George Pollock directed Village of Daughters, an eccentric British comedy, starring Eric Sykes, Scilla Gabel, and John Le Mesurier.
Herbert Harris (Sykes), a poor traveling salesman, is forced off the bus at a remote Italian village because he lacks money for the fare. While there, he’s ferociously pursued by many single and attractive women.
Unbeknownst to him, the villager have a dilemma. Antonio is a wealthy businessman in London who, in accordance with his father’s wish, has decided to marry a woman from his village.
The mayor chooses his daughter Annunziata, but the other villagers object. The village priest then recommends that they leave the matter in the hands of God and let the first visitor to be the one to make the decision, which turns out to be Herbert.
Cast
Eric Sykes as Herbert Harris
Scilla Gabel as Angelina Vimercati
John Le Mesurier as Don Calogere
Grégoire Aslan as Gastoni
Graham Stark as Postman
Warren Mitchell as Puccelli
Yvonne Romain as Annunziata
Eric Pohlmann as Marcio
Ina De La Haye as Maria Gastoni
Peter Illing as Alfredo Predati
Credits:
Directed by George Pollock
Produced by George H. Brown
Written by David Pursall
Music by Ron Goodwin
Cinematography: Geoffrey Faithfull
Edited by Tristam Cones
Running time: 86 minutes
Released by MGM March, 13 1962, the movie was a commercial failure, perhaps due to the fact that its humor was “too British.”
Pollock began his career as an assistant director, working with David Lean on Brief Encounter, Great Expectations and Oliver Twist. He is best known for bringing Miss Marple to the screen in 1961 with Murder She Said, followed by three more Miss Marple adaptations: Murder at the Gallop, Murder Most Foul and Murder Ahoy. He also directed a 1965 adaptation of Agatha Christie’s Ten Little Indians.