Film Review
One of the more improbable digressions for the great American filmmaker
John Ford was this tongue-in-cheek police procedural made in London
towards the end of his career. Adapted from John Creasey's novel,
the screenplay was written by T.E.B. Clarke, who had previously
scripted several films for Ealing Studios, including
Passport to Pimlico (1949) and
The Lavender Hill Mob
(1951). Clarke also wrote the screenplay for
The Blue Lamp (1950), the
groundbreaking police drama which has some similarities with
Gideon's Day, although the latter
film is in a somewhat lighter vein.
This was the second of two films that John Ford made for producer
Michael Killanin, the first being
The Rising of the Moon (1957),
which was shot the previous year in Ireland.
Today,
Gideon's Day (a.k.a.
Gideon
of Scotland Yard) feels like an intended spoof of a somewhat dated genre,
although in its day it was praised for its realism,
authentic characterisation and complex narrative structure. Jack Hawkins
portrays the lead character, Inspector Gideon, as a reluctant
superhero, who deals with an endless barrage of crooks, murderers and
other assorted villains with the same air of slightly bored irritation
that a school caretaker exhibits when reprimanding a gang of
troublesome school kids. Hawkins brings dry humour and charm to
his portrayal, which suits the film perfectly, making it a striking
contrast with the far less genteel crime dramas which were coming out
of Hollywood at the time. Whilst the film was shot in glorious
Technicolor, for some reason it was only shown in black-and-white for
its American release.
Most of the fun of this film comes from the brief but memorable
character turns from an extraordinary assortment of British
talent. This is the film in which Anna Massey made her screen
debut, a year before she starred in Michael Powell's highly
controversial
Peeping Tom (1960). Other
notable contributors include Cyril Cusack as an unlikely police
informer, Maureen Potter as his mouthy gin-swigging spouse, Jack
Watling as curate who turns out to be a dab hand in the martial arts
and Grizelda Harvey as the hysterical wife of a seriously bent
copper. Although John Ford made very few comedies - the only
other one of note being
The Whole Town's Talking (1935)
- he was reputed to have had a wicked sense of humour, and this film
certainly bears testament to that.
© James Travers 2010
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Next John Ford film:
The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
Film Synopsis
A day in the life of George Gideon, a family man and redoubtable chief
inspector at Scotland Yard. The day starts badly, with Gideon
collecting a summons for a minor parking offence from an
over-enthusiastic bobby, P.C. Simon Farnaby-Green. His mood is
not improved when he learns, through an informer, that one of his
officers has been taking bribes from a crime syndicate. When this
same officer is killed, apparently the victim of a hit-and-run
accident, Gideon sees a connection with a recently reported hold-up and
begins his investigation. He is then distracted by news of a
brutal sex killing. Fortunately, the enterprising Farnaby-Green
manages to apprehend the murderer, much to the chagrin of his
superiors, who have all been victims of his too literal interpretation
of the highway code. Just when Gideon is about to set off to his
daughter's music recital, he is called to the scene of another
robbery. A policeman's duty is never done...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.