| The Loves of Joanna Godden | |
|---|---|
 UK release poster byJohn Minton[1] | |
| Directed by | Charles Frend |
| Written by | |
| Based on | the novelJoanna Godden bySheila Kaye-Smith |
| Produced by | Michael Balcon |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
| Edited by | Michael Truman |
| Music by | Ralph Vaughan Williams |
| Distributed by | Ealing Studios |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | £167,073[2] |
| Box office | £82,908 (UK)[2] |
The Loves of Joanna Godden is a 1947 Britishhistorical drama film directed byCharles Frend and produced byMichael Balcon.[3] The screenplay was written byH. E. Bates andAngus MacPhail from the novelJoanna Godden (1921) bySheila Kaye-Smith.
It starsGoogie Withers,Jean Kent,John McCallum,Derek Bond,Chips Rafferty and Sonia Holm.[4] Some scenes were shot by directorRobert Hamer when Frend was ill, though he was uncredited. The music was composed byRalph Vaughan Williams.[5]
In Edwardian Britain, a young woman has three suitors who seek her hand in marriage.
When Joanna Godden's father died, he bequeathed her a farm inRomney Marsh inKent. Joanna is determined to run the farm herself. Her neighbour Arthur Alce (John McCallum), laughs at her ambitions, but loves her. Choosing a new shepherd, she allows physical attraction to a man to overcome her judgment as a farmer, and her scheme for cross-breeding sheep is unsuccessful. Her wealth gone, she turns to Arthur Alce for help - but not love.That she accepts from Martin Trevor (Derek Bond), a visitor from the world beyond the Marsh. But on the eve of their marriage, Martin dies.[5][6]
and the people ofRomney Marsh.
The film was based onJoanna Godden, a novel bySheila Kaye-Smith originally published in 1921.[7][8] The book was popular enough for Kaye-Smith to write a sequel,Joanna Godden Married, published in 1926.[9]
After World War Two, Ealing Studios decided to film the novel, with a screenplay written byH. E. Bates andAngus MacPhail. The film had an ending different from the novel.
The studio cast Googie Withers to star; she had been a hit inPink String and Sealing Wax. Lead roles were given to Australians John McCallum, who had been put under long-term contract to Rank, and Chips Rafferty, who had just starred inThe Overlanders for Ealing.[10]
The casting of Withers and Kent was announced in July 1946.[11] Filming took place in August and September 1946, with location filming in Kent.[12]
Withers and McCallum fell in love during filming and later married. They named theirfirst child "Joanna" in honour of the film.[13]
The film earned distributor's gross receipts of £82,908 in the UK of which £159,642 went to the producer.[2]