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Original poster

Help me identify this film from the John Lewis advert?

698 replies

BOFster · 07/11/2014 19:29

It's driving me crazy Grin

Here's a link to the John Lewis advert- take a look at the old movie showing on the television at 1 minute in, please.

Everybody thinks it's from It's A Wonderful Life, the embrace you can see at 3:21 in this clip:

But it really really isn't.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
71
Coumarin · 10/11/2014 16:32

Hooray! Wine

We can sleep easy in our four poster, silk sheeted beds tonight.

ZingOfSeven · 10/11/2014 16:31

Grin @ midget car racing!

BOF and everyone I'm glad we've got an answer, hurrah!

we can sleep well tonight. I'm glad I was wrong (and I seldom say thatWink )

PeteCampbellsRecedingHairline · 10/11/2014 16:21

I'm so glad it's real, but midget car racing? Confused

Original poster
BOFster · 10/11/2014 15:36

I know! I keep sniggering.

OP posts:
Raahh · 10/11/2014 15:36

An MG MIdget? although i prefer the version in my head of lots of little people...

Raahh · 10/11/2014 15:35

That description has just made me laugh.

WTF is midget car racing??Grin

Raahh · 10/11/2014 15:34

Thank goodness it's real!

What a lovely endingGrin

Original poster
BOFster · 10/11/2014 15:33

The plot doesn't exactly rival Casablanca: "Johnny Randall, a young race-car driver, falls in love with Tony Bradley, who hates racing because her brother was killed in a midget car-race..."

Intriguing...

OP posts:
ArsenicSoup · 10/11/2014 15:21

Oh I realised sarky, but you still managed to invent a scenario. I couldn't have Wink

PetulaGordino · 10/11/2014 15:15

Grin at romantic soul - i was actually being a bit sarky, but it would be rather nicer than the pragmatic reason

i have to agree that based on the description it's not a film i'm going to be spending much energy tracking down to watch

ArsenicSoup · 10/11/2014 15:12

You have a very romantic soul to come up with that.

She looks a bit like Amanda Holden in that picture.

AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves · 10/11/2014 15:07

That's lovely, Petula! The description of the film makes it sound so boring that it certainly wouldn't have held the attention of the rainbound lovers, unless they were very keen on midget racing cars.

BuckskinnedAstronaut · 10/11/2014 15:06

Interview with Vivian Coe Austin Grow

ArsenicSoup · 10/11/2014 15:06

Bless you Petula, I fear you were right the first time.

PetulaGordino · 10/11/2014 15:04

obviously i hope the reason for that film is that one of the ad creators saw that film with his/her partner one rainy, dozy sunday afternoon on an obscure digital channel and that was when they decided to get married

AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves · 10/11/2014 15:02

Oh dear, that's a bit dark. Here's another one.

Help me identify this film from the John Lewis advert?
AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves · 10/11/2014 15:01

Vivian Austin

Help me identify this film from the John Lewis advert?
PetulaGordino · 10/11/2014 15:01

it might be as boring a story as "we needed a B&W film clip of swooning/kissing and when we weighed up tone vs. affordability this was the best one"?

AllMimsyWereTheBorogoves · 10/11/2014 14:58

Huzza! Well done to all concerned for settling this vitally important question. Grin

Based on the IMDB entry, I wouldn't hold your breath that it will be on Film4 any time soon, or that it would be a good watch if it did turn up. Why that film, I wonder?

ArsenicSoup · 10/11/2014 14:58

I'm glad.

I don't think I recognise anything the actress was in. She has a very B-Movie life story though. She retired early from acting due to blindness but was cured and went on to marry the doctor.

www.imdb.com/name/nm0042549/?ref_=tt_cl_t2

PetulaGordino · 10/11/2014 14:53

oh i will sleep well tonight

Original poster
BOFster · 10/11/2014 14:52

IT IS REEEEEEEAL!!!!!

Oh my word, a happy ending Grin

OP posts:
ArsenicSoup · 10/11/2014 14:46

So she is called Vivian Austin

InfinitySeven · 10/11/2014 14:41

John Lewis have just tweeted Mumsnet to say that it's a scene from 1947 film "Born to Speed".

So not specially made! And we have the answer! Yay :)

BuckskinnedAstronaut · 10/11/2014 14:39

Only by AQA -- when Watchdog checked them they found they answered 37 of 40 questions correctly, though, so there's still room for doubt (especially as the person putting together answer for AQA is just a homeworker with Internet access doing a minute's research, and dozens of us on this thread with Internet access haven't been able to find a definitive answer over three or four days).