Never Take Sweets from a Stranger

[Carmel]

I sat and watched this film last night as my daughter picked it up for me and it was a real eye opener a really hard hitting film about Pedophiles, it was made in 1961 and was made by hammer. There are some British actors in it although it was set in Canada. The one thing that struck me is how people turned a blind eye to things i suppose like today when they dont want to be involved, i certainly for one could never turn a blind eye to this kind of thing. Im sure it was very ahead of it's time for the 60's. It was the kind of film that sits in your mind after watching it because you know more should of been done, i know this is only a film but sadly its the kind of world we live in today.

[Merton Park]

I remember seeing it at The London Pavilion, where most Hammer films seemed to be first shown at the time. Felix Aylmer played the lead with a Hammer regular the young Janina Faye also in it, I think, and it was pretty disturbing both as a subject and also a film.



Hammer weren't afraid to make subjects that were mostly shied away from, The Camp On Blood Island, Stranglers of Bombay, Terror of the Tongs etc. I suppose some would say they were made for sensational purposes, and they may well have been right. In those days they knew how to make films the public would watch.

[batman]

. In those days they knew how to make films the public would watch.

This is a point of view I have held for years. It never ceases to amaze me how many present day producers/directors ignore the fact that people want to be entertained above or all else. If a bit of education or whatever you want to call can be added to the mix as well that's a bonus. I am fed up with 'worthy' films/tv programmes that have little or no entertainment value.



I watched 'Never Take ...' recently as well and it is a good example of what I am trying to say. Other films in a similar vein from that era are 'Victim', 'Violent Playground' and 'The Quare Fellow' .... all carry a powerful message but are equally entertaining.



Bats.

[Mark O]

I've also watched this Movie for the first time and found the final scenes very disturbing, the fact Felix Aylmer's character dosen't say a word makes it even more so, his 'look' certainly gave me the shivers even at my advanced age!

[donna]

even today people turn away from this subject, I mentioned this twice to start a forum thread on another site, and it was almost ignored, its like , if I dont talk about it , it wont exist, what a silly attitude we have to talk about this taboo subject to try and help children, not hide it away in the recesses of our mind.

[Mark O]

even today people turn away from this subject, I mentioned this twice to start a forum thread on another site, and it was almost ignored, its like , if I dont talk about it , it wont exist, what a silly attitude we have to talk about this taboo subject to try and help children, not hide it away in the recesses of our mind.

Absolutely Donna, as with Cancer, People don't want to talk about that either and it won't just go away, just like Paedophiles........Children need to be aware that this threat does exist and not just by 'dirty old men' but it could be anyone, re; Myra Hindley/Rose West.......

[Straff]

In a similar vein, has anyone a comment on 'Assault' (1971) with Suzy Kendall? I was thinking about buying it but the subject matter made me feel a little uncomfortable. If its a well-made film rather than voyeuristic I might reconsider.

[batman]

In a similar vein, has anyone a comment on 'Assault' (1971) with Suzy Kendall? I was thinking about buying it but the subject matter made me feel a little uncomfortable. If its a well-made film rather than voyeuristic I might reconsider.

There's nothing voyeuristic about Assault. Sure there are shots of pretty teenage girls in mini-skirts but nothing you wouldn't see in The Sweeney. This is a pretty good, well made thriller with a reasonable (if predictable) script and has one or two good performances. I have a copy and have watched it several times.

[crunchie]

I've just watched this Hammer mystery film today and it's a brilliant story and most enjoyable.



Various websites list it's production date as 1959/1960, but I can clearly see �MCMLIV (1954) on the opening credits. Can anyone confirm exactly when this film was made?



Also, the house exteriors and cars look very authentic for it's east-coast Canada setting, but all the end credits say is "Made at Bray Studios". Was any filming actually done in Canada?

[Tigon Man]

Thats interesting Crunchie. A bit of research in my dusty collection of tomes about British films, says that the movie was filmed at Bray studios from September 14th to October 30th 1959.

However the author of the play The Pony-Cart on which the film was based, American Roger Garis actually wrote the story in 1953 and it was premiered in New York in 1954.

In London it was shown as a one off play featuring star Janina Faye and caused much controversy over it's subject matter. Lady Lewisham conducted a media campaign to have it removed.

But your original point about the 1954 date on the film, must be an error and they have used the date of the first play performance instead. After all Janina Faye would only have been six in 1954, a little too young.

[darrenburnfan]

Even younger than that, Tigon Man. If I remember correctly, she was born in 1949 and therefore would have been five in 1954. IMDb lists her birth year as 1948, but I read somewhere that it was 1949.

[m35541]

It was definitely filmed in 1959. In the UK it was released in 1960.



I noticed this odd copywrite too but I thought it said 1964 not 1954. The Sony DVD is the US print with the US title. This may be something purely to do with when this US print was put together. It did have a delayed release in the US as it was refused a certificate by the MPAA due to the subject matter. Columbia had to sell off the US theatrical rights to an independent company which wasn't "forced" to get an MPAA seal before it could release films.

[Gerald Lovell]

Yes, I believe it said MCMLXIV too and thought that was to do with the US release as it has "Candy" in the title rather than "Sweets".

[Steve Crook]

The BBFC gave it a UK certificate, an "X" certificate, on 19 November 1959



Steve

[darrenburnfan]

Never Take Sweets From A Stranger is, to date, as far as I know, the only film to feature the subject of what is today referred to as paedophilia. I don't recall any controversy about it when it was first released, maybe because the present day paranoia about the subject didn't exist back then. But I reckon that if it was remade today, there'd be loads of complaints, not about the film per se, because it doesn't show anything, but because of the subject matter.

[m35541]

I don't recall any controversy about it when it was first released, maybe because the present day paranoia about the subject didn't exist back then.

According to the Hammer books (eg Kinsey's) there was controversy about it. Hammer got stick from some critics who felt they were making an exploitation film out of the material (because it was a Hammer film). In America it was refused an MPAA certificate.



But i agree that it would get a lot more stick if made today (although I am pretty certain paedophilia has featured in some police shows; definitely in one A Touch of Frost episode).

[grotbags]

Never Take Sweets From A Stranger is, to date, as far as I know, the only film to feature the subject of what is today referred to as paedophilia. I don't recall any controversy about it when it was first released, maybe because the present day paranoia about the subject didn't exist back then. But I reckon that if it was remade today, there'd be loads of complaints, not about the film per se, because it doesn't show anything, but because of the subject matter.

I remember seing this on the movies.

I'm pretty sure that when this came out on the movies, the adults only certificate was dropped and children were encouraged to see it to educate them on the dangers of 'taking sweets from strangers'.

Well that was the case at my cinema as I remember going to see it. I remember the ending stuck in my mind as the kids horror that the boat was still tied up.

[Gerald Lovell]

crunchie, my apologies, but you're absolutely right, it does say "MCMLIV" in the copyright declaration. I must've thought it said "MCMLIX", which is maybe what was intended?

[crunchie]

Thanks Gerald, I can't believe that Hammer would get the production date wrong on the film's opening credits, but, judging by the age of the young girls at the time, and the filming dates provided earlier by Tigon Man, I guess we can conclude for definite that this film was actually shot in Sept-Oct 1959 and released in the UK around March 1960. The 1954 copyright refers to the date the original play "The Pony Cart" was first staged (New York).

[batman]

But i agree that it would get a lot more stick if made today (although I am pretty certain paedophilia has featured in some police shows; definitely in one A Touch of Frost episode).

Virtually every police drama has a 'paedophile episode' these days .... in fact it has sadly become a rather tiresome cliche.