The Spanish Gardener

Minor diplomat Hordern, separated from his wife and repeatedly passed over for promotion, becomes jealous of the developing friendship between his small son Whiteley and Bogarde's locally hired gardener. Based on AJ Cronin's novel, this is the kind of small scale, low-key character study that British film-makers can sometimes do rather well, and one of the earliest suggestions that then matinee idol Bogarde might be turning into a fine screen actor. At this stage, though, he can't compete with Hordern, whose growing sense of desperation is affectingly detailed.