THE WONDER KID

New Zealand Listener, Volume 26, Issue 659, 22 February 1952, Page 17

THE WONDER KID

(Karl Hartl-London Films) AFTER sitting through The Wonder Kid, following a very dull first-half, in a heat wave, I came away with the feeling that here was a film with much charm which didn’t quite come to life. Even more dissatisfied with my impressions than with the film itself, I went back a second time and leooked more carefully at some of the things that had worried me. I’m glad to say I found it much improved: — : Filmed, apparently, mainly in Austria, The Wonder Kid is based on an original story of Karl Hartl, who also produced and directed it. But I think filmgoers in this part of the world will be mainly attracted to it because Bobby Henrey (best remembered, of course, for his part in The Fallen Idol) has the title role, and because Robert Krasker (who photographed The Third Man) has done some of the camera- work. The story is about an English orphan child pianist, Sebastian Giro, exploited by an unscrupulous manager, who is about to become his legal guardian. His kindly governess steps in and has him kidnapped by a mixed bunch of crooks whom she knows nothing about. In the lonely house in the Tyrol to which they take him they discover his name and what he might be worth to them, Sebas-

tian is happy and, shown the way, is able to make his own terms when he gets back to his master, Bobby Henrey adapts. himself pretty well to the role of child prodigy, though I didn’t find his performance as moving.as I expected to. The . best moment in this respect is attended with some good comedy, when he sits at the piano to convince the incredulous gendarmes that he really is the kidnapped boy. There is a good deal of pathos, too, in his parting from the young couple who have given him so much happiness. Among the ° other players I found Oscar Werner, as the leader of the gang, quite the most unpleasant character I have seen in recent films. I’m not sure that the beauties of the Austrian Tyrol haven’t been a little overplayed, though they help to give the film its charm. Some of the most interesting camera work covers an exciting chase through the night when the kidnappers fall out, and effective use is made of super-imposed shots at the end of the film. I think a great many people will find something to their liking in The Wonder Kid. It might be argued, of course. that it shouldn’t be necessary for a film critic to ‘see a film twice to discover its merits. But it’s at least equally true that it isn’t every ‘run-of-the-mill film that improves on a second and (remembering that heat wave) more critical examination.