St. Martins Lane W.C.2

A ripe performance from Laughton as an ageing busker pouring heart and soul into stirring renditions of 'If'... and 'The Green Eye of the Little Yellow God' But despite location shooting among theatre queues and some convincingly shabby sets, verisimilitude is not high (not with Leigh's Cockney accent shading into Kensington), nor are the musical sequences particularly appealing. Though written by Clemence Dane for Laughton, the script as revised by producer Erich Pommer constantly seems to be edging into Emil Jannings territory, with much gloom and sentimentality as Laughton is seemingly spurned on the way to stardom by the waif he has helped. This was the second of three productions from the Pommer/ Laughton partnership, sandwiched between Vessel of Wrath and Jamaica Inn.