I Was Happy Here

I Was Happy Here
Directed by	Desmond Davis
Screenplay by	Edna O'Brien Desmond Davis
Based on	story A Woman by the Seaside by Edna O'Brien
Starring	Sarah Miles
Cinematography	Manny Wynn
Edited by	Brian Smedley-Aston
Music by	John Addison
Production companies	Partisan Productions The Rank Organisation
Distributed by	Rank Organisation
Release date	July 1966 (1966-07) (UK)
Running time	91 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£167,779

I Was Happy Here is a 1966 drama film directed by Desmond Davis. The film won three awards at the 1966 San Sebastián International Film Festival. The film was released in the U.S. as Time Lost and Time Remembered.

Plot

Cass follows the bright lights to London, but is quickly disillusioned. She meets (and marries) Doctor Langdon, but soon realises her desire to return to her home by the sea, and her first love, Colin.

Cast

• Sarah Miles as Cass Langdon
• Cyril Cusack as Hogan
• Julian Glover as Dr. Matthew Langdon
• Sean Caffrey as Colin Foley
• Maire Keane as Barkeeper
• Eve Belton as Kate
• Cardew Robinson as Gravedigger

Production

The film was the first in a series of co production between the NFFC and Rank. It was originally called Passage of Love.

Filming

Filming began in June 1965 with a six-week shoot in County Clare, Ireland, followed by three weeks in London and another week in Ireland.

The movie was filmed in Lahinch, County Clare, Ireland and Twickenham Studios, London, England.

Reception

The film received some supportive reviews but was a box office disappointment and lost money.

Critical reception

Allmovie noted "a softly beautiful, hauntingly poetic little film, a fragile piece of filmmaking that in other hands could come off as either unbearably precious or pretentious. Fortunately, Time is shepherded by Desmond Davis, who handles the material with just the right degree of sensitivity;" however, Time Out called it "A horribly pretentious and sentimental film which still manages to retain a degree of emotional power, with moments of real intensity and conviction...The film is certainly much better than Davis' earlier Irish story The Girl with Green Eyes (also adapted from Edna O'Brien), but it's dogged by the awful tricks of overemphasis which he seems to have learned from his patron Tony Richardson"; while TV Guide thought it, "Slow in pace, with beautiful photography and fine acting, this is a well-told tale of disenchantment and resignation."

Notes

• Petrie, Duncan James (2016). "Resisting Hollywood Dominance in Sixties British Cinema : The NFFC/Rank Joint Financing Initiative" (PDF). Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television.

External links

• I Was Happy Here at IMDb