Film_Nitrate

For his second feature at the newly established Associated Radio Pictures, filmed at Beaconsfield whilst the famous Ealing Studios were still under construction, Basil Dean turned to a crime play from 1928 - The Fourth Wall. The play itself was unremarkable, but for the fact that it was written by A.A. Milne, who would become internationally known for his Winnie-the-Pooh stories. Dean himself adapted the script for the big screen, and altered the name to Birds of Prey (it was retitled again for its US release the following year to the less ambiguous The Perfect Alibi).

At ninety minutes, the film has a slightly inflated running time considering most of the Ealing films released in the early 30s generally lasted between 60-70 minutes. This works against the film, and the first thirty minutes are a confusing mess. Things quickly slot into place when the murder itself is carried out, and we're treated to a Colombo-style killing where we witness the murderers and understand their motives. The suspense is then seeing if their "perfect alibi" is good enough to outwit the police and family of the murdered man.

While at a dinner at a large country house, the retired head of the family, Arthur Hilton (C. Aubrey Smith) tells his guests and family about a time he was working as a police commissioner in Africa, and was working to catch a gang of three men who'd been responsible for a number of local murders. He found himself caught by them first, but they didn't kill him as he didn't carry a gun – therefore they didn't believe he was a policeman and let him go. Hilton later caught the men and was responsible for the hanging of one of them – though due to a discrepancy with evidence the other two escaped with 20-year terms in prison instead of the noose. It then transpires that Laverick (Warwick Ward) – a quiet man and keen birdwatcher, and Carter (Robert Loraine) – a loud, confident man – are the two men that Hilton locked up all those years ago (under different identities) and have been plotting their revenge ever since. The murder is perfectly arranged, making it look like suicide with even the local police believing this to be the case. It's only when Arthur's plucky nephew Jimmy (Frank Lawton) and his inquisitive girlfriend Mollie (Dorothy Boyd) begin their own investigation that they realise all isn't as it seems. Bonus points for spotting Jack Hawkins in his cinema debut.

Indeed, if the script was taken from an unremarkable play, the film itself is similarly unremarkable. The pacing is clunky and the film feels too long. At times the upper-class accents of the women in particular are almost indecipherable (and that's to a native English speaker). The acting varies between wooden and unintentionally hilarious (though the young couple played by Frank Lawton and Dorothy Boyd are far more convincing than the rest of the cast). It seems a little unsporting to criticise Basil Dean excessively for the poor direction, as this was one of his first films, and virtually every director was forced to learn their craft again with the dawn of sound films, but "functional" is probably the most polite way to explain his contribution. There's a "Great Train Robbery" (1903) influence in the first shot as we witness a revolver firing at close range, but overall there is far too much talking - this may have been required in Dean's beloved theatres but in the film there is simply not enough use of the visual aspects of cinema.

However, there remains an undeniable charm to the whole thing. As with Dean's previous film, 'Escape!' (1930), there's a lot of location shooting which shows off the beautiful English countryside. And even though – after the first half hour – the film is terribly predicable, it's still entertaining enough, despite the aforementioned pacing issues.

If an "official" list of Ealing films were created, this would be at the beginning; though it was filmed at Beaconsfield as the London site was still under construction. Famed theatre director Basil Dean had conspired with American studios RKO to form Associated Talking Pictures (ATP), which the US company hoped to use to produce talkies with British thespians which could be distributed in both the UK and the US.

'Escape' was the first picture to fall out of this agreement, and was produced in 1930. Though Alfred Hitchcock's 'Blackmail' usually takes credit for being the first talkie produced in Britain, his film was actually produced as a silent, and it was due to Hitchcock's foresight that he introduced sound during filming. However, 'Escape' was conceived as a talking picture from the beginning, and, as Dean later proudly proclaimed, it was the first talking picture to be shot on location, with scenes taking advantage of the Dorset countryside.

To use as a story for this important first ATP film, Dean turned to his friend John Galsworthy, and after much persuasion managed to gain the rights to adapt his play. It was also vital that Dean harnessed the very best of British acting talent, which meant turning to the theatre. He achieved a considerable feat in enrolling a then-giant of the stage, Sir Gerald du Maurier, to play the lead role. du Marier, like most theatrical actors of the period, looked upon the cinema with contempt, but due to a number of unwise financial investments, found the opportunity too good to refuse. His experience on 'Escape' must have done little to improve his opinion, as the old theatrical knight was forced to roll around in mud for take after take in, only to find an entire days' filming rendered unusable due to the incorrect configuration of the primitive sound recording equipment.

du Maurier plays Matt Denant, a man who is imprisoned for assaulting a policeman whilst defending the integrity of a woman (in scenes shot on location in (I believe) Hyde Park). After two years he is presented with an opportunity to escape in thick fog, and we follow his exploits across the countryside, relying on the generosity and discretion of those he encounters to remain at large. A pre-39 Steps Madeline Carroll has a particularly memorable role as a girl who allows Denant to hide in her bedroom.

Basil Dean's eight years at the helm of a pre-Michael Balcon Ealing are often unfairly disregarded as providing nothing but George Formby and Gracie Fields pictures. He directed 'Escape' himself, and with minimal experience, and in what must have been a challenging shoot on location with actors unused to working away from a warm, comfortable stage, he managed to conjure a perfectly entertaining film. We start by witnessing a fox hunt, which foreshadows Denant's fox hunt, and there are shades of Powell and Pressburger's 'Gone to Earth' (1950) in these opening scenes. He admirably achieved his aim of showcasing the English countryside. Alas, there is no evidence here to display Gerald du Maurier's acting ability, despite the fact that this is probably his best role in the few films he made before his death in 1934.

A charming little film which gives a snapshot of 1950s married life and an interesting insight into contrasting attitudes which seem

Johnnie and Kit are a newly married couple, moving into their apartment after a happy honeymoon. This being the 1950s, they've never lived together before and, though their love for each other is sincere, it becomes apparent that they have differing attitudes to certain things in life. Crucially, in 'The Good Beginning', it's about money.

Johnnie is working in finance, and is marked out as showing potential for a promising career. He enjoys the odd flutter on the horses, and popping for his lunch in the local pub. His wife, Kit, believes that they should live frugally, saving up in order to buy the nicer things in life (like a fridge!). In particular she is strongly opposed to buying things on credit ("the never-never"), as friends Brian and Evie are prone to do, despite her envy of their luxurious fur coats and sports cars.

Johnnie, being calm but firm, agrees to never take out credit, but refuses to sacrifice his own luxuries. When he is offered a considerable bonus and promotion at work his thoughts turn to enabling Kit to experience the luxury she has denied herself, though in doing so he enters a deceitful business.

At barely an hour long, The Good Beginning never outstays its welcome, and gives a fun and insightful snapshot into domestic life in the 1950s. It's interesting to see Kit's refusal to buy anything they hadn't yet earned (a now almost old-fashioned notion), contrasted with Brian and Evie's spendthrift attitude (for the entire film Brian and Evie are never shown to suffer any negative consequences for their actions, indeed the opposite is true).

This film has been released on DVD after being all but forgotten for the last 60 years. Its neglect is undeserved. With a tense finale, and compelling story, I thought this was one of the more entertaining British films of its time and though it's not a classic, it certainly deserves a wider audience.