fiction.wikisort.org - Movie

The Oracle (known as The Horse's Mouth in the United States[1] ) is a 1953 British comedy film directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and starring Robert Beatty, Michael Medwin and Virginia McKenna.[2] The screenplay concerns a journalist who goes on holiday to Ireland where he encounters a fortune-teller.

The Oracle
Original trade ad by Ronald Searle
Directed by	C. M. Pennington-Richards
Written by	Patrick Campbell Anthony Steven (additional dialogue)
Based on	radio play To Tell You the Truth by Robert Barr
Produced by	Colin Lesslie
Starring	Robert Beatty Michael Medwin Virginia McKenna.
Cinematography	Wolfgang Suschitzky
Edited by	John Trumper
Music by	Temple Abady
Production company	Group 3
Distributed by	Associated British-Pathé (UK)
Release dates	1 June 1953 (1953-06-01) (London, UK)
Running time	85 mins
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Production

It was based on a radio play To Tell You the Truth by Robert Barr. It was shot at Southall Studios on a budget of £43,000.[3]

Plot

Timothy Blake (Michael Medwin), a British reporter holidaying on a remote island offshore of Ireland, hears a man's voice coming from the bottom of a well. The voice turns out to be a modern-day Oracle, or fortune teller, whose predictions prove uncannily accurate. Bob is determined to get a story out of this, but his editor is less enthusiastic and promptly fires him. The newfound publicity though, means the once-sleepy Irish village is now invaded by curiosity seekers, and those seeking the horse racing results.

Cast

• Robert Beatty as Bob Jefferson
• Michael Medwin as Timothy Blake
• Virginia McKenna as Shelagh
• Mervyn Johns as Tom Mitchum
• Arthur Macrae as Alan Digby
• Gillian Lind as Jane Bond
• Ursula Howells as Peggy
• Louise Hampton as Miss Turner
• John Charlesworth as Denis
• Joseph Tomelty as Terry Roche
• Lockwood West as Adams
• Maire O'Neill as Mrs Lenham
• John McBride as Mick
• Derek Tansley as Idiot Boy
• Patrick McAlinney as O'Keefe
• Lionel Marson as Announcer
• Jean St. Clair as Young Girl
• Jack May as Old Man
• Gilbert Harding as Voice of the Oracle

Critical reception

Allmovie called it "A lesser comedy of the Ealing school (though not from the Ealing studios)";[4] the Radio Times called it a "piffling comedy in which whimsy is heaped on to make up for the absence of genuine humour";[5] but Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings thought more highly of the piece, whilst acknowledging "This is no classic, but it’s pleasant and has a little meat on its bones," and concluding the film was "Worth a look."[6]

References

Bibliography

• Chibnall, Steve & McFarlane, Brian. The British 'B' Film. Palgrave MacMillan, 2009.
• Harper, Sue & Porter, Vincent. British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press, 2007.

External links

• The Oracle at IMDb

---