Based on a famous stage play and set in the year 1912, an upper crust English family dinner is interrupted by a police inspector who brings news that a girl known to everyone present has died in suspicious circumstances. It seems that any or all of them could have had a hand in her death. But who is the mysterious Inspector and what can he want of them ? viewer's comments: - Excellent. I have just finished watching this film on TV,and I must say,what a pleasant diversion it was for the afternoon,plenty of twists and turns,and the ending was excellent also,top performance must go to Alistair Sim for his protrayal of Inspector Poole,rivetting stuff. - Sim - brilliant again! Fab film, good story, great acting & as usual Alastair Sim steals the show. This film proves the fact that acting & plot alone can produce a very good film without ANY need for GUI FX, which many modern films use, often to excess, to carry an otherwise mediocre film. Very enjoyable. - Better than Stephen Daldry's version Before he made Billy Elliot and The Hours, Stephen Daldry directed a strangely baroque revival of this play for Britain's National Theatre which won truckloads of awards, was hailed as the theatrical event of the 1990s and went on to enjoy a very long run in the West End of London. I only wish I'd been more impressed with it when I saw it in 1999. The unusual set design - having the Birling residence look like a giant doll's house - was undoubtedly striking, but the whole thing was a bit too clever-clever and postmodern for my liking and the not very well known actor playing Inspector Goole at that time simply didn't possess the requisite charisma. When I caught this movie on TV the other day, it occurred to me that Guy Hamilton's straightforward telling of Priestley's morality tale packed a moral wallop that Daldry's version patently lacked - and that the presence of the incomparable Alastair Sim helped immeasurably. - Excellent Although unavailable on DVD anywhere in the world, this film is among my top favourites. Perhaps I have a partiality for Priestly as I adored as well "Last Holiday" An inspector calls on a family and explains to each of them, and to their great surprise, how each one of them is implicated in the death of a young lady. The plot is excellently made, and build up to a final climax with brio. They just don't make films like this any more ! The film has a surprise ending, which should not be revealed before viewing ! When, Oh when will this monument of British Cinema be edited on DVD ??? - Fascinating study of people facing consequences of their actions I first saw this film when I was ll years old and have never forgotten it. If I had my way, it would be required viewing in every school in the U.S.. The period atmosphere is superb and the acting first rate. A well shaded performance by Jane Wenham who plays the pivotal role. The haunting theme music, I have tried unsuccessfully to obtain. - Brilliant, whimsical, and unsettling Alistair Sim is brilliant in the title role. This is a filmed stage play, but in absolutely the best possible connotations of the phrase; it gives the viewer the sense of intimacy and participation one gets from watching live theater. The tale itself basically combines a bit of "Tales From The Unexplained" with Noel Coward and Aesop's Fables with a dash of Hitchcock for good measure. More than that I shall not say except all four of the family members' supporting performances are excellent. When this inspector calls, he is not soon forgotten. - Wonderful performance in a compelling, well-written film. A fairly rare thing; a film version of a play which really works- partly because of the quality of the original play, and partly by using flash-backs as a natural way of introducing more locations. These new scenes are well-written enough to fit seamlessly with Priestley's lines; and Eva Smith is beautifully acted. What makes this movie, though, is the magnificent performance by Alistair Sim in the title role. A great piece of casting- it would have been so easy to have cast some brooding, fierce actor like Basil Rathbone in the part, but Sim's gentle, avuncular, and sad performance is far more compelling, and finally, far more sinister. The only bad thing about the film is the classic fifties close-up and Da Da DAAA! music whenever someone looks at the photograph. I think we got the point already... Complete credited cast: Alastair Sim .... Inspector Poole Jane Wenham .... Eva Smith Brian Worth .... Gerald Croft Eileen Moore .... Sheila Birling Olga Lindo .... Sybil Birling Arthur Young .... Arthur Birling Bryan Forbes .... Eric Birling Norman Bird .... Foreman Jones-Collins Charles Saynor .... Police Sergeant Arnold Ransom Olwen Brookes .... Miss Francis: Hat Sales John Welsh .... Mr. Timmon: Hat Sales Manager Frances Gowens .... Leigh: Fish & Chips Shop Girl Barbara Everest .... Mrs. Lefson: Charity Committee Woman George Woodbridge .... Stanley: Fish & Chips Shop Owner Pat Neal .... Kellie: Birlings' Maid Runtime: 75 min Country: UK Language: English Color: Black and White
