Baseshment I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

Kaelan Mccaffrey Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Deanna There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

writers_reign American (Indiana) born Tim Whelan sandwiched this in between The Divorce of Lady X and Q Planes so that it missed being Alphabet soup by that much. To see it for the very first time - as I have just done - in 2013 is to wonder yet again at what pre-war cinema audiences would stand for. Laughton is simply atrocious, they didn't go further over the top at Ypres and the Somme put together. His monologues, "If" and "The Green Eye Of The Little Yellow God" had absolutely no 'feel' for the narrative, phrasing, or sense of rhythm; Rex Harrison displayed none of his gifts as a light comedian, and only Vivien Leigh appeared to know her ass from third base. It occurred to me that the popular English comedian of the nineteen fifties, Tony Hancock, had clearly based his voice on that of Laughton in this film. Back in his native US Whelan directed three musicals, Seven Days Leave, Higher and Higher, and Step Lively, all three minor league but light years ahead of this embarrassment.

jjnxn-1 Sidewalks of London, also known as St. Martin's Lane, is a fascinating drama with two acting greats, Charles Laughton and Vivien Leigh, sparking off each other and delivering dynamic performances. Vivien, this was the last film she made before GWTW, is an ambitious young dancer who teams up with Laughton as a street performer before moving on to bigger things. Their interaction makes this terribly affecting and they manage to make their characters, even with their faults, relatable and sympathetic. Separatly they are terrific but when they share scenes something magical happens and the picture is transformed from a simple story of an ambitious girl on the make into something truly special. A wonderful undiscovered gem.

MartinHafer The film begins with Charles Laughton playing a busker (a street entertainer). During his spiel to try to encourage donations from the crowd, a horrid street urchin (Vivian Leigh) rushes up and snatches his money. Later, he catches up with her and once again she behaves VERY badly--stealing something from a rich guy (Rex Harrison). Laughton sees this and once again pursues her in order to get the man's stuff in order to return it. But, once again, she screams and behaves horribly--which causes the police to chase them. With this VERY inauspicious introduction, Leigh and Laughton soon would become friends as well as business partners. So, soon she has joined with Laughton and his friends and their new act goes over well--and their finances improve. A bit later, Leigh is recognized for her talents by Rex Harrison--who happens to be a a big-wig in the theatre circuit. He gives her a break and she hits the big-time. However, she STILL is the same selfish brat she was when the movie began and she badly mistreats poor Laughton. She does nothing to thank him, credit him for some of her ideas or does a thing to help him. In addition, when he proposes to him she rebuffs him and laughs at him! Nice lady, huh? You could see from this performance that she would make a dandy Scarlet O'Hara. However, in a twist near the end, she uncharacteristically shows a tender side towards her old mentor and friend--but it just didn't work for me, as that was NOT the sort of character she'd been playing throughout the film. This reminded me of the uncharacteristic and ridiculous change Bette Davis' character underwent at the end of "Jezebel". In both cases, it took a truly exceptional movie and knocked its impact down a peg or two.Without the unnecessary and unbelievable transformation, I'd have given this movie an 8 or 9. As it is, I think a 7 is fair. Worth watching but a poor ending. Early in the film, you'll see a minstrel at the coffee shop--my how times have changed!

jotix100 The street performers of London were a delightful bunch of people that eked out a living by doing what came to them naturally: singing, dancing, reciting poetry, or just plain entertainment, directed at the crowds of the West End of London. They belong in a time capsule. The buskers were a local phenomenon. I discovered this forgotten film at the CUNY cinematheque. It is a film that shows the talents of the young Vivien Leigh, Rex Harrison and more established stars like Charles Laughton. In Tim Whelan's film they all come alive in this tale of an impossible love story. The star turn of Vivien Leigh in the movie is just incredible. Not only could she act, but she was an accomplished dancer as well. Charles Laughton is perfect as the man who is vain enough not to admit to his own age because of the disparity between him and his beloved Libby. There are other delightful performances by Tyrone Guthrie, Larry Adler and other English theatre actors of that era.This film should be seen, or at least shown on television more often.