Never Take Sweets From a Stranger (1960)

 Some films become a Holy Grail of sorts.  Not necessarily because they are outstanding pieces of cinematic art, but simply because they are unavailable.  For me, one of my 'Holy Grails' was Never Take Sweets From a Stranger (1960).  It was a film that I read about when I first became seriously interested in the world of horror and exploitation films,several decades ago.  It intrigued me because its critical and box office failure on its release apparently put Hammer Films off of producing serious, 'message' pictures for good, resulting in them doubling down on their production of horror films and TV spin offs.  It also interested me because of its subject matter - child sexual abuse which, at the time, would have been pretty much unheard of in any film, let alone one produced by a noted exploitation studio like Hammer.  But it was impossible to judge the film because, after its initial release, it had seemingly vanished from sight.  I don't recall any UK TV outings or even home video releases.  Naturally, this simply piqued my interest even more, especially as, from the nineties onward, the film started to receive a favourable critical reassessment.  Finally, thanks to Talking Pictures TV, I was able to catch up with Never Take Sweets From a Stranger, (although they actually show the slightly edited US release print carrying the title Never Take Candy From a Stranger).  I have to say that it didn't disappoint me and I was left surprised by just how frank and direct it was, for a film of its era, in its approach to its subject matter.

Interestingly, it uses a Canadian setting (although filmed in the UK), presumably so as not to make domestic audiences feel too uneasy by setting its tale of small town secrets too close to home.  Despite having originally been released in 1960, the events depicted feel uncomfortably contemporary, with the film's overriding theme being of how wealth and power can subvert the law and effectively 'normalise' deviant behaviour when it is being committed by an individual with connections to those with influence.  The film, commendably, wastes no time in getting to the point of its subject matter, with the newly appointed school principal and his wife learning from their nine year old daughter that the elderly patriarch of the town's first family - who own the local saw mill, the town's biggest employer and who generously endow the local school and charities - had invited her and her friend into his house and had them dance naked for him in exchange for candy.  They are disturbed when their concerns are downplayed by the police and other leading citizens, who try to shrug it off simply as the old man being eccentric, but essentially harmless, despite the fact that everyone know about his interest in little girls, but remain silent because of his social standing and his family's wealth.  When the parents decide to press on with a complaint, they find themselves ranged against the old man's son, who pressurises witnesses into silence and eventually has his lawyer browbeat the daughter in court to the extent that her parents are forced to withdraw the case.  The old man goes free, but cannot contain his predilection for little girls, leading to tragedy.  

As I say, it all feels disturbingly familiar in the light of the more recent revelations in the UK as to the long histories of sexual abuse perpetrated by celebrities like Jimmy Savile, who used their positions of trust to access victims, then their wealth and connections to stymie police investigations.  Savile, in particular, was always dismissed as simply a harmless eccentric - 'Oh, it's just Jimmy' being the typical response to complaints about him.  Never Take Sweets From a Stranger had the misfortune to be released at a time when audiences simply weren't prepared to accept that such things were a reality.  Child sexual abuse was generally swept under the carpet, with perpetrators generally being institutionalised by their families (if they could afford it), rather than being dealt with by police and courts, (indeed, in the film, the old man's family have previously had him 'treated' at a private mental health clinic).  When one considers that this was an era when films could barely acknowledge the existence of rape and when they did, more often than not portrayed it in terms that implicated culpability on the part of the victim, it seems incredible that Never Take Sweets From a Stranger ever got made, particularly by a company like Hammer.  It benefits from crisp, matter-of-fact monochrome direction from Cyril Frankel and a capable cast, lead by Patrick Allen and Gwen Watford as the parents, Felix Aylmer as the old man and Bill Nagy as his son.  They are ably assisted by Niall McGinnis as the old man's attorney, Michael Gwynn as he prosecutor and Robert Arden as the other girl's father.  Janina Faye, best remembered now for playing the young girl in Day of the Triffids (1962), also gives an excellent performance as the daughter, subtly suggesting the underlying trauma she has suffered as a result of her disturbing experience. 

All-in-all, I'm glad to have finally caught up with this personal cinematic 'Holy Grail'.  I'm even happier that it didn't disappoint, instead exceeding my expectations for a film with such a sensitive theme made in that era.  Never Take Sweets From a Stranger fully deserves the critical reassessment it has enjoyed in more recent times.