Director: John and Ray Boulting Year: 1950
Rating: 7.0
This is an excellent tense little British
film that was very timely back in 1950 and in some ways it is still timely
today. In 1950 the world was going nuclear and we were at the beginning of
the Cold War with Communism. England tested its first nuclear weapon in 1952
while the Soviet Union had done so a year before this film. So nuclear obliteration
was a subject on people's minds. This film goes straight for those fears
in as calm a manner as possible. English straight upper lip sort of thing
you know chap.
Hopefully security has tightened up in
the last 68 years but in certain countries it can be a scary to think about.
A British scientist (Barry Jones in a very low-key smart performance) who
heads the research department for nuclear weapons has decided that his work
is evil and that England must stop its development of these weapons. So one
day he just checks out a nuclear weapon like a library book and takes it
out of the office. Except he doesn't plan on returning it. He sends a letter
to the Prime Minister saying that he will explode it in a week at noon in
the middle of London unless the PM has declared England a non-nuke country.
Scotland Yard Inspector Folland (Andre
Morell) soon realizes it is not a hoax and a search is on. The use of London
is terrific and especially when the city is evacuated and the streets are
empty. The film switches back and forth from the search to the Professor
keeping one step ahead of the police. Good British acting all around - for
Miss Marple fans look for a much younger Joan Hickson as the first landlady
- with some great touches like a man watering his flowers right before he
evacuates or the pets left behind. I had never heard of this so the film
came as a very nice surprise.
