Badger's Green

BFI Most Wanted: the hunt for Britain's missing films

Directed by Adrian Brunel, 1934

A recreation of traditional English village life in which the inhabitants' tranquillity is threatened.

A moment of reflection for the Badgers cricket team

Credits

Director Production Companies Producer Script Original Play Photography Cast	Adrian Brunel Paramount British Productions / British and Dominions Film Corporation Anthony Havelock-Allan R.J. Davis and Violet E. Powell R.C.Sherriff Henry Harris
Cast: Frank Moore (Dr Wetherby); David Horne (Major Forrester); Sebastian Shaw (Mr Twigg); Valerie Hobson (Molly Butler); Bruce Lester, credited as Bruce Lister (Dickie Wetherby); John Turnbull (Thomas Butler); Wally Patch (Mr Rogers); Elsie Irving (Mrs Wetherby)
67 mins, 6,111 feet, sound, black & white.

Why are we so keen to find it?

Playwright R.C. Sherriff wrote the hugely successful 'Journey's End', which was filmed in 1930. Sherriff continued to work in film for many years, writing screenplays such as The Invisible Man (1933), Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) and The Dam Busters (1955). According to To-Day's Cinema, after seeing Brunel's version of his play, Sherriff "expressed himself as being completely satisfied with it, saying he had no criticism to offer."

Badger's Green is the first credit in the filmography of one of Britain's best and most prolific producers, Anthony Havelock-Allan. He went on to produce over 70 titles, including Brief Encounter (1945) and Great Expectations (1946). He and Valerie Hobson, who provides the love interest in Badger's Green, were married in 1939. Hobson had already appeared in several 'quota quickies' by this time and went on to become one of one of the biggest screen stars in Britain, her best known role starring opposite Dennis Price in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).

The magazine Era hailed the film as the 'first cricket talkie' for its subject and authentic shots of Lord's cricket grounds.

What's it about?

This summary is taken from the Daily Film Renter, 19 September 1934:

"The story is set in the quiet and secluded district of Badger's Green, just at the time of the opening of the cricket season. But the peace is a very short-lived one, for along comes a Mr Butler with a huge development scheme - a scheme to provide rows upon rows of bungalows, places of entertainment, a sanitary laundry and all that goes to making a modern village. The bigwigs are immediately up in arms at the proposal, the doctor, the major and the third citizen resolutely agreeing to stand together to prevent this outrage. It is left, however, for a cricket match to decide the issue - and, although the 'Badgers' are defeated, Mr Butler withdraws his scheme as a token of respect to the doctor, who risked his life for the village."

Last seen?

The film was shown to the trade at 10.30 a.m. on 18 September 1934 at the Carlton cinema. A special screening was organised by Paramount in March 1935 to 150 members of the Hollywood Cricket Club at their annual meeting. The screening was followed by a match in which C. Aubrey Smith's team beat the opposing team led by fellow ex-pat Henry Wilcoxon. We don't know if the film has been shown since.

What else do we know about it?

In his autobiography, Nice Work, director Adrian Brunel writes:

"The film was made for £7,000, though its actual cost was £6,000. It ran for seventeen weeks at the Carlton Theatre, London, supporting 'One Night of Love,' (US 1934, dir Victor Schertzinger) and was successful everywhere. Although the percentage of cinema takings allotted to it were minute, it managed to gross over £60,000. In fact, it was so out-of-proportion successful that it was a very long time indeed before I was trusted by the distributors to make another picture for B. & D.! The distributors were out for as reasonably good quality as could be achieved for so little money, but they were not prepared for such films being too successful at the box-office - it disturbed their accountancy and was costly in income tax, I was told."

Does anything survive?

We don't know of any surviving film material, but the BFI holds a press book and stills and there is a script of the film among Adrian Brunel's personal papers in BFI Special Collections.

Reviews

The film was praised by the press chiefly for its Englishness. One reviewer remarked that "its theme is based upon qualities that we like to regard as typically English - humour, the sporting spirit, and the defence of time-honoured loveliness against utilitarian vandalism," while the journal Home Movies described it as "one of the most truly and deliciously British films yet produced."

Most critics agreed that the "brilliant character acting" of Frank Moore, David Horne and Sebastian Smith carried the film, and that their convincing portrayal of three somewhat stereotyped figures was the key to its success. Positive mention was also made of Wally Patch as the village innkeeper and cricket scorer.

The direction also came in for several mentions, The Era magazine writing that "Mr Brunel's skilful handling of the pictorial possibilities definitely enhances the charm of Mr. Sherriff's original" and Picturegoer offering the opinion that "Brunel... is one of the most effective and intelligent directors we have."

Jo Botting, Curator (Fiction), BFI National Archive

You can find more about Adrian Brunel's work - including entries on each of his surviving films and video clips for users in UK schools, colleges, universities and public libraries, at BFI Screenonline. You can also view several early Powell titles at the BFI Mediatheques.