Look Up and Laugh (1935) in Color — Starring Gracie Fields & Alfred Drayton

Look Up and Laugh (1935) — Buy This Classic in Color

Discover Look Up and Laugh, Basil Dean’s 1935 British musical comedy starring Gracie Fields and featuring an early appearance by Vivien Leigh, now available as a professionally colorized version. Own this classic movie in color as a DRM-free MP4 digital download for just €15.00.

Plot Summary

Gracie Pearson (Gracie Fields) is the warm-hearted, irrepressibly spirited proprietor of a cheerful market stall that has been a beloved fixture of her local community for generations, a place where neighbors gather to shop, gossip, laugh, and maintain the bonds of friendship and mutual support that have sustained the working-class community through good times and hard. When a ruthless, faceless department store corporation announces plans to demolish the traditional open-air market and replace it with a gleaming modern shopping emporium that will destroy the livelihoods of every small trader in the community, Gracie refuses to accept defeat and rallies the stallholders, the customers, and the entire neighborhood for an all-out fight against the corporate juggernaut. Armed with nothing but fierce determination, razor-sharp wit, extraordinary vocal talent, and an irrepressible gift for turning every confrontation into an occasion for music and laughter, Gracie leads a spirited, inventive, and thoroughly entertaining campaign to save their market and their way of life. The corporate developers dispatch smooth-talking representatives to cajole, threaten, and buy out the traders one by one, but Gracie sees through every trick, outmaneuvers every scheme, and counters with her own brand of cheerful, indomitable guerrilla resistance that turns the battle into a community celebration. Romance unexpectedly blossoms when Gracie catches the eye of a handsome young man who turns out to have closer connections to the enemy camp than she initially suspects, creating a complication that tests her judgment as severely as the corporation tests her resolve. As the battle between the little market and the big corporation intensifies toward a dramatic public confrontation, the entire community discovers that solidarity, determination, laughter, and the stubborn refusal to give up are their most powerful weapons against opponents who have all the money and none of the heart. This classic movie is a thoroughly delightful, warmly patriotic British comedy that celebrates the fighting spirit of ordinary people standing up to powerful interests.

Cast & Crew

Director: Basil Dean

Stars: Gracie Fields, Douglas Wakefield, Harry Tate, Robb Wilton, Vivien Leigh, Alfred Drayton, Morris Harvey, Huntley Wright, Kenneth Kove, Muriel George

Gracie Fields is in magnificent, irresistible form as Gracie Pearson, bringing the extraordinary combination of natural comic genius, powerful vocal talent, and genuine warmth of personality that made her the highest-paid film star in Britain during the 1930s and a national treasure whose popularity transcended class, region, and generation. Her musical performances are showcases for a voice of remarkable range and power, and her comic timing in the confrontation scenes is impeccable. The supporting cast includes a young Vivien Leigh in one of her earliest screen appearances, four years before her legendary, Oscar-winning turn in Gone with the Wind, already displaying the striking beauty and natural screen presence that would make her one of cinema’s greatest stars.

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

Look Up and Laugh was originally filmed in black and white, its bustling market scenes, lively musical numbers, warm community gatherings, and the expressive performances of Gracie Fields and the ensemble cast all captured in characteristically polished 1930s British photography. This professionally colorized restoration brings frame-by-frame precision to the crowded, colorful market stalls, the period costumes and decorations, the warm community interiors, and the contrast between the cozy, lived-in market spaces and the sterile corporate offices. The colorized version adds visual warmth and celebratory energy to this restored classic film, bringing the vibrant world of 1930s British community life to vivid, joyful color. Now also available in colour.

Buy Look Up and Laugh in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

Look Up and Laugh was scripted by the celebrated novelist and playwright J.B. Priestley, giving the comedy a sharper, more intelligent social edge than typical musical fare and rooting the humor in genuine social concern about the threat that corporate expansion posed to traditional community life. Gracie Fields was the highest-paid film star in Britain during the 1930s, and this film showcases the extraordinary warmth, comic timing, and vocal power that made her a beloved national treasure throughout the British Isles. The film’s theme of small traders resisting corporate takeover resonated powerfully with Depression-era audiences and remains remarkably relevant today. Through colorization, this showcase for two future screen legends is preserved for modern audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 80 minutes
• DRM-free: Yes — watch on any device
• Instant download: Available immediately after purchase
• Price: €15.00

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Movie-Specific Questions

Q: Is Vivien Leigh in this film?
A: Yes, a young Vivien Leigh appears in one of her earliest film roles, four years before her legendary, Oscar-winning performance in Gone with the Wind. Her natural beauty and screen presence are already strikingly evident.

Q: Does Gracie Fields sing in this film?
A: Yes, Gracie Fields performs several musical numbers that showcase the powerful voice and warm, infectious personality that made her Britain’s most popular and highest-paid entertainer of the 1930s.

Q: How does colorization enhance this British comedy?
A: Colorization brings warm, joyful life to the bustling market scenes — the colorful stalls, the period costumes, the warm community interiors, and the animated faces of this delightful ensemble create a vivid portrait of 1930s British community life that perfectly matches the film’s celebratory, good-hearted spirit.

Digital Download Questions

Q: What format is the download?
A: The film is delivered as an MP4 file compatible with virtually any device or media player.

Q: Is there DRM on the file?
A: No. The download is completely DRM-free so you can watch it on any device without restrictions.

Q: How quickly can I watch after purchase?
A: Your download link is available instantly after payment, so you can start watching within minutes.

Related Colorized Classics

• Passport to Pimlico (1949)
• Paris Underground (1945)
• Remember Last Night? (1935)
• Forsaking All Others (1934)
• Born to Dance (1936)