This Happy Breed (Restored) (2 discs) DVD, 1944

£14.99

RRP: £15.99
You save £1 (6%)

Availability
This product should be despatched within 3-4 working days. Despatched from the UK. Delivery timesNormally take 1-2 days to reach UK customers. European destinations usually take two days longer, and International destinations up to a further two weeks.

Delivery
Free to UK customers!
Costs to other countriesWestern Europe: £2.50
Rest of the world: £3.75

Returns Policy
If you are unhappy with your purchase, you can return it to us within 14 days. More details

MovieMail's Review

Barney Kelly finds this celebration of British restraint and stolidity proves what a great filmmaker Lean was.

As a director, David Lean is synonymous with epic locations and grand passions, which makes This Happy Breed something of an oddity in his filmography. Adapted from Noël Coward’s play, it’s an episodic tale of an average working class family in the interwar years, tracing the drama caused by illicit affairs, family bereavement, the first ripples of women’s liberation and political instability in the country during the General Strike. It’s impressive how Lean transforms the material into cinema. Under a lesser director, this might have been a stagebound affair but Lean’s knowledge of his craft means he avoids any sense of claustrophobia. It might be worlds away from a ‘typical’ Lean film but it proves what a great filmmaker he was. And if its celebration of British restraint and stolidity may seem quaint to some, then it should be remembered that it was made when these qualities were under siege. BK

Brian Kelly on 10th September 2008
View all 2 of Brian Kelly's reviews

Film Information

Director - David Lean

Produced - 1944

Main Language - English

Countries & Regions - British Film

Cast - John Mills, Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, Stanley Holloway, Kay Walsh

DVD Details

Certificate:	U	Publisher:	Network	Region:	2
Length:	105 mins	Aspect:	1.33:1	Cat No:	7952716
Format:	DVD Colour	Subtitles:	None

DVD Extras

2 discs
Brand new digital restoration
Original theatrical trailer
Re-release trailer
Restoration comparison featurette
Extensive South Bank Show feature on David Lean
Commemorative booklet by noted British film historian David Rolinson
Extensive stills gallery, including behind the scenes images
Original Pressbook and material in PDF format.

Film Description

An episodic tale of an average working class family in the interwar years. Narrated by Laurence Olivier and directed by David Lean, the story traces the melodrama caused by illicit affairs, family bereavement, the first ripples of women's liberation and political instability in the country during the General Strike. It highlights the fact that these internal wranglings are all happening in one house in an average street, and that each average house has its own dramatic stories to tell. Adapted from Noel Coward's stage play, this is a celebration of the ideal of the British family and one of the best British films of the period.