Monday 13 September 2010

The Long Memory


I chanced upon the 1952 movie The Long Memory by accident when browsing the schedules – and it was a really good find. Some people describe it as a British film noir. It certainly moves at a lively pace from start to finish – and you can’t be at all sure how it will finish, which is a bonus.

John Mills stars as Davidson, a man just released from prison after serving 12 years for a murder he didn’t commit. He was convicted thanks to perjured testimony and now he is out for revenge. By a pleasing twist, the girl who betrayed him (to save her own father) is now married to a senior cop who is keeping an eye on what he is up to. Davidson is, perhaps understandably, a grumpy chap, and even when a glamorous young Norwegian woman befriends him and takes up residence in the ruined boathouse that is his adoptive home, he is amazingly unimpressed – to begin with, anyway.

The film, set mainly on the Thames estuary, an evocative locale, was directed by Robert Hamer, who was responsible for one of my favourite films, Kind Hearts and Coronets. Hamer, a gay alcoholic who died young, was clearly a superb director and I’d like to know more about him and his work.

The cast, also, is excellent. It includes Geoffrey Keen (who later appeared in several Bond films), Thora Hird, John Slater (later in Z Cars), John Horsley (later the doctor in The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin) and the young Christopher Beeny (later in Upstairs, Downstairs). I found the story entertaining and the script taut. It was based on a book by Howard Clewes, of whom I must admit I’ve never heard. Recommended.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Martin - Thanks for your review. I wish I knew more about Hamer, too, as I liked Kind Hearts and Coronets, too (must see that one again - it's been a while). This film does sound like an excellent find, and I'm glad you came across it. Thanks for sharing it.

Janet O'Kane said...

Another film you've made me want to search the schedules for, Martin!
Kind Hearts and Coronets is in my top ten films, with one of my favourite lines ever. Dennis Price tells Joan Greenwood that she is 'the perfect combination of imperfections'. I've often pointed out to my husband that the same could apply to me . . .

Martin Edwards said...

I'm sure you will both like this film, as I did.
Janet - good line!!

Richard Harland Smith said...

The film is currently up on YouTube - not the best way to see any movie, of course, but great to scratch that itch.

I enjoyed seeing Harold Lang in this. Lang, who played a small but memorable role in Hammer's The Quatermass Xperiment was always enjoyable to watch.

Martin Edwards said...

Hi Richard, good to hear from you.