Wylie Watson Movies

Director Fred Zinnemann was riding a crest in the '50s with movies like High Noon, From Here to Eternity, Oklahoma, and his success continues in this western-style drama set in Australia in the 1920s. Ida Carmody (Deborah Kerr) is married to Paddy (Robert Mitchum), a sheep drover whose nomadic existence makes him blissfully content. Neither Ida nor their son Sean share his love for roaming, in fact, Ida convinces her husband to take on a job as a sheep-shearer so they can finally have enough to get a mortgage on a farm. At first Paddy agrees but obviously does not know his own mind because in no time at all, he rebels -- though that is not the end of it. Peter Ustinov is also featured as Vanneker, a bachelor who comes to stay with the family, and Glynis Johns plays a hotelkeeper out to change Vanneker's non-marital status. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

A foundering British submarine provides the basis for this gripping drama. The trouble begins when the sub strikes a mine. The sub cannot surface, and only twelve on board survived the blast. Now rescuers must save them, but more trouble ensues when the trapped men below are informed that due to the complexity of the operation, only eight can be saved. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this murder mystery, a woman pretends to be her murdered sister's ghost in an effort to catch the killer. She is assisted by a stranger. Later the two discover that it was the brother-in-law who committed the crime and together they get their revenge. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

H. G. Wells' non-fantasy efforts have, with the exception of Kipps, proven traditionally difficult to transfer to film. History of Mr. Polly occasionally suffers from too-close fidelity to its Wellsian source; one wishes that adaptor/director Anthony Pelissier could have "opened up" the story a bit more. Still, the film is impeccably cast: particularly good is John Mills as Alfred Polly, whose efforts to make a go in the business world continually come acropper. A humble draper's clerk, Polly is profoundly affected by a variety of personal relationships, most notably with colorful Uncle Jim (Finlay Currie) and his nagging wife Miriam (Betty Ann Davies). Ultimately, he finds happiness in an even humbler pursuit than the drapery business. Star John Mills' daughter Juliet shows up in a very minor role. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The fourth directorial effort of actor Robert Montgomery, Eye Witness was lensed on location in England. Montgomery plays an American attorney whose British pal (Michael Ripper) has been accused of murder. Ripper insists that he spent the evening of the crime with a woman, who has seemingly disappeared from the face of the earth. Montgomery dedicates himself to locating the missing witness before sentence can be pronounced. A compact courtroom drama highlighted by unexpected moments of humor, Eye Witness was released in some areas as Your Witness. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Originally released in Great Britain as Whisky Galore!, Tight Little Island is a comedy predicated on the notion that all Scotsmen are lushes. The tiny Scots Island of Todday suffers from a wartime whisky shortage. Luck of luck, a ship full of the precious liquid is wrecked on a reef. The islanders conspire to smuggle the whisky off the ship right under the noses of the pesky British revenue officials. Numerous clever comic complications occur before the happy ending--which, we are told by the narrator, was not so happy once all the whisky was consumed. Tight Little Island is regarded by devotees of British comedy as the best and most representative offering from the short-lived Ealing Studios. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An amiable poltergeist causes problems in a family's home by taking over the body of the youngest daughter in this comedy. It is a scientist and an insurance investigator who figure out what happened. Real mayhem ensues when the spirit jumps into the body of the insurance detective. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

This unsparing, brutal look at the British criminal underbelly stars Richard Attenborough as Pinkie Brown, a pock-marked gang leader. While leading his men in a racetrack robbery, Pinkie kills a man. He convinces pretty waitress Rose (Carol Marsh) to provide him with an alibi, promising to marry her in exchange. After the wedding, the sociopathic Pinkie conducts a slow and careful campaign to drive his young wife to suicide. A moody, well-acted film with a stunning performance by the 24-year-old Attenborough, Brighton Rock is notable for bringing a new vicious realism to British crime cinema. Adapted by Terrance Rattigan and Graham Greene, from Greene's novel, the screenplay is superlative. The grim realism and sordid subject matter of the film is striking, handled by twin filmmakers Roy and John Boulting, who use mood and dark, stark photography to convey an almost palpable sense of dread. The American distributor of Brighton Rock, smelling disaster with that ambivalent title, renamed the film Young Scarface, and while it was quite controversial in its day, the film can't quite recapture the impact it had upon its initial release. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

In this British crime drama, an honest railroad signalman finds himself sorely tempted when he witnesses a murder and later finds $20,000 floating in the harbor. The trouble begins when he decides to take the money and leave town with his daughter and a gold digger. The killer is in hot pursuit when the railroadman kills him. In the end, the signalman's conscience erupts and he returns the stolen loot. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

Adapted from a play by Daphne Du Maurier, The Years Between stars Valerie Hobson as war widow Diana. Determined to carry on her husband's work, Diana enters the business world, ultimately emerging as a Member of Parliament. On the eve of her second marriage, Diana's first husband Michael (Michael Redgrave) returns, proving beyond doubt that reports of his death were slightly exaggerated. The fact that Michael is irascible and unsympathetic enables the audience to remain firmly on Diana's side as she struggles with her dire dilemma. Ironically, in real life Valerie Hobson was married to British Cabinet member John Profumo, remaining steadfastly by his side when his political career was ruined by the 1963 Christine Keeler sex scandal. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Feminists beware! This blatantly sexist comedy may definitely raise a few hackles as it tells the story of a recently divorced inventor who becomes a scientist for the War Office to escape women, especially overtalkative, nagging ones like his ex-wife. Unfortunately, his female-free peace is disturbed when an American colonel and his mute daughter, who stopped speaking after a terrifying torpedo attack during a visit to Blighty, comes to work there. The inventor finds the quiet lassie utterly charming and so marries her. Unfortunately, soon afterward, the girl suffers another shock and begins talking again. Now it seems as if she is trying to make up for lost time and this drives the insensitive inventor crazy. They have a big fight and she ends up running away. Unfortunately, she is pregnant and so later agrees to return and never speak when he is around. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

In this British costume musical, Carol Raye plays Empress Maria, a young woman of noble blood who has fallen in love with Count Franz Von Hofer (Peter Graves), one of the men assigned to guard her. Maria's guardians attempt to dissuade her interest in Franz because of his reputation as a Casanova, and when Franz is discovered in a playful conversation with Cenci Prohaska (Patricia Medina), they are convinced that their assumptions are correct. When Maria learns of Franz's behavior, she disguises herself as Cenci for an upcoming costume ball with the hopes of catching Franz in a disloyal act. Waltz Time also features a guest appearance by the celebrated operatic vocalist Richard Tauber, who sings two numbers; it was one of Tauber's final screen appearances, as he passed on in early 1948. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

In this drama, a farmer marries an uptown chorus girl and tries to help her settle down to the simplicity of farm living by giving her a little heifer. Unfortunately, she does not settle down right away and begins spending their money so freely that the farmer soon loses everything. When it looks like all is lost, the woman takes off on her horse. She ends up suffering a fatal fall, leaving her hapless husband destitute and filled with guilt. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide