The Boy with Green Hair

Imagine a cosy Disney feature crossed with an allegory on war and racism, and you have some idea of the bizarre flavour of Losey's first feature. A rather simplistic symbolic tale about a war-orphan whose hair turns green in protest against his plight, only to be rejected by friends and strangers alike, it's muddled, awkward, pretentious, and often downright embarrassing. But the very fact that it is so ridiculous, with absurd moments like the garrulous old grandfather (O'Brien) singing silly songs, lends it a certain offbeat charm.