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Penn of Pennsylvania
Penn of Pennsylvania
	Italian poster
Directed by	Lance Comfort
Written by	Anatole de Grunwald ; C. E. Vulliamy (biography)
Produced by	Richard Vernon
Starring	Clifford Evans; Deborah Kerr; Dennis Arrundell
Cinematography	Gus Drisse
Edited by	Sidney Cole
Music by	William Alwyn (first film score)
Production; company	British National Films
Distributed by	Anglo-American Film Corporation (UK) ; J.H. Hoffberg Company (U.S.)
Release date	1941;
Running time	78 mins
Country	UK
Language	English

Penn of Pennsylvania is a 1941 British historical drama film directed by Lance Comfort and starring Deborah Kerr, Clifford Evans, Dennis Arundell, Henry Oscar, Herbet Lomas and Edward Rigby. The film depicts the life of the Quaker founder of Pennsylvania, William Penn. It is also known by the alternative title Courageous Mr. Penn.

Story

The film portrays Penn's struggle to be granted a colonial charter in London and attracting settlers to his new colony as well as his adoption of a radical new approach with regard to the treatment of the Native Americans.^[1]

Cast

Clifford Evans as William Penn
Deborah Kerr as Gulielma Maria Springett
Dennis Arundell as Charles II
Aubrey Mallalieu as Chaplain
D.J. Williams as Lord Arlington
O. B. Clarence as Lord Cecil
James Harcourt as George Fox
Charles Carson as Admiral Penn
Henry Oscar as Samuel Pepys
Max Adrian as Elton
John Stuart as Bindle
Maire O'Neill as Cook
Edward Rigby as Bushell
Mary Hinton as Lady Castlemaine
Joss Ambler as Lord Mayor
Edmund Willard as Captain
Percy Marmont as Holme
Gibb McLaughlin as Indian Chief
Herbert Lomas as Captain Cockle
Gus McNaughton as Mate

Production

The idea of a film about Penn was developed by the producer Richard Vernon.^[2] After listening to a radio broadcast by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Vernon had been struck by how similar his views were to the Quaker philosophy of William Penn. The next morning, he approached bosses at British National Films and pitched the idea of a Penn biopic to them, securing their support.^[2]^[3] Anatole de Grunwald hastily wrote a screenplay and production of the film began at Elstree Studios on 10 February 1941.^[2]

Deborah Kerr, a rising star although not yet 20 years old, was given equal billing with Clifford Evans, who played Penn, but she had far less screen time as the film primarily focused on Penn rather than her portrayal of his wife.^[2] The film concentrates on Penn's emblematic importance rather than simply as a historic individual, and he serves as a broader depiction of a freedom-loving Englishman.^[4] The musical score was written by William Alwyn, the first time he had written for a feature film. His score is generally considered far superior to the film itself.^[5]

Made during the Second World War, the film was intended in part as a propaganda effort to stir the United States out of isolationism and persuade it into joining the war on Britain's side, and was one of a series of historical films including The Prime Minister, The Young Mr. Pitt, and The Great Mr. Handel which were made at the same time, as well as Thunder Rock and 49th Parallel which portrayed a similar message in a contemporary setting.^[6]

Reception

The film received universally bad reviews which criticised the lack of vitality in the historical figures who often resembled stereotypes.^[7] When it was released in the United States, the New York Times observed "Penn is definitely not one of England's better film efforts".^[8] Evans' portrayal of Penn was generally praised for his "sympathetic" performance.^[4] Shortly afterwards, Lance Comfort directed Kerr in Hatter's Castle, which proved a major success.

References

^ "Penn of Pennsylvania". BFI.org.uk. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Capua, p. 15
^ McFarlane, p.19
^ ^a ^b McFarlane, p. 22
^ Johnson, pp. 42-45
^ Johnson, p. 42
^ Capua p.15-16
^ Capua, p. 16

Bibliography

Capua, Michelangelo. Deborah Kerr: A Biography. McFarland & Company, 2010.
Johnson, Ian. William Alwyn: the art of film music. The Boydell Press, 2005.
McFarlane, Brian. Lance Comfort. Manchester University Press, 1999.
Wright, Adrian. The innumerable dance: the life and work of William Alwyn. The Boydell Press, 2008.