“The Pleasure Garden” by James Broughton is a joyous musical fantasy celebrating Love in the Park. In this award-winning film the pleasure principle wins a sweet victory over all prudes and killjoys. Filmed in the United Kingdom in the ruins of The Crystal Palace Terraces, The Pleasure Garden is a playful and poetic ode to desire, and winner of the Prix de Fantasie Poétique at Cannes in 1954. The film features Hattie Jaques and Lindsay Anderson, with John Le Mesurier as the bureaucrat determined to stamp on any form of free expression.
Harmony is ultimately restored by freewheeling Mrs. Ablion, who makes the Garden’s inhabitants remember their passions and expel the Col. and his Aunt. Yes, the film is as odd as it sounds, but running just a little over 36 minutes, its unique brand of quirky and eccentric characters never wear out their welcome.