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A Piece of Cake (film)

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1948 British film by John Irwin

A Piece of Cake
Opening titles
Directed byJohn Irwin
Produced byJohn Croydon
StarringCyril Fletcher
Betty Astell
Laurence Naismith
Jon Pertwee
CinematographyWalter J. Harvey
Music byArthur Wilkinson
Production
company
Highbury Productions
Distributed byGeneral Film Distributors
Release date
  • November 1948 (1948-11) (UK)
Running time55 min
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

A Piece of Cake is a 1948 British fantasy comedy film directed by John Irwin and starring Cyril Fletcher, Betty Astell, Laurence Naismith and Jon Pertwee. It was written by Bernard McNabb and Lyn Lockwood from an original story by Betty Astell and John Croydon.

Plot

Set in the austere post–World War II British world of rationing, Cyril composes comical odes for an act for the BBC. As his wife continuously interrupts him to remind him that he needs to obtain supplies from his "under-the counter" contacts for the dinner party they are hosting that evening, he creates an ode to an imaginary character named Merlin Mound who can provide anything one can wish. When he later falls asleep at his desk, he dreams that Merlin has become real and grants his host's wishes for those rationed items of drink and fine food, not by conjuring the items out of thin air, but obtaining them from other people's ownership, which leads to trouble.

Cast

Production

It was made at Highbury Studios as a second feature for release by the Rank Organisation.

Reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "This slight story soon becomes involved, and is funny in very few parts. The film is slow-moving and the actors could have possibly made more progress with better material. The photography is good and so is a castle sequence; but the film, in short, is not entertaining, and the inclusion of a sadly modernised version of "Cherry Ripe" does not help."

References

  1. "A Piece of Cake". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  2. BFI.org
  3. "A Piece of Cake". The Monthly Film Bulletin. 15 (169): 155. 1 January 1948 – via ProQuest.

External links


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