The Intruder | |
---|---|
Directed by | Guy Hamilton |
Written by | John Hunter Robin Maugham Anthony Squire |
Produced by | Ivan Foxwell |
Starring | Jack Hawkins George Cole Dennis Price Michael Medwin |
Cinematography | Edward Scaife |
Music by | Francis Chagrin |
Distributed by | British Lion Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 84 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Box office | £161,488 (UK) [1] |
The Intruder is a 1953 British drama film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Jack Hawkins, George Cole, Dennis Price and Michael Medwin. [2] The screenplay is by Robin Maugham and John Hunter, based on Maugham's 1949 novel Line on Ginger.
Ex-Colonel, now stockbroker, Wolf Merton returns home one evening to find it being burgled by an armed intruder. Merton recognises the culprit, Ginger Edwards, as a former soldier who had fought courageously under his command in a tank regiment during the Second World War. Merton briefly questions Edwards on how he got into a life of crime, but, suspecting Merton has called the police, the burglar makes his escape. Merton sets out to discover why one of his best men became involved in crime after he was de-mobbed. The story unfolds in a sequence of flash-back episodes of events during the war and how they affected, or contrasted with, how each of the main characters fared when they returned to civilian life. [3]
Post-war London is the backdrop including Belgravia, Covent Garden market, Loughborough Junction and Dulwich Hospital.[ citation needed ]
The soundtrack was composed by Francis Chagrin, conducted by Muir Mathieson. [3] He later adapted the music for concert use as the Four Orchestral Episodes. [4]
In a contemporary review the Daily Telegraph commented that the film treated the subject "with intelligence, taste, and a feeling for the medium", adding "Medwin ... gives a brilliant study of a good fellow gone wrong". [5]
The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "It is refreshing to find a film which tries to deal realistically with contemporary problems, and yet does not degenerate into a dull lecture. ... There are few box-office concessions – the ending is far from happy, and love interest slight. The pace is maintained, and the reconstructed war scenes are handled with imagination, building up a series of exciting moments ... The Intruder is the second film to be directed by Guy Hamilton ... it indicates an expert talent, technically very assured, if at times a trifle inclined to the showy effect." [6]
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave the film 3/5 stars, writing: "An intriguing idea ... is played out mechanically by director Guy Hamilton, but performed with some force by officer Jack Hawkins. ... Hamilton was still honing his craft here, but he went on to be a fine action director." [7]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "very good", writing: "Solid, thoughtful drama works well both in its war flashbacks and as social conscience thriller." [8]
In 2020 Network Distributing Limited released the film on Blu-ray. [9]
George Edward Cole, OBE was an English actor whose career spanned 75 years. He was best known for playing Arthur Daley in the long-running ITV comedy-drama show Minder and Flash Harry in the early St Trinian's films.
Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton, DSC was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films.
Robert Rutherford Beatty was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK.
John Edward Hawkins, CBE was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was known for his portrayal of military men.
Leopold John Genn was an English actor and barrister. Distinguished by his relaxed charm and smooth, "black velvet" voice, he had a lengthy career in theatre, film, television, and radio; often playing aristocratic or gentlemanly, sophisticate roles.
Dora May Broadbent,, known as Dora Bryan, was a British actress of stage, film and television.
John Elmer Carson, known as Jack Carson, was a Canadian-born American film actor. Carson often played the role of comedic friend in films of the 1940s and 1950s, including The Strawberry Blonde (1941) with James Cagney and Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) with Cary Grant. He appeared in such dramas as Mildred Pierce (1945), A Star is Born (1954), and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958). He worked for RKO and MGM, but most of his notable work was for Warner Bros.
Michael Hugh Medwin, OBE was an English actor and film producer.
Mary Jean Heriot Powell, better known by her stage name Jean Anderson, was an English actress best remembered for her television roles as hard-faced matriarch Mary Hammond in the BBC drama The Brothers (1972–1976) and as rebellious aristocrat Lady Jocelyn "Joss" Holbrook in the Second World War series Tenko (1982–1985). She also had a distinguished career on stage and appeared in 46 films.
Dennis Morgan was an American actor-singer. He used the acting pseudonym Richard Stanley before adopting the name under which he gained his greatest fame.
Malta Story is a 1953 British war film, directed by Brian Desmond Hurst, which is set during the air defence of Malta during the Siege of Malta in the Second World War. The film uses real and unique footage of the locations at which the battles were fought and includes a love story between a RAF reconnaissance pilot and a Maltese woman, as well as the anticipated execution of her brother, caught as an Italian spy. The pilot is loosely based on Adrian Warburton; the Maltese woman's brother is based on Carmelo Borg Pisani, who was executed in 1942.
The Green Man is a 1956 black and white British black comedy film directed by Robert Day and starring Alastair Sim, George Cole, Terry-Thomas and Jill Adams. The screenplay was by Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, based on the play Meet a Body.
Home at Seven is a 1952 British mystery drama film directed by and starring Ralph Richardson, featuring Margaret Leighton, Jack Hawkins, Campbell Singer and Michael Shepley. It is based on the 1950 play Home at Seven by R. C. Sherriff. The film is Richardson's only work as director. Guy Hamilton was assistant director.
As Long as They're Happy is a 1955 British musical comedy film directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring Jack Buchanan, Susan Stephen and Diana Dors. It is based on the 1953 play of the same name by Vernon Sylvaine. It was shot in Eastmancolor at Pinewood Studios near London with sets designed by the art director Michael Stringer.
Manuela is a 1957 British drama film directed by Guy Hamilton, starring Trevor Howard and Elsa Martinelli. It was released as Stowaway Girl in the United States.
Rattle of a Simple Man is a 1964 British comedy-drama film directed by Muriel Box and starring Diane Cilento, Harry H. Corbett and Michael Medwin, based on the 1963 play by Charles Dyer. A naive man who becomes involved with a prostitute.
The Oracle is a 1953 British comedy film directed by C.M. Pennington-Richards and starring Robert Beatty, Michael Medwin and Virginia McKenna. The film was based on the radio play To Tell You the Truth by Robert Barr. A journalist goes on holiday to Ireland and encounters a fortune-teller.
Charles Lamb was a British stage, film and television actor. Previously an engineer, he made his theatre debut in 1924.
Leonard Sharp was an English actor. He was married to the actress Nora Gordon. Their daughter is the actress Dorothy Gordon. He was sometimes credited as Len Sharp.
Dial 999 is a 1955 British 'B' movie crime drama film directed and written by Montgomery Tully and starring Gene Nelson, Mona Freeman and John Bentley. It was based on the novel of the same name by Bruce Graeme. Produced by Todon Productions, it was shot at the Merton Park Studios in London. RKO Radio Pictures purchased the rights to distribute it in the United States, where it was released in cut form on 11 April 1956.