Geordie (1955) starring Alastair Sim, Bill Travers, Paul Young, Norah Gorsen, Anna Ferguson, Miles Malleson, Brian Reece, Raymond Huntley, Stanley Baxter directed by Frank Launder Movie Review

Geordie (1955)   3/53/53/53/53/5


Bill Travers in Geordie (1955)

Georgie Boy

Wee Geordie (Paul Young) hates being small as not only is he picked on by the other boys, his teachers mock his diminutive size and his dream girl Jean (Anna Ferguson) also winds him up about being him being shorter than her. Desperate to impress he spots Samson's body building course in a paper and enrols. Sometime later and having not only turned into a strapping lad but also got Jean (Norah Gorsen), Geordie (Bill Travers) comes to the attention of the Laird (Alastair Sim) who suggests he takes up the sport of hammer throwing. With some practice Geordie wins the Highland games and heads off to the Olympics in Australia to represent the country. But Geordie comes to the attention of Danish shot-putter Helga (Doris Goddard) who takes a shine to him which can only spell trouble for when he returns home.

As a Brit and an ardent admirer of old British cinema I was surprised that I had never heard of "Geordie" especially as it starred two of my favourite actors; Alastair Sim and Bill Travers. Now having watched "Geordie" I can understand why I had never heard of it as whilst a charming little comedy with nice performances and beautiful scenery it isn't full of life or memorable humour.

Norah Gorsen in Geordie (1955)

For me the best part of "Geordie" is in fact the build up with Paul Young starring as the wee lad. The humour of Geordie reading the body building course is fun as is what follows as he starts to do the exercises always accompanied by the Yorkshire voice over of Samson. Seeing the family home start to crumble due to all his training upstairs whilst his mother struggles with the copious amounts of food he eats also puts a smile on your face.

Plus it is during this set up that the location work takes you aback with some stunning scenery shots of Scotland. It is beautiful but then so is the detail inside the family home with aged beams and old chairs which really come into play when Bill Travers takes over as Geordie and he is too tall for the rooms.

Unfortunately it is when Bill Travers takes over that "Geordie" starts to veer towards the ordinary although that has nothing to do with Travers whose performance alongside those of Alastair Sim and Norah Gorsen is enjoyable. I say ordinary because when Geordie heads to Australia and is eyed up by Helga it is obvious that romantic confusion and conflict will be the order of the day. It is still a lot of fun but a little too obvious and in being so making "Geordie" charming but not memorable for a great storyline or humour.

What this all boils down to is that "Geordie" is an appealing movie from a bygone era with nice performances and very nice scenic shots. But it lacks a storyline and humour to make it more than just a charming old British movie.


LATEST REVIEWS