley (4 January 1920 – 28 July 1997) was a British actress. Trained at the Royal Academy of Music, Crutchley was perhaps best known for her television performances, but had a long and successful career in theatre and films, ...

as Magdalena * Ina De La Haye as Jose's Mother *

Geoffrey Keen Geoffrey Keen (21 August 1916 – 3 November 2005) was an English actor who appeared in supporting roles in many films. He is well known for playing British Defence Minister Sir Frederick Gray in the ''James Bond'' films. Biography Early lif ...

as Dr. Harvey * Harold Scott as Pedro * Jack Stewart as a police escort *

Richard Molinas Richard Molinas (17 November 1911 – 1975) was a British stage and film actor. A character actor, he appeared in a number of supporting role A supporting character is a character in a narrative that is not the focus of the primary storylin ...

as a police escort *Susan Lyall Grant as the maid *John Adderley as the taxi driver * David Lander as the policeman

Reception

The film was one of the most popular at the British box office in 1957.

References

External links

''The Spanish Gardener'' at Turner Classic Movies''Nicholas''
Brazilian

telenovela A telenovela is a type of a television serial drama or soap opera produced primarily in Latin America. The word combines ''tele'' (for "television") and ''novela'' (meaning "novel"). Similar drama genres around the world include '' teleserye'' ...

(1958)
''O Jardineiro Espanhol''
Brazilian telenovela (1967)

(in

Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...

) * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spanish Gardener, The 1956 films Films shot at Pinewood Studios Films based on British novels Films set in the 20th century Films set in Spain 1956 drama films Films shot in England Films based on works by A. J. Cronin Films directed by Philip Leacock British drama films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films