The Mudlark
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| The Mudlark | |
|---|---|
| Image:92mudlark.jpg Original film poster | |
| Directed by | Jean Negulesco |
| Produced by | Nunnally Johnson |
| Written by | Theodore Bonnet (novel) Nunnally Johnson |
| Starring | Irene Dunne Alec Guinness Andrew Ray Beatrice Campbell Finlay Currie |
| Music by | William Alwyn |
| Cinematography | Georges Périnal |
| Editing by | Thelma Connell |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
| Release date(s) | Image:Flag of the United Kingdom.svg 30 October 1950 Image:Flag of the United States.svg 28 November 1950 |
| Running time | 99 min. |
| Country | UK / US |
| Language | English |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
The Mudlark (1950) a film made in England by 20th Century Fox, is a fictionalized account of how Queen Victoria was eventually brought out of her mourning for her dead husband, Prince Albert. It was directed by Jean Negulesco, written and produced by Nunnally Johnson and based on the novel by Theodore Bonnet. It starred Irene Dunne, Alec Guinness and Andrew Ray. The music score was by William Alwyn and the cinematography by Georges Périnal.
"Mudlarks" were street children who subsisted by scavenging on the banks of the River Thames. The film made an overnight star of Andrew Ray, who played the mudlark of the title, and was a hit in England.
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[edit] Plot
A street young urchin (Andrew Ray), half-starved and homeless, finds a locket containing the likeness of Queen Victoria (Irene Dunne). Not recognizing her, he is told that she is the "mother of all England." Taking the remark literally, he journeys to Windsor Castle to see her.
When he is caught by the palace guards, the boy is mistakenly thought to be part of an assassination plot against the Queen. Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli (Alec Guinness), recognizes that the boy is innocent and pleads for him in Parliament, delivering a speech that indirectly criticizes the Queen for withdrawing from public life. The Queen is infuriated by the speech, but she is genuinely moved upon meeting the boy for the first time, and once again enters public life, just in time for the Diamond Jubilee.
[edit] Cast
- Irene Dunne as Queen Victoria
- Alec Guinness as Benjamin Disraeli
- Andrew Ray as Wheeler
- Beatrice Campbell as Lady Emily Prior
- Finlay Currie as John Brown, Queen Victoria's servant
[edit] Award nomination
The Mudlark was nominated for the Academy Award for Costume Design in a black and white film (Edward Stevenson and Margaret Furse).
