An enjoyable early Children's Film Foundation film, shot in black and white and detailing the adventures of a precocious young Londoner who decides that heading off to earn some money from the Kentish hop fields is the perfect solution to replacing a broken china dog. Being exceptionally accident prone, her adventure becomes more a series of misadventures as she's beset by accidents and ill fortune. This episodic production has it all, from humour and child gangs to pursuit by police, suspense and peril (a burning windmill climax!) and some early turns from later faces such as Melvyn Hayes and Jane Asher. It's all good fun and exceptionally paced.

Mandy Miller demonstrates that her captivating performance as 'Mandy' was no flash in the pan in what is easily the most delightful and accomplished Children's Film Foundation presentation - directed by an up-and coming John Guillermin - I've so far seen. (I wonder what changes were made to the revised edition of 1972 the credits on the print on Talking Pictures declare it to be?)

Beautifully shot by Ken Talbot in Kent in what was obviously a glorious summer in 1953 (when 45/- was an eye-watering sum to pay for a ceramic dog) with a lively score by an uncredited Ronald Binge. Obviously young Jenny doesn't go to her local pictures often enough or she would have seen Harold Lang play spivs often enough to have given him a wide berth; but he's here playing a good guy and for a CFF production there's an unusual absence of out-and-out villains, even young tearaway Melvyn Hayes coming through in the end. The amazing cast also ranges from a young Dandy Nichols and Edward Judd to an even younger Jane Asher.

When Mandy Miller breaks her mother's treasured china dog, she comes down with a brainstorm and runs away in hopes of a :working vacation in Kent without telling anyone.

Having seen half a dozen of these Children's Film Foundation movies, I thought I knew what to expect: some great scenic photography and some heavy-handed moralizing about how good children should behave -- as decreed by people who no longer remembered being children, had no children themselves, or who believed the lies their children told them. What I found was a very well told story directed by John Guillerman with a frequently subjective camera that evoked very nicely the fears and simple moral narratives of children. If it gets heavy-handed at the end, with a melodramatic rescue from a burning mill, at least the evil-doers are ambiguously repentant -- they never expected anyone to get hurt, really, they were just having a bit of a laugh.

I doubt the moralisers will be very pleased with this movie. However, I was.