A departure for the Ealing Comedies, “The Love Lottery” combines song-and-dance numbers with fantasy dream sequences, against the backdrop of Lake Como and a plot to raffle off David Niven’s character (most appropriate given he played the jewel thief “Raffles” in the film of the same name).

The story is of a world-famous film star looking for respite from the constant pursuit of rabid fans. The film contains some ambitious dream sequences, particularly the opening with impressive special effects for the time, and glorious Italian locations, all filmed in glorious technicolour.