Val Guest had some troubles working with children but said otherwise production went smoothly and both William films were "very successful." [2] Critical reception [ edit ]

I have just watched it again on Talking Pictures this morning and, even now, it seemed even more appealing. It is definitely a film that would have appealed to young and old alike. The first part of the film describes a World gone by - a World that no longer exists. The film described a World of family breakfasts and mealtimes - almost treated as a social event. It also shows idyllic country cottages, where even ordinary families had a maid or a housekeeper. The scene where "The Outlaws" were haunting the house was absolutely hilarious. It had the whole family and our Christmas guests in stitches. The scenes were so well done that they surpassed that of many of the classic comedy films that were made around the same time.Outlaws won't let Violet Elizabeth be a "Nite of the Square Table") ; a serious safety issue where the "Nites" wave around a bread knife as Excalibur and later hold it against the chest of a "spy" whilst questioning him and, of course, the indirect promotion of the fur trade as a desirable enterprise. Also the dog "Jumble" is allowed to bite a member of a rival gang. As ever in these old films, the kids are free to come and go wherever they The story came to life after the release of feature film of the same name, loosely based on the books. Crompton was so impressed with the film that she chose to turn it into the only full-length novel in the canon. [1] Plot [ edit ] A cheaply made b&w post-War British family film, revolving around 11 yo William Brown, his long-suffering family and his Outlaw gang. Not a lot of money was wasted here, there's whole stretches of silent movie - especially noticeable at the climax where the frenetic action and tense music tries to disguise the fact no-one speaks for 10 minutes. Richmal Compton's character William was very close to my mother's heart as she had read every single one of the books. As a matter of fact, I still have most of them all in my attic. After seeing this film again, I think I will read them one more time.

I remember watching this film on BBC Television when I was sat next to my mother on Christmas Day in 1961. I was 10 years old. It still makes me laugh - 60 years later. Meanwhile, William is in the old barn with Henry and Douglas, in a make-believe game of 'The Knights of the Round Table', when Ginger arrives on a fabulous bicycle. The Outlaws