The End of the Road | |
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Directed by | Wolf Rilla |
Written by |
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Produced by | Alfred Shaughnessy |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Arthur Grant |
Edited by | Bernard Gribble |
Music by | John Addison |
Production company | |
Distributed by | British Lion Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 76 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
The End of the Road is a 1954 British drama film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Finlay Currie, Duncan Lamont and Naomi Chance. [1] It was produced by Group Three Films as a second feature with funding from the NFFC and distributed by British Lion. It was made at Beaconsfield Studios . [2] The film's sets were designed by the art director Michael Stringer.
A veteran worker at the Jericho Works strongly resists when he has retirement forced upon him by his employers. He says he will retire when he is 90. All he has to show is a small clock as a retirement present which he places on the family mantelpiece.
Mick-Mack lives with his son and his wife, and their young son Barnaby ("Barny").
Mick-Mack takes a job as night watchman at the Jericho Works. Meanwhile, his son is fired for being late to work. The works decide that only Mick-Mack can resolve the troubles they are having in the electroplating section.
Mick-Mack discovers it is drops of honey (from bees in the roof) which are ruining the process.
The film historians Steve Chibnall and Brian McFarlane note that The End of the Road was "rightly praised" at the time of its release by Kinematograph Weekly as "provocative and purposeful entertainment", and they add that it is "characterised by a real feeling for cramped working-class life and for the gap left when suddenly one is no longer required to be anywhere on a regular basis". [1]
Duncan William Ferguson Lamont was a British actor. Born in Lisbon, Portugal, and brought up in Scotland, he had a long and successful career in film and television, appearing in a variety of high-profile productions.
John Gilling was an English film director and screenwriter, born in London. He was known for his horror movies, especially those he made for Hammer Films, for whom he directed The Shadow of the Cat (1961), The Plague of the Zombies (1966), The Reptile (1966) and The Mummy's Shroud (1967), Cross of the Devil (1975), among others.
William Finlay Currie was a Scottish actor of stage, screen, and television. He received great acclaim for his roles as Abel Magwitch in the British film Great Expectations (1946) and as Balthazar in the American film Ben-Hur (1959).
Finlay A. J. Macdonald is a retired minister of the Church of Scotland. He was Principal Clerk to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland from 1996 until 2010. In addition to his rapid rise up the ranks of the Church of Scotland, Macdonald is known for fostering co-operation between the various boards and committees which administer the Church and for steering the Church smoothly through its annual business meetings.
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