ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Doomtomylo a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Mabel Munoz Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Jeff Sultanof The movie musical had a brief resurgence in the late 1960s due to the success of "The Sound of Music." In that film, all the right elements were there: a major star, a good story and screenplay (in fact, the screenplay was a lot better than the book written for the Broadway production), a great score, and gorgeous photography. Of course it made a fortune, saved 20th Century-Fox from ruin, and the race was on. Musicals were back 'in.' The problem was, the production units that once existed that made these musicals had long since disbanded, and it seemed like production companies had to re-learn how to make them. Even seasoned hands didn't do all that well (although Gene Kelly's "Hello Dolly" is a better film than its reputation would indicate; Streisand was still miscast). Society and music had also changed, and the old-fashioned musical often came off as a museum piece - "Finian's Rainbow" should have been filmed years before; in 1969 it came off as a relic. (Footnote: when "Hair" was finally filmed, that also came off as a souvenir from the past; what a pity it was not made when the show closed on Broadway so that it could capture the real spirit of the times). Certainly there were exceptions - "Goodbye Mr. Chips" is far better than was realized at the time, and "Star" had the misfortune of coming off as a follow-up to "The Sound of Music," even though it's aspirations were far more modest.And so we have this perfectly professional film version of a musical that was a big hit in the sixties, with the star a Tony nominee, directed by a veteran of old Hollywood. The star is talented and charming, Julia Foster more than holds her own, Cyril Ritchard is wonderful to have. Unfortunately once you see the movie, the reasons this film is relatively little known become clear: everything is very well done, the art direction excellent, in other words the money shows. But the score is not very good, the dancing is okay, and the end result, to these eyes, is a film that I really have no interest in seeing again.I was fourteen when this film came out, and even though I liked Tommy Steele, I didn't 'need' to see this film the way I couldn't wait to see "Patton" and "2001." Now I know why. I was saddened when it was over because all that effort just added up to nothing for me.

ianlouisiana It doesn't seem that long ago when I saw this on the big screen complete with an intermission and a glossy programme.As a matter of fact it was the height of the "Swinging Sixties" and perhaps not the most obvious time to make a musical set in Edwardian times with an ex-fifties pop star in the lead role.The words "British" and "musical" are of course antithetical,the list of disasters and near disasters in this bastardised genre too long and too well-known to recount here.Presumably the producers hoped that by bringing in George Sidney they could breathe life into an already mouldering corpse.Sadly "Half a sixpence" was not a Lazarus-like project. The best Mr Sidney could do was to give it a semblance of life,even his considerable talents could not provide that vital spark to set the heart beating and the blood pulsing. Mr Tommy Steele,a decade earlier the archetypal cheeky cockney pop singer who was the best Britain could do in the rock n' roll industry's birth-pangs,had gamely fought his way from guitar-slinging to "family entertainer"status via pantomime and Variety bills.Shrewdly managed,he did not try to compete with the emerging "Beat Group" generation but capitalised on his broader appeal and toothy charm.Sadly it was not enough to smile and shake his blond hair a lot when it came to making a big movie, you needed that special quality that forces people to look at you rather than those round you,and he didn't have it. Watching "Half a Sixpence" is like indulgently watching your favourite nephew perform after Christmas dinner.While he chirps away merrily your eyelids droop and every so often when he gets extra loud you wake up with a start and pretend to be enjoying it. It isn't actually bad - it's just totally non-involving.The songs are blandly - if competently- performed,the dances likewise.The "Big Number","Flash,Bang,Wallop" neither flashes,bangs nor wallops. Miss Julia Foster has clearly been instructed to reign in her effervescent personality(and dye her hair so as not to rival Mr Steele's)but she still manages to be the best thing about the film. A lot of talented people did their very best to make "Half a sixpence" work.It must have been heartbreaking for them to put in so much effort to so little avail.Opening out the production from the relatively modest confines of the theatre destroyed it's warmth and intimacy.Replacing those attributes with brassiness and wide grins was,I'm afraid a retrograde step.

rosebay If you're a fan of Tommy Steele this is a must watch movie. It's Tommy at his best. If you're a fan of musicals then this has to be on your list. It's warm, funny and has a great feel-good factor. Watch it when you're feeling down, you're bound to feel better.

atangey Not the kind of story one would think of when thinking H G Welles, but this rags to riches to rags love story is fascinating, well constructed and features one of England's preimere talents, Tommy Steele. The tale of the oprhan Kips who aquires an amazing inheritance and nearly throws away true love after tasting the luxury of high society. Fantastic score too, includes "If the Rains Going to Fall". Great fun.