Reddit reviews The Cinema of Basil Dearden and Michael Relph

BASIL DEARDEN ROUND 2

Over the last six months I have been watching all the Basil Dearden movies I could find, and I have now seen 29 of his 43 films. Almost all of them are good, and some of them are great, although he lacks that one well-known classic that puts him on the same great filmmaker map as his contemporaries. Criterion did a smashing job of picking out his best films for their Basil Dearden's London Underground box set, which highlights films that offer more social commentary (Pool of London should be added to this set). It's a great place to start with Dearden, although another approach would be his four excellent films with Dirk Bogarde.

In surveying his career the first thing that stands out his how well he handles a large ensemble of actors. Many of the films don't even identify a central character until late in the story, if they have one at all. The films are generally very pro-British; many set in London with an emphasis on institutions and occupations - particularly the police.  There's often a fine balance of drama and comedy, and he seems adept at any genre, although he favors crime stories with the occasional trip into sci-fi or the supernatural. The directorial emphasis is generally on the acting with major British stars, although with some very assured camera movements and well-crafted storytelling, particularly during his mid-career peak in the 1950s. If there's one thing he couldn't do well it's special effects, which are uniformly abominable throughout his career.

Along with Basil Dearden I also have to recognize his frequent producer Michael Relph, who also wrote a few of the scripts (marked here with an asterisk). He also sometimes served as production designer, and even co-directed I Believe in You. It was a terrific lifelong creative partnership, and I plan to read more about them someday in this book.

The Goose Steps Out  (1942) ***

A German spy is arrested and his bumbling look-alike returns to Germany in his place. Dearden's third film is purely a comedy vehicle for Will Hay, and there's lots of fun anti-Nazi humor, particularly at the "School for Spies."

My Learned Friend (1943) ****

Wily ex-convict Mervyn Johns vows to murder the people that put him away. Another Will Hay vehicle (his final film) with a clever plot, breathlessly paced dialogue, a delightful villain, and a Harold Lloyd-styled climax atop Big Ben. It is pretty amusing.

Halfway House (1944) ****

A great little "film blanc" fantasy with an ensemble cast meeting at a mysterious country inn on the anniversary of its destruction, where all their individual problems are magically resolved. It could be a prototype for the Twilight Zone, and I'm madly in love with Glynis Johns and her helium voice.

They Came to a City (1944) ****

Nine people in a state of limbo encounter a utopian paradise. Taking the Halfway House concept to its extreme, this is one of the strangest  films I've ever seen. Dearden adapted the script from a play by J.B. Priestly, and it's very stagey - nothing but dialogue set in an abstract, minimal castle with an obvious act break. A pipe smoking Priestly plays the storyteller, offering his wisdom to a worried young couple on an English hillside. It's basically a philosophical think piece about what the world might be like after the war - high brow stuff for the common man. Although there's nothing specific about the utopian city (we never even see it) it sort of anticipates the 60s cultural revolution's ideals of love and peace and harmony, and it's not a place for everyone. A very avant garde film for the 1940s, and I'm surprised I'd never heard of it. 

Dead of Night (1945) *****

This celebrated horror anthology has Basil Dearden directing the connecting story, which is more substantial than in most films of this type, and he also handles the first flashback tale, which is short and sweet. The other segment directors are Charles Crichton (A Fish Called Wanda), Robert Hamer (Kind Hearts & Coronets), and Alberto Cavalcanti. It's not too far removed from Dearden's Halfway House from a year before. This is classic spooky movie fun, and while sections are a little stilted, it's highlighted by an excellent performance by Michael Redgrave as a ventriloquist, but it's during the climax where the film kicks into high gear and earns true classic status. I highly recommend it as a Halloween treat. Apparently it's the Ealing Studio's only horror film.

The Captive Heart (1946) ****

One of the first World War II POW movies connects the monotonous lives of British soldiers with the women they left back home. Filmed in an actual liberated German prison camp, it contains many of the cliches the sub-genre would become known for, although subsequent films depict POW life much more cruelly. The women at home scenes are kept as brief as possible, which is a good thing, and it's a solid and authentic-seeming war film despite the completely bungled maudlin ending of the story's provocative central dilemma, no doubt heavily scrutinized by the censors.

The Blue Lamp (1950) ****

One of Dearden's more well known films is about the everyday lives of beat cops patrolling the streets of London, with an attention-getting Dirk Bogarde as a criminal thug to hang a story on. It's smartly done with a large ensemble, some good humor and heart - something Sidney Lumet might have made if he were British in the 1940s.

The Gentle Gunman (1952) ****

A solid noir drama about IRA bombers during WWII, with an enlightened John Mills trying to convince his Irish brethren of their folly, including Dirk Bogarde. Of course, being a British film, it's very anti-IRA - perhaps in reaction to Carol Reed's more sympathetic Odd Man Out.

I Believe in You* (1952) ****

The touching story of the lowly parole officer and the troubled youth that he tries to help with all good intentions. It's an ensemble driven film with fine performances and a lot of heart that demonstrates the need to listen to and respect other people - esp. those you think might not have anything to offer. Perhaps it's overly sentimental, but I found it involving and moving and arguably the most heartfelt of all Dearden's films (along with Pool of London).

The Rainbow Jacket (1954) ****

A thirteen-year-old becomes a racing jockey with the help of a charming but less than scrupulous mentor. This movie really digs into the nitty-gritty of the horse racing business, but I was never lost or confused about what was happening; in fact I think I understand the whole thing a lot better. A solid film with good performances and a standard sports story, although some of the green screen scenes are terrible.

The Green Man (1956) ***

This is the directorial debut of cinematographer Robert Day, and Dearden apparently supervised and mentored the production. It's an Ealing styled black comedy with delightful performances, particularly Alistair Sim, but you can really tell it's based on a stageplay (the playwrights are the film's producers). Mildly amusing, but that's all.

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