Film Review
J.B. Priestley's celebrated 1945 play
An
Inspector Calls is given a bleakly claustrophobic rendition in
this memorable screen adaptation, which powerfully expresses the deeply
felt socialist concerns of its author. Although somewhat less
inspired than he would be on his later, grander films such as
The Colditz Story (1955),
Goldfinger
(1964) and
Battle of Britain (1969),
director Guy Hamilton makes the most of Priestley's taut drawing room
play to tell a cogent morality play, with subtle use of camera angles
and lighting effectively underscoring the character revelations that
gradually emerge in the course of the inspector's strange
investigation.
Extended flashbacks, redolent of classic film noir, help to prevent the
film from feeling too stagy, although it can be argued that by locating
most of the drama in the Birlings' household Hamilton manages to imbue
the film with a stifling sense of oppression that helps to stir the
conscience of its audience. The play is not, as it is often
characterised, merely an attack on bourgeois complacency towards the
working classes; it is equally an attempt to make us aware of our
responsibility towards our fellow man and that all actions have
consequences - better to act kindly rather than cruelly, as we can have
no idea what thoughtless cruelty can lead to.
As the mysterious Inspector Poole, Alastair Sim possesses an eerie,
almost mephistophelean presence. He appears out of nowhere and
seems strangely disconnected from his surroundings, almost as if he
were a collective hallucination representing the conscience of the
individuals he has come to taunt. Sim is best known for his
comedic portrayals in a string of classic British film comedies but
here he is just as engaging in a straight dramatic role, which reveals
a much more sinister side to his persona. The performances
from the other principal players are hard to fault (Jane Wenham is
captivating as the unfortunate victim of class prejudice) but it is Sim
who leaves a lasting impression, a falsely benign imp who delights in
revealing our failings as human beings. Modest as the film is
technically it is compelling and thought-provoking, but what is most
surprising is how pertinent Priestley's play continues to be, more than
half a century after it was written.
© James Travers 2014
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Next Guy Hamilton film:
The Colditz Story (1955)
Film Synopsis
England, 1912. At his North Midlands home, Arthur Birling, a rich
mill owner, is hosting a dinner party to mark the engagement of his
daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft. The dinner over, the Birlings
are disturbed by the arrival of a man who introduces himself as
Inspector Poole. The latter explains that a young woman named Eva
Smith has just died from poisoning at the local infirmary and he is
conducting an investigation into the events leading up to her
death. From a photograph shown to him by the inspector Birling
recognises the dead woman as an employee he dismissed two years ago
after pressing him for a pay rise. Sheila then admits that she
was the cause of Eva's dismissal from her next job in an upmarket
department store. As the inspector continues his investigation it
becomes apparent that every member of the Birlings household knew the
unfortunate Miss Smith and may have had a hand in driving her towards
suicide...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.