Night Beat (1947 film)

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Night Beat
"Night Beat" (1947).jpg
Song sheet tie-in with Christine Norden
Directed by Harold Huth
Written by Guy Morgan
T. J. Morrison
Produced byHarold Huth
Starring Anne Crawford
Maxwell Reed
Ronald Howard
Hector Ross
Christine Norden
Cinematography Václav Vích
Edited by Grace Garland
Music by Benjamin Frankel
Production
companies
Harold Huth Productions
British Lion Films
Distributed byBritish Lion Film Corporation (UK)
Release date
  • 22 December 1947 (1947-12-22)(Sweden)
Running time
91 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£175,118 [1]
Box office£153,438 (UK) [2]

Night Beat is a 1947 British Brit noir crime thriller drama film directed by Harold Huth and starring Anne Crawford, Maxwell Reed, Ronald Howard, Hector Ross, Christine Norden and Sid James. [3] It was written by Guy Morgan and T. J. Morrison.

Contents

Sky Movies described the film as a "British thriller that examines a challenging issue of its times: the problems encountered by servicemen when trying to adjust to civilian life." [4]

Plot

Following the Second World War, the two comrades go their separate ways; one joins the Metropolitan Police while the other begins a police career but becomes a racketeer in post-war London. [5]

Cast

Box office

As of 30 June 1949 the film earned £118,578 in the UK of which £90,028 went to the producer. [1]

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "With the possible exception of Andy, the characters in the story fail to arouse one's sympathy. Some distressing things happen to them, but the settings are, in the main, so unreal and the dialogue so inadequate that it is difficult to take any overwhelming interest in the development of the plot. The acting is not outstanding – Maxwell Reed, as Felix, does his best, but is hampered by his lines, and Anne Crawford has even less chance to display her abilities.  ... Harold Huth directs competently but without enough originality to make the film any more than average entertainment. Once again Benjamin Frankel offers a score that is well-constructed and subtly shaded. Its integration with the dialogue is quite exceptionally successful." [6]

Kine Weekly wrote: "Highly coloured romantic melodrama, set in London's underworld. Its account of the adventures and misadventures of two ex-commando coppers opens well, but after the half-way mark it loses its breezy and disarming sense of comedy and hastily introduces a sordid and sensational sex interest. Uneven, artificial, protracted and transparent, it's unlikely to make much of a stir outside of industrial halls." [7]

Picture Show wrote: "Somewhat lurid melodrama of the adventures of two ex-commandos on entering civilian life, the first half of this film is by far the best. It has some good players in it, but they are not called on for their best by any means." [8]

The Radio Times wrote, "a relishably bad British crime drama set in an unreal Soho underworld of spivs and nightclubs. It's a compendium of clichés ... Benjamin Frankel's score is better than the film deserves." [9]

Allmovie wrote, "though its starts out strong, Night Beat metamorphoses into standard melodramatics towards the end." [10]

Britmovie wrote, "fast-paced British crime melodrama ...The two lead actors are particularly wooden and it’s left to the supporting cast to add some lowlife colour; particularly Maxwell Reed’s smug villain, Christine Norden as the vampish blonde, Sid James [sic] piano playing snout and a brief appearance by Michael Medwin as an indignant petty crook." [11]

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References

  1. 1 2 Chapman, J. (2022). The Money Behind the Screen: A History of British Film Finance, 1945-1985. Edinburgh University Press p 354
  2. ↑ Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p486
  3. ↑ "Night Beat". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 25 December 2024.
  4. ↑ "Night Beat". Find and Watch.
  5. ↑ "Night Beat". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 13 January 2009.
  6. ↑ "Night Beat" . The Monthly Film Bulletin . 15 (169): 30. 1 January 1948 – via ProQuest.
  7. ↑ "Night Beat" . Kine Weekly . 371 (2125): 15. 22 January 1948 – via ProQuest.
  8. ↑ "Night Beat" . Picture Show . 52 (1340): 10. 1 May 1948 – via ProQuest.
  9. ↑ Allen Eyles. "Night Beat". RadioTimes.
  10. ↑ "Night Beat (1948) – Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast – AllMovie". AllMovie.
  11. ↑ "Night Beat". Britmovie. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016.
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