The Magic Garden, also known as The Pennywhistle Blues, is a 1951 feature film produced and directed by British filmmaker Donald Swanson in South Africa, made in and around Johannesburg with an amateur cast.
[3][4] It stars Tommy Ramokgopa, who also wrote some of the film's music.
[2] The film is a comical fable about an old man who gives his life savings to a priest, only for the money to be stolen by a thief (Ramokgopa), setting off a series of adventures.
[1] On release it was highly praised by The New York Times, which noted its charm and vivacity and compared it to René Clair, particularly applauding Ramokgopa's performance.
[1] Jet found the film mediocre by western standards and technically crude, despite its historical importance.