Pool of London (film)

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Pool of London
PoolOfLondon1951Poster.jpg
Original British quad format film poster
Directed by Basil Dearden
Screenplay by Jack Whittingham
John Eldridge
Produced by Michael Balcon
Michael Relph (associate producer)
Starring Bonar Colleano
Earl Cameron
Susan Shaw
Cinematography Gordon Dines
Edited by Peter Tanner
Music by John Addison
Production
company
Distributed by GFD (UK)
Release date
  • 22 February 1951 (1951-02-22)(UK)
[1]
Running time
86 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office£130,000 [2] or $392,000 (UK) [3]
$40,000 (US) [4]

Pool of London is a 1951 British noir [5] crime film directed by Basil Dearden. [6] It stars Bonar Colleano, Earl Cameron (in his breakthrough role) and Susan Shaw. [7] [8] Set in post-war London, the film is of note for portraying the first interracial relationship in a British film. [9]

Contents

Plot

The Dunbar, a merchant ship, arrives in the Pool of London, bringing a crew of sailors eager to spend their shore leave in the bustling city. Among them are Dan MacDonald (Bonar Colleano), a streetwise American-born seaman, and Johnny Lambert (Earl Cameron), his more reserved Jamaican friend. While Dan seeks excitement and quick money, Johnny experiences London from a different perspective, forming a tentative friendship with Pat (Susan Shaw), a young white woman who shows him kindness despite the racial prejudices of the time.

Dan is approached by a gang of criminals who offer him a large sum of money to smuggle stolen diamonds out of the country. Unaware of the full extent of their crimes, he agrees, seeing it as an easy way to make extra cash. Meanwhile, Johnny spends his time with Pat, enjoying simple moments of companionship but also facing the unspoken social barriers that make their relationship difficult.

The smuggling plot turns violent when one of the gang members kills a customs officer, leading to a major police investigation. As the authorities close in, Dan realizes he has been set up and desperately tries to evade capture. He attempts to return to the Dunbar before it leaves port, but the police track him down. In a final act of defiance and redemption, Dan makes a run for it but is fatally shot, ensuring that Johnny remains uninvolved in the crime.

As the ship prepares to depart, Johnny, deeply affected by Dan’s fate, reflects on his time in London and the challenges he faces as a Black man in British society. Though his encounter with Pat was brief, it represents a moment of quiet resistance against the racial divisions of the time. Pool of London is notable for its realistic portrayal of post-war London, its gripping crime narrative, and its groundbreaking depiction of an interracial relationship in British cinema.

Main cast

Release

Pool of London premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on 22 February 1951. [1]

Critical reception

In The New York Times , Bosley Crowther wrote, "there is excitement and suspense in the gritty and grimy melodramatics," and concluded that the film, "though not distinguished, is entertaining and has the flavor of a great shipping port." [10]

References

  1. 1 2 "Pool Of London". Art & Hue. 2018. Retrieved 22 February 2018.
  2. ↑ Harper, Sue; Porter, Vincent (2003). British Cinema of The 1950s The Decline of Deference. Oxford University Press USA. p. 285.
  3. ↑ "John Davis Cites Cases". Variety. 17 November 1954. p. 8.
  4. ↑ "John Davis Cites Cases". Variety. 17 November 1954. p. 8.
  5. ↑ tasteofcinema.com
  6. ↑ Brooks, Xan (8 August 2017). "'I've not retired!' Earl Cameron, Britain's first black film star, on Bond, racism – and turning 100". The Guardian– via www.theguardian.com.
  7. ↑ "Pool of London". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 7 July 2024.
  8. ↑ "Pool of London (1951)". BFI. Archived from the original on 9 March 2016. Retrieved 7 July 2021.
  9. ↑ BFI Screenonline: Pool of London Linked 2015-06-08
  10. ↑ "Movie Reviews". 2 July 2020. Retrieved 4 July 2020– via NYTimes.com.


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