Fri 6 Jan 2012
BLACK MEMORY. Ambassador Bushey, UK, 1947. Michael Atkinson, Michael Medwin, Frank Hawkins, Winifred Melville, Jane Arden, Moyra O’Connell, Sydney James, Arthur Brander. Story, screenplay, assistant director: John Gilling. Director: Oswald Mitchell.
I’ll go out on a short limb here and say that most of the names in the cast are as unknown to you as they were to me, unless you live in the UK. For several, it was one of their earliest appearances on film.
It’s a very minor film, a crime drama, but on the other hand, what was the movie industry like in the UK in 1947? You will have to tell me, I’m sorry to say, but maybe making films this soon after the war was low on the list of the country’s priorities.
The beginning is rather confusing. This is one of the movies in which the explanations come only as the film goes along, and good luck with that if you live in the US and British accents are sometimes decipherable and sometimes you don’t fare so well. A bigger problem, though, is that the copy I have of this rare film is not the best; the picture is somewhat faded and the sound had to be cranked up to ten.
But given the luxury of watching the first 20 minutes or so of this film again, I took advantage of the chance I had, and I’m fairly certain I can tell you something about the story line.
During a local disturbance of some sort (drunken louts egged on, perhaps) a man is killed, and another man who is actually innocent is arrested for the crime, tried, found guilty and hung. This takes up all of five minutes or so of running time.
The son of the man found guilty, perhaps ten or twelve years old, is faced with a dying mother and a gang of local boys his own age who pick on him before they follow him off to a sort of orphanage/reform school, from which he quickly decamps through a open window. Another five minutes has passed.
Ten years later, story time: The boy (now a young man) returns, takes a room with the family of his mother’s best friend. Of the two adopted daughters, one takes a shine to Danny (that’s his name), but the other, running with a tough crowd, takes up with Danny’s former tormenter, Johnnie Fletcher (Michael Medwin).
To complicate matters, Johnnie has plans to rob the sewing factory where the two girls work. Assisting him – willingly or not – is one of the men on or near the scene where the murder took place ten years earlier.
This was billed as a “noir†film when my copy was sold to me on DVD, and if the production values could only have been higher, it may have been a very effective vehicle in showing what life was like in postwar England for the lower classes.
Unfortunately, it’s only in bits and pieces and occasional places that the plot rises above the purely pedestrian. If I were Leonard Maltin, the best I could give this movie would be 1½ stars out of five and I still think I’d be just a little bit generous if I did. Nonetheless, its historical significance is high, so I was glad to have had the opportunity to have seen it, and you may too.
January 6th, 2012 at 7:16 am
This film is really obscure; I looked it up at IMDB.com and it doesn’t even have a rating because of less than 5 votes. It’s in BRITISH FILM NOIR GUIDE but the author obviously has not seen it since he just briefly describes it. One of my sources has a bootleg copy so I’ll buy it. I love obscure film noir and crime films!
January 6th, 2012 at 8:30 am
Well, it was certainly the first screen appearance for Sid James, who he had only been in the country for about 9 days at the time he got the role, having just emigrated from South Africa. Another first for Michael Medwin, who became an enormously well known actor/producer and is still around aged 88. Not sure about any of the others, although John Gilling, the director, is a very familiar name.
In 1947 the British Film Industry was making stuff like the dazzling technicolour Powell/Pressburger classic BLACK NARCISSUS, a boyish Richard Attenborough was Pinky in the original version of BRIGHTON ROCK, Alistair Sim made the first of the Ealing Comedies, HUE AND CRY, James Mason starred in Carol Reed’s famous dreamlike thriller ODD MAN OUT, John Mills was in the neat little psychodrama THE OCTOBER MAN and the little seen, wildly stylised version of UNCLE SILAS with Jean Simmons made its first appearance, amongst quite a lot of lesser titles. For reasons that I’ve never quite understood, Britain’s film-makers were able to produce some pretty lavish movies as early as 1945, when the War ended. It can be fascinating to see some of the dog-ends of the movie industry, and I’ve had some nice surprises from a film that I had no expectations for. Equally, however, a lot really are as bad as they sound!
January 6th, 2012 at 11:32 am
Although she’s not listed in the IMDB credits, Jane Arden also made her film debut in this movie. She’s described on Wikipedia as a noted “film director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, songwriter, and poet,” but as far as I know, this is the first movie I’ve watched that she had anything to do with.
And thanks for the list of other British movies made in 1947, the titles of which I know, now that you’ve pointed them out to me, but none of which I’ve seen. I’ll make a note of them now and make sure that I do!
January 6th, 2012 at 12:15 pm
Those interested in British film or television should visit the BFI (British Film Institute) website at…
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/
BLACK MEMORY is mentioned in their bio of Jane Arden. They also breakdown films by decade, genre, and other means.
July 31st, 2012 at 8:28 am
I am desperately seeking a copy of Black Memory for inclusion in our programme about Sid James so if anyone has access to it please let me know via fran@greeninc.tv Thanks
July 31st, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Fran
I’ve sent you the email address of the vendor who sold me my copy of the movie.
I’ll do the same for anyone else who’s interested.
June 9th, 2014 at 12:50 am
I am interested in obtaining a copy of this film. Haven’t seen it anywhere. Thanks.
June 9th, 2014 at 7:57 am
I’ve sent you his email address. It’s been a while since I bought anything from him, so I hope he’s still in business.
September 1st, 2015 at 8:54 am
despo seeking a copy of this movie please anyone?