| Last Holiday | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Lasthol.jpg) Alec Guinness as George Bird and Helen Cherry as Miss Mellows | |
| Directed by | Henry Cass |
| Written by | J. B. Priestley |
| Produced by | Associated British Picture Watergate Films Stephen Mitchell A. D. Peters J.B. Priestley |
| Starring | Alec Guinness Beatrice Campbell Kay Walsh Bernard Lee Wilfrid Hyde-White Helen Cherry Jean Colin Muriel George Sid James |
| Cinematography | Ray Elton |
| Edited by | Monica Kimick |
| Music by | Francis Chagrin |
Production companies | Warner Bros. Welwyn Studios |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Associated British-Pathé, Ltd. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £109,084 (UK)[1] |
Last Holiday is a 1950 British black comedy film, featuring Alec Guinness in his sixth starring role. The low key, black comedy was written and co-produced by J. B. Priestley and directed by Henry Cass, featuring irony and wit often associated with Priestley. Shooting locations included Bedfordshire and Devon. The film was co-written by an uncredited J. Lee Thompson.[2]
The film's narrative revolves around George Bird, a salesman for an agricultural implements company. During a routine visit to his physician, he is told that he has a terminal disease and only a short time to live. He decides to spend his final days in an expensive hotel. Once there, he acquires friends and a love interest who eventually learn of his plight.
- ^ Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p. 492
- ^ Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (2003). British Cinema of the 1950s: The Decline of Deference. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 76. ISBN 9780198159346.