One Way Pendulum (film)
One Way Pendulum is a 1965 British comedy film directed by Peter Yates and starring Eric Sykes and George Cole. It is an adaptation of the play by N. F. Simpson.[3]
| One Way Pendulum | |
|---|---|
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| Directed by | Peter Yates |
| Written by | N. F. Simpson |
| Based on | One Way Pendulum by N. F. Simpson |
| Produced by | Michael Deeley Oscar Lewenstein |
| Starring | Eric Sykes George Cole |
| Cinematography | Denys N. Coop |
| Edited by | Peter Taylor |
| Music by | Richard Rodney Bennett |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date | 21 January 1965 |
Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £40,000[1] or $150,000[2] |
Plot
Study of absurdity in a suburban family: father rebuilds the Old Bailey in the living room, and the son teaches weighing machines to sing in the attic.[4]
Cast
- Eric Sykes as Mr. Groomkirby
- George Cole as Defence counsel / friend
- Julia Foster as Sylvia
- Jonathan Miller as Kirby
- Peggy Mount as Mrs. Mara Gantry
- Alison Leggatt as Mrs. Groomkirby
- Mona Washbourne as Aunt Mildred
- Douglas Wilmer as Judge / Maintenance Man
- Glyn Houston as Detective Inspector Barnes
- Graham Crowden as Prosecuting Counsel / Caretaker
- Ken Farrington as Stan
- Walter Horsbrugh as Clerk of the Court / Drycleaner's Assistant
- Frederick Piper as Usher / Office Clerk
- Vincent Harding as Policeman / Bus Conductor
- Trevor Bannister as Groomkirby's colleague (uncredited)
- Tommy Bruce as Gormless (the voice of the 'Speak your Weight' machine).
Production
Development
Producer Michael Deeley and director Peter Yates wanted to work on a project together and saw the play at the Royal Court Theatre. Yates was excited at the prospect of the material being so different from his first feature, Summer Holiday (1963), and Deeley managed to set up the film at Woodfall Film Productions, then flush with money in the wake of the success of Tom Jones (1963). Writer John Osborne helped introduce Yates and Simpson to United Artists.[2]
Simpson said he had received a number of offers to film the play but turned them down because he did not feel it was a movie. He changed his mind after a meeting with Yates where the director said the words were key to visual concepts. "He was the first film man I met I felt I could work with," said Simpson who wrote the script and was on set every day.[2]
Filming
The film was the first from Woodfall to be shot in a studio and commenced filming at Twickenham Studios in March 1964.[1] A collection of location stills and corresponding contemporary photographs is hosted at reelstreets.com.[5]
Critical reception
The film was poorly received by the public and did not recoup its money. However Woodfall Films was impressed by Michael Deeley and hired him to work for the company.[1]
The film received a poor review in the New York Times from critic Howard Thompson, who wrote that it was "a new serving of British-stirred froth that weighs almost as much as Big Ben. And how it got those friendly notices back in the homeland, we'll never know. The picture is excruciatingly coy and flat, coming, believe it or not, from the Woodfall production unit that gave us, among other things, 'Tom Jones'."[6]
References
- Michael Deeley, Blade Runners, Deer Hunters and Blowing the Bloody Doors Off: My Life in Cult Movies, Pegasus Books, 2009, pp. 27-29
- BRITISH FILM SCENE: 'NEW' LION By STEPHEN WATTS LONDON. The New York Times, 12 April 1964: X6.
- "One Way Pendulum". Allmovie.com.
- "One Way Pendulum | BFI | British Film Institute". 13 July 2012. Archived from the original on 13 July 2012. Retrieved 24 April 2023.
- "One Way Pendulum". ReelStreets.com. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
- Thompson, Howard (3 March 1965). "Movie Review: One Way Pendulum". The New York Times. Retrieved 15 January 2011.