Sky West and Crooked
Sky West and Crooked (known in the United States as Gypsy Girl) is a 1965 romantic drama film, featuring actress Hayley Mills.[1][2] The film was directed by her father, John Mills, and was co-written by her mother, Mary Hayley Bell.[3]
Sky West and Crooked | |
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Directed by | John Mills |
Produced by | Jack Hanbury |
Written by | Mary Hayley Bell John Prebble |
Starring | Hayley Mills Ian McShane Annette Crosbie Laurence Naismith |
Music by | Malcolm Arnold |
Cinematography | Arthur Ibbetson |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Rank Organization (UK) Continental Distributing (US) |
Release date |
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Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Plot
In a small, isolated village in the West Country of England, ten-year-old Brydie White is running with a playmate who trips and falls and is accidentally killed by the loaded shotgun he was carrying.
Seven years later, Brydie [Hayley Mills] is a troubled teenager. Her mother is a sad and lonely person who drinks heavily and is not a good mother to Brydie. It becomes apparent that some of the adults, especially the dead boy's father, are not convinced of her innocence. Their negative attitudes and behaviour towards Brydie are compounded by their disapproval that her mother was not married to her late father. A band of gypsies have taken up residence near the village, which some of the villagers are not pleased about and, when a young gypsy, Roibin Krisenki [Ian McShane], takes a romantic interest in Brydie, emotions begin to run high in both communities.
Cast
- Hayley Mills as Brydie White
- Ian McShane as Roibin Krisenki
- Annette Crosbie as Mrs. White
- Laurence Naismith as Edwin Dacres
- Geoffrey Bayldon as Reverend Phillip Moss
- Pauline Jameson as Mrs. Moss
- Norman Bird as Mr. Cheeseman - undertaker
- June Ellis as Mrs. Cheeseman
- Hamilton Dyce as Bill Slim - grave digger
- Judith Furse as Mrs. Rigby
- Anne Blake as Mrs. Potts
- Jack Bligh as Fred Strong
- Michael Nightingale as Doctor
- Dafydd Havard as Schoolmaster
- Jacqueline Pearce as Camellia
- Alan Lake as Camlo
Production
During pre production the film was known as Bats With Baby Faces based on a line from a T.S. Eliot poem.[4][5]
Filming locations
The film was shot on location in and around the village of Little Badminton in South Gloucestershire.
References
- "Gypsy Girl (1966) - John Mills - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- "British 60s cinema - Sky West and Crooked". www.british60scinema.net.
- "Sky West and Crooked (1966)".
- THE NEW HAYLEY MILLS Hopper, Hedda. Chicago Tribune 13 Dec 1964: j43.
- FAMILY FOOTSTEPS The Tatler and Bystander; London Vol. 255, Iss. 3312, (Feb 17, 1965): 310-315.