ShangLuda Admirable film.

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Senteur As somebody who had not heard any of this before, it became a curious phenomenon to sit and watch a film and slowly have the realities begin to click into place.

Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

clanciai Heartrending story of a friendship between two very honest people, a simple Spanish gardener and the young son (about 10) of the hopeless bureaucrat he is working for, who doesn't understand his own son's own good and keeps on blundering through the whole film, until it is too late to make amends, succeeding only in ruining his own life and almost his son's. But they made a great drama out of this seemingly idyllic trifle from the paradise of Costa Brava in Spain, and the acting is wonderful - all are perfect. Michael Hordern makes a very difficult part as the father, you hate his stupidity with all your heart and must understand and share the boy's very reasonable feelings in the end, Dirk Bogarde plays by understatements as usual and makes his part the more efficient for that, while the real character is Cyril Cussack as the servant in the kitchen - the man releasing the shocks.I have never seen a film made on a novel by A.J.Cronin that failed, I have said this before, they seem all to approach the level of masterpieces just by their psychology, and this is certainly no exception. The very efficient music and the wonderful colouring add to a real treat worth wasting an evening on. Almost a tenner, at least 9,5.

MartinHafer Dirk Bogarde was a wonderful actor. Despite being barely known here in the States, we have begun to see more and more of his films thanks to Turner Classic Movies...and this is thrilling. However, "The Spanish Gardener" is one case where I really think he was wrong for the part. Although a fine performer, here he is miscast as a Spanish man--a Spanish man with barely a trace of a Spanish accent...and a bit of a British one! Why the studio simply didn't hire a Spanish actor is beyond me, but Hollywood also had a tendency to do this as well, so I can't just bash the British film industry.The story begins with an angry and disappointed diplomat (Michael Hordern) in the British foreign service. I say disappointed because his wife recently left him and because he was not given the choice assignment but sent to a relatively insignificant town in Spain. He is going to take his young son (Jon Whiteley) with him instead of sending him to a boarding school. However, the boy is lonely and his father a bit distant. When a new gardener is hired (Bogarde), the boy comes out of his shell and begins to idolize Bogarde--who gives the boy what he needs--his time. Sadly, instead of learning from this, the father becomes jealous and behaves in a petty fashion towards the gardener and forbids him from talking to the boy. Eventually, this leads to a collision course between the father and gardener--one that even lands the gardener in jail! Where exactly the film goes after this is up to you to see for yourself in this charming family drama.It's a shame that in these times, someone watching this sweet film might easily assume that the gardener is a pedophile--and not just a decent man trying to help a very lonely boy. Overall, it's well worth seeing and well acted throughout--even with the odd casting.

lawrence_elliott The "Spanish Gardener" is a warm-hearted film that entertains, teaches and gratifies all at the same time. Dirk Bogarde is a wonderful actor who never got his due as a great interpreter of character on screen. This is a simple film, but what a film it is! Sometimes simplicity is a more powerful conveyor of truth than complex renditions that lose the audience before they can redeem themselves. So much garbage is being produced currently on film today that I wonder why filmmakers don't just sit back and learn from their predecessors, often English directors, who can teach so much just by simply observing how they craft their films?Jose helps form a bond of friendship with a young boy that cannot be broken even by the boy's jealous older father who selfishly guards his young son as a prized possession who must not have contact with anyone. This film reminds me of "A Man Without a Face" (1993) with Mel Gibson, another wonderful film.I cannot recommend this film too highly. It will warm your heart and break it too. But isn't that what films are supposed to do? Touch your heart and get at the universal emotions of people, much like a Beethoven Symphony would, to stir, conquer and triumph! This 1957 film is a victory because of fine directing, acting, story and execution of plot which allows the audience time to absorb and feel the emotions that develop within and between the characters, resolving itself towards a beautifully crafted ending.

bamptonj A British consul and his young son move from Madrid to a peaceful villa in the Spanish country-side.Michael Hordern plays a dominant father who treats his son Nicholas as a sickly child; giving him cod-live oil every evening and denying the boy's obvious pleasure in active outdoor activities. This over-bearing protection of his son is no doubt due to his wife's recent abandonment of the family. Nicholas soon becomes friendly with the gardener (Dirk Bogarde) his father has reluctantly hired. Over the insuring weeks, Nicholas comes to devote most of his spare time to the Spainards company. This offends Michael Hordern as the gardener soon becomes a surrogate father to the young Nicholas.It's funny to see a lightly sun-tanned Dirk Bogarde portraying a Spaniard!This movie is quite enjoyable, though I doubt whether a major studio today could imagine anything more than 30 minutes of film being drawn from the screenplay. In it's decidingly 50's theme, I also doubt whether many film-makers would consider the material interesting enough to be the sole subject of a movie.