1959 British film by Herbert Wilcox
The Heart of a Man is a 1959 British drama film directed by Herbert Wilcox and starring Frankie Vaughan, Anne Heywood and Tony Britton.[1] A millionaire in disguise gives a young man money to help him pursue his singing career. [2]
Featured songs by Vaughan include "The Heart of a Man", "Sometime, Somewhere" and "Walking Tall".[3]
Plot
Sailor Frankie Martin is offered a thousand pounds by an eccentric tramp if he can earn a hundred pounds in a week by honest means. Frankie tries his hand as a boxer, a bouncer and a commissionaire, and finally finds success as a singer. He also falls for the charms of night club chanteuse Julie, and this leads to further success when he wins a recording contract.
Cast
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "It has long been almost axiomatic that the British cannot make musicals. One might therefore expect that a producer as experienced in the entertainment business as Anna Neagle would know how to avoid the more obvious pitfalls. But apparently not, for she remains content to cling to the outworn conventions; moreover she has chosen a script whose witlessness and banality make it almost a parody of the worst British comedies of the Thirties. It abandons all pretensions to plot after the first half-hour and becomes simply a series of unrelated incidents. Frankie Vaughan looks self-conscious throughout, and Anne Heywood struggles vainly against the most hideous costumes and hair-styles that she has ever had to wear. Tony Britton brings off the considerable feat of making his material sound witty; in fact his whole performance has a style and polish that can only expose the inadequcy of his fellow artists. There are several good "pop" songs, but they are presented so tamely that it is hard to believe that the director is the veteran Herbert Wilcox. He has, in the past, shown a keen awareness of popular taste, but this time he may find that he has overestimated the tolerance of his audience."[4]
In the Radio Times, David Parkinson gave the film two out of five stars, and wrote, "Veteran director Herbert Wilcox bowed out of films with this undistinguished and wholly unconvincing slice-of-life drama, which was produced by his actress wife Anna Neagle ... Anthony Newley cashes in on a showy supporting role and Vaughan scored a chart hit with the title song."[5]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Dated vehicle for Vaughn; the title song was a big hit."[6]
References
External links
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