Basil Cunard Movies
- 1954
Hell Below Zero was one of several 1950s films made in Britain by Hollywood's Alan Ladd. The star plays Duncan Craig, who signs onto a whaling ship to get the facts behind the death of Judy Nordahl's (Joan Tetzel) father. While on a whaling expedition near Antarctica, Craig becomes suspicious of skipper Erik Bland (Stanley Baker). These suspicions are confirmed when Craig and Judy are targetted for an "accidental" demise in the frigid waters of the Antarctic. The plot never interferes with the action highlights, which under the direction of Mark Robson are well worth the price of admission. Based on a novel by Hammond Innes, Hell Below Zero was, like Ladd's British vehicles Paratrooper and The Black Knight, released in the US by Columbia. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Alan Ladd, Joan Tetzel, (more)
- 1953
No relation to the 1924 D. W. Griffith film of the same name, Isn't Life Wonderful! is a bucolic British comedy which goes for quiet chuckles rather than bellylaughs. Set in a sleepy rural village in the early 1900s, the film centers around the efforts to transform sorry old sot Uncle Willie (Donald Wolfit) into a gentleman of prestige and property. It is all for the benefit of young Virginia (Dianne Foster), the American fiancee of Willie's prim-and-proper nephew Frank (Robert Urquardt). Set up by friends and relatives in the bicycle business, Uncle Willie continues his wastrelly ways, but somehow manages to make a success of his little shop. Somehow all this leads to a hectic finale at a health spa, replete with an amusing car chase. As a novelty, Isn't Life Wonderful! is told from the point of view of the film's youngest character, played by 6-year-old Peter Asher. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Cecil Parker, Eileen Herlie, (more)
- 1950
Filmed on location in a British industrial town, Chance of a Lifetime is a trenchantly amusing satire of labor-management relations. When a group of angry workers protest their wage and working conditions at a plough factory, they are permitted to take over the operation themselves. It isn't long before they realize that you can't run a business on idealism and goodwill. Wisely, no one in the film is depicted as a clear-cut hero or villain; "hateful" company boss Dickinson (Basil Radford) is just as human and likeable as the incensed workers. For reasons that now seem frivolous, Chance of a Lifetime was rejected by three major British distribution firms before it was picked up--at the behest of the government--by British Lion. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Basil Radford, Niall MacGinnis, (more)
- 1949
A man recently gone AWOL from the Army (Derek Farr) is arrested in a store robbery that occurred while he was shopping. With help from a beautiful lawyer (Joan Hopkins), he must prove his innocence. ~ John Bush, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Derek Farr, Joan Hopkins, (more)
- 1949
In this drama, a young Englishman wants to become a surgeon, but after medical school, his father dies, leaving him the responsibility of supporting his mother and paying for his brother's education. He becomes a partner in a small practice and watches the woman he wanted to marry go off with his brother. The brother is killed in WWI, after which his illegitimate son is born. The doctor marries the woman, but she dies in childbirth, leaving him to raise his brother's child. Eventually, he finds a new wife. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hilda Bayley, Beatrice Campbell, (more)
- 1948
Assembled by the reliable team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat, London Belongs to Me stars Richard Attenborough as a young, full-of-beans boy looking for fun. Bursting into a staid, wearisome London neighborhood, Attenborough exhorts the others to get some kicks out of life. Unfortunately, his search for thrills gets him involved in a murder. Just when you think that the film is a dour "slice of life" drama, a new comic element is introduced as the locals start up a petition to release Attenborough from jail. The presence of Alastair Sim in the cast should have tipped us off that London Belongs to Me wasn't meant to be taken entirely seriously. The film was released in the US as Dulcimer Street. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, Alastair Sim, (more)
- 1948
Not a film about scientific research, The Guinea Pig (US title: The Outsider) is the story of an incipient "affirmative action" program. An impoverished young British boy wins a scholarship. As part of a sociological experiment, he becomes the first product of his "class" to be accepted in a snooty upper-crust public school. Most of the film concentrates on the effect this experiment has on the school staff. Written by actor Bernard Miles, who also plays a supporting role, The Guinea Pig stirred up controversy at the time of its release because of the presence of an alleged profanity in its dialogue. If you must know, it's the same "filthy word" Audrey Hepburn shouts at the Ascot races in My Fair Lady (64). ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Richard Attenborough, Sheila Sim, (more)
- 1948
Based on the play by Joan Temple, No Room at the Inn takes place in the early stages of WW2, when the children of London were evacuated to the Country. A group of these youthful refugees are taken in by Mrs. Voray (Freda Jackson), who already has several orphans in her charge. Outwardly the soul of Christian charity, Mrs. Voray is actually a drunken harridan who treats the children like her own personal slaves. It is said that when the villainess received her comeuppance, movie audiences were known to stand up and cheer. The most intriguing aspect of this melodramatic exercise is that the screenplay was written by legendary Welsh poet Dylan Thomas! ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Freda Jackson, Joy Shelton, (more)
- 1940
In this patriotic drama, the courage of a German pastor is presented as he makes a public stand against Nazi philosophies and actions. Unfortunately, the outspoken fellow is sent to a concentration camp where he is beaten and tortured. Still he manages to escape and give one final sermon to his congregation before he is gunned down. The story is based on an actual event. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Wilfred Lawson, Nova Pilbeam, (more)
- 1940
In this crime drama, a peace-loving surgeon must operate upon the man who invented a catastrophic new weapon. The trouble begins when the patient dies of too much ether and the doctor finds himself accused of murder. Fortunately, his daughter and her lover prove that he is innocent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1939
In this courtroom drama, a remake of a 1931 film, a woman is suspected of killing her husband after a revolver is found in her attic. A coroner is determined to prove that she did it, but thanks to the assistance of a quick-witted lawyer she is eventually found innocent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide
- 1938
In this farce, a loving husband spending his first night apart from his wife in seven years goes out with a friend to get drunk. He wakes up in the apartment of a strange woman and is arrested for possessing forged bank notes. The only way he can prove his innocence is to reveal information which will let his wife know what has been going on. ~ Steve Huey, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Emlyn Williams, Leonora Corbett, (more)
