Hungry Hill (film)

Plot

A feud is waged between two families in Ireland – the Brodricks and the Donovans – over the sinking of a copper mine in Hungry Hill by "Copper John" Brodrick. The feud has repercussions down three generations.

Copper John Brodrick wants to mine copper at Hungry Hill. Of his two sons, Henry is enthusiastic but Greyhound John is reluctant. The mine goes ahead despite opposition of the Donovan family.

Fanny Rosa flirts with both John and Henry. The Donovans lead a riot at the mine which results in Henry's death.

John becomes a lawyer and is the heir to the mine, but is reluctant to take over. He resumes his romance with Fanny Rosa.

Cast

• Margaret Lockwood as Fanny Rosa
• Dennis Price as Greyhound John Brodrick
• Cecil Parker as Copper John Brodrick
• Michael Denison as Henry Brodrick
• F.J. McCormick as Old Tim
• Jean Simmons as Jane Brodrick
• Dermot Walsh as Wild Johnnie Brodrick
• Arthur Sinclair as Morty Donovan
• Eileen Crowe as Bridget
• Eileen Herlie as Katherine
• Barbara Waring as Barbara Brodrick
• Michael Golden as Sam Donovan
• Siobhán McKenna as Kate Donovan
• Dan O'Herlihy as Harry Brodrick
• Henry Mollison as Dr. Armstrong
• Eddie Byrne as Hennessy
• Guy Rolfe as Miner

Production

Daphne du Maurier's novel was a best seller. Film rights were bought by Two Cities who assigned William Sistrom to produce. Brian Desmond Hurst was the director and it was decided to film on location in Ireland.

Background filming began in County Wicklow in September 1945. Studio filming did not begin until March 1946 in Denham.

The female lead was offered to Geraldine Fitzgerald but she was unable to get out of her US commitments. The producers approached Sally Gray who turned it down as she did not wish to grow old on camera. Margaret Lockwood played the role instead, once she finished with Bedelia. Lockwood's real life daughter player her daughter in the film.

Robert Cummings was mentioned for the male lead.

According to Dermot Walsh, Brian Desmond Hurst wanted Seamus Locke to play Wild Johnny but producer Bill Sistrom insisted on Walsh. "They had a bit of a barney over that", says Walsh. "After I made an exhaustive test, Sistrom called in all the girls from the front office, sat them down and ran the test. The girls got me the part!"

Walsh says the film took around five months to make. "Every shot was composed, they'd spend hours trying to get it as beautiful and as dramatically effective as possible."

Variety reported its budget at US$1.5 million although the exact figure was £375,600.

Reception

Box office

The producer's earned £113,200 from the film in the UK and only £40,800 from other territories, a total of £174,000. This was a disappointment compared to earlier Lockwood films. According to Rank's own records the film had made a loss of £201,200 for the company by December 1949.

Critical reception

The New York Times wrote:

the film's running time is about average, ninety minutes, but the narrative, for all its ample conflict, progresses so ponderously that it seems interminable ... The few moments of effective cinema in "Hungry Hill" are so fleeting as to be easily forgotten, but the sequence wherein a staid ball is turned into a lively jig session by the infectious music of a fiddler from the town is a bit of expert staging which you probably won't see duplicated again soon. The spontaneity and brilliant conception of this scene is almost sufficient cause to make one show more tolerance toward 'Hungry Hill' than it deserves.

Britmovie called it a "stirring Irish saga based on the epic novel by Daphne du Maurier."

References

References

1. Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 353
2. Chapman p 353. Income is in terms of producer's share.
3. "Hungry Hill | BFI | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk.
4. "Hungry Hill". Turner Classic Movies.
5. A.H. WEILER. (Jan 21, 1945). "RANDOM NOTES ON THE FILM SCENE: Steinbeck Writes Mexican Picture--Thomas Jackson, Detective--Addenda A Real and Reel Sleuth Bowling Along Visitor From Britain". New York Times.
6. (Feb 7, 1945). "LONDON LETTER". The Irish Times.
7. (Sep 24, 1945). "FILMING OF "HUNGRY HILL" STARTS IN WICKLOW". The Irish Times.
8. Hopper, Hedda. (Feb 11, 1946). "A Rose in Bloom!". The Washington Post.
9. (19 January 1946). "Australian fan letter for English actor". [[The Australian Women's Weekly]].
10. C.A. LEJEUNE. (Jan 27, 1946). "FILM ACTIVITIES IN LONDON: Radar's Role in the War to Be Revealed in 'Top Secret'-- Carol Reed to Make Odd Man Out' in Ireland Radar Deception With a Tint of Green Reset". New York Times.
11. Schallert, Edwin. (Mar 9, 1947). "British Film Star Irked by Censors: 'Silly,' Says Margaret Lockwood in Trans-Atlantic Phone Chat". Los Angeles Times.
12. Hopper, Hedda. (June 12, 1945). "Looking at Hollywood". Chicago Daily Tribune.
13. Brian McFarlane ''An Autobiography of British Film'' p 589
14. [https://archive.org/stream/variety165-1947-01#page/n350/mode/1up Review of film] at ''Variety''
15. (July 7, 1946). "Thrill-Type Tales Choice of British". Los Angeles Times.
16. Chapman pp. 71, 353
17. T. M. P.. (1947-10-11). "Movie Review – Hungry Hill – Miss du Maurier's Novel Makes Film". New York Times.
18. "Hungry Hill 1947 | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie.