Question 1

What real-life event followed Alec Guinness's costume walk in the French countryside?

Accepted Answer

A boy ran up to him yelling 'Mon père! Mon père!' Guinness didn't speak French but was touched. Soon after the film's release, he converted to Catholicism.

Question 2

Why did Alec Guinness think he was too young for the role of Father Brown?

Accepted Answer

Guinness was 40 at the time and felt he was about 15 years too young. He later thought Kenneth More, born the same year, was a better fit when More played the role on TV.

Question 3

How does the auction scene's currency conversion reflect a historical exchange rate?

Accepted Answer

The Texan's $50,000 bid for a chess set is translated to £17,857 2s 10d, which calculates to $2.80 per pound—the fixed rate from 1949 until 1967.

Question 4

Who was Robert Hamer's first choice to play Father Brown before Alec Guinness?

Accepted Answer

Hamer originally wanted Alastair Sim, but Sim was busy filming 'The Belles of St Trinians' and 'An Inspector Calls' (both 1954). Guinness took the role as a favor.

Question 5

Which St. Augustine is referenced in the film, and why might it confuse viewers?

Accepted Answer

The film refers to St. Augustine of Canterbury, not the famous St. Augustine of Hippo. He was an abbot sent by Pope Gregory the Great to baptize Anglo-Saxon tribes in 596 A.D.

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