St. Martin’s Lane (1938) in Color — Starring Charles Laughton & Vivien Leigh

St. Martin’s Lane (1938) — Buy This Classic in Color

Experience St. Martin’s Lane, Tim Whelan’s 1938 comedy drama starring Charles Laughton, Vivien Leigh, and Rex Harrison, 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

In the bustling, neon-lit theater district of London’s West End, Charles Staggers is a lovable, talented, but aging street busker who has spent his entire life performing outside the grand theaters rather than inside them. Every evening he entertains the long queues of well-dressed theatergoers waiting to enter the legitimate shows, charming them with his songs, comedy routines, and patter while collecting coins in his battered cap. He is a fixture of St. Martin’s Lane, beloved and pitied in equal measure, a man of genuine talent who never had the ambition or the luck to cross from the pavement through the stage door.

When he catches a young, quick-fingered pickpocket named Liberty stealing wallets from his captive audience, instead of turning her in to the police, Charles is charmed by her spirit and takes her under his generous wing. He teaches her the art of street performance — how to hold a crowd, how to time a joke, how to make people feel something — and discovers that Liberty possesses a raw, electric natural talent that far exceeds anything the pavement can contain. She is beautiful, magnetic, fiercely ambitious, and completely unsentimental about using people to get what she wants.

Using Charles’s hard-won connections and contacts in the theater world, Liberty maneuvers her way into an audition, then a small part, then a larger one. Her rise from the gutter to the glittering West End stage is meteoric and ruthless. She becomes the toast of London’s theater world, her name in lights above the very theaters where Charles still performs outside in the rain. Meanwhile, the sophisticated, charming Harley Doyle, a well-connected young playwright played by Rex Harrison, falls for Liberty and offers her the life of wealth and social acceptance that Charles never could. The heartbroken busker watches from the cold, rain-soaked street as the woman he discovered, nurtured, and secretly loves takes her bows to thundering applause, having discarded him without a backward glance. When Liberty’s conscience finally catches up with her success, she must decide whether fame and fortune are worth the human wreckage she has left behind.

Cast & Crew

Director: Tim Whelan

Stars: Charles Laughton, Vivien Leigh, Rex Harrison, Larry Adler, Tyrone Guthrie

Why Buy This Classic in Color?

St. Martin’s Lane was originally filmed in black and white, its London street scenes and glittering theater interiors capturing the bittersweet contrast between the glamorous world of high culture and the hardscrabble life of the street performers who exist in its shadow. This professionally colorized restoration brings frame-by-frame precision to the neon-lit West End marquees, the colorful, eccentric world of London’s buskers, and the sophisticated, chandelier-filled theater interiors where Liberty’s star rises. The colorized version adds vibrant London atmosphere to this restored classic film. Now also available in colour.

Buy St. Martin’s Lane in color today for just €15.00. Your DRM-free MP4 download is available for instant access.

Historical Significance

St. Martin’s Lane features Vivien Leigh in one of her final and finest British roles, filmed just before her casting as Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind transformed her overnight into the most famous actress in the world. Her electric, magnetic performance as the ruthlessly ambitious Liberty demonstrates exactly why David O. Selznick chose her for that legendary role. Charles Laughton, one of the greatest actors of his generation, gives one of his most touching and heartbreaking performances as the gentle, generous busker who is used and discarded by the woman he loves. A young Rex Harrison demonstrates the suave, urbane charm that would define his entire distinguished career. The film also offers a rare, invaluable glimpse of prewar London’s vibrant street entertainment culture that would be swept away forever by the Blitz. Through professional colorization, this charming and poignant British drama reaches new audiences.

Technical Details

• Format: MP4 digital download
• Resolution: HD restored
• Colorized: Professionally colorized from original black and white
• Audio: Original mono restored
• Runtime: Approximately 85 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 this a pre-Gone with the Wind Vivien Leigh film?
A: Yes, St. Martin’s Lane was made just before Vivien Leigh was cast as Scarlett O’Hara. Her electric, commanding performance here demonstrates exactly why she was chosen for that legendary, career-defining role.

Q: What is a busker?
A: A busker is a street performer who entertains passersby in public places, often outside theaters or in underground stations. The film lovingly and authentically depicts this longstanding London tradition in the heart of the theater district.

Q: Is Rex Harrison in this film?
A: Yes, a young Rex Harrison plays the charming, well-connected playwright Harley Doyle. His natural sophistication and wit are already fully evident, foreshadowing his later triumph as Professor Higgins in My Fair Lady.

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

• The Lavender Hill Mob (1951)
• The Bride Wore Red (1937)
• Follow the Fleet (1936)
• The Model and the Marriage Broker (1951)
• Born to Dance (1936)