Un crimen por hora

A rum film to be made by Hollywood's most famous anglophobe, you'd never suspect it was the work of John Ford if you'd missed the opening credits.

Attractively shot in by Freddie Young in Technicolor, with a radiant young Anna Massey making her debut, it's raw enough to feature Jack Hawkins saying "reefers", a subplot about a psycho-killer, and razor-wielding thugs; although the cute model buses trundling along the model of Tower Bridge seen through Hawkins' Scotland Yard window exerts a fascination not bargained for in the script by Ealing veteran T. E. B. Clarke.

JOHN FORD seems a strange choice to be directing a British film starring JACK HAWKINS in the role of a very busy Scotland Yard inspector who has no time for anyone else in his domestic life as long as he's on the trail of various culprits. ANNA LEE is his patient wife at home who's more concerned with raising two children and cooking meals to pay much attention to her husband's urgent calls of duty.

It's a very fragmented kind of story-telling, more a series of vignettes featuring Hawkins in his role as detective, getting able assistance from JOHN LODER (Hedy Lamarr's ex-hubby during the '40s). He covers cases involving a psychotic killer, a hit and run murder and a bank robbery--with some wit and sardonic humor injected into all the proceedings by director Ford. DEREK BOND, ANDREW RAY and ANNA MASSEY (her film debut) round out the supporting cast.

Summing up: Above average thanks to some interesting, very flawed characters involved in crime and a brisk pace and brief running time that deserves praise in this day of films that go on and on forever, although the film was not a critical or commercial success.

A long, stressful day in the life of a scotland yard detective. Stars jack hawkins as chief inspector gideon, trying to keep his home life in balance with his work life. But of course, the work duties keep getting in the way of his personal life. It runs like an episode of dragnet, which came out first! It's okay. Directed by john ford, for columbia british studios. Ford was known for his huge films grapes of wrath, stagecoach, green valley. John ford made over twenty films with john wayne! This one is a bit dated at this point. It feels like ford was wasted on this little project, doing so many huge films. Entertaining, i guess, and probably pretty new to the british audience, seeing what scotland yard had to deal with. Hawkins was no slouch either.. he made zulu, river kwai, and ben hur.

This rarely seen (or shown) rarity from the great westerns director John Ford, was screened recently as Channel 4's weekday lunchtime movie. The film's alternative title, 'Gideon of Scotland Yard' gives us a clearer picture of where it is set and what it is about.

Not paying much attention to what it said in Radio Times beforehand, I assumed it was a Dixon Of Dock Green sort of black & white semi- documentary, along the lines of the excellent 'Blue Lamp'.

For a start, it's in colour and opens with breakfast time with the family, for Inspector Jack Gideon, all brisk and jovial. His drive to work results in going through a red light and is embarrassingly challenged by a youth PC.

From here-on in, the comedic elements dissipate as Insp Gideon's day unfolds, with phone calls and leads, all going on to illustrate 'the day in the life' that is the title. The mixture of crime is, obviously quite innocent when compared to today and the likes of 'The Bill', but this is 1958 and the censors were always prevalent, not that I'm suggesting that Ford would have set out to paint an overly colourful scenario.

The script is by Ealing Studio regular T.E.B Clarke, from John Creasey's novel and whilst it's not exactly electric, it's brisk enough, with a light tone and those of a certain age will find much pleasure in the period detail, scenes around London and the general way of doing things 'back then'.

Such viewers might have wanted to give a higher score than I am, though. To be honest, the direction could have been done by anyone proficient and whilst the studio-bound indoor sets are well done, they are just that, though also to be fair, Insp Gideon is seen going about between locations enough to remind us that he's very busy...

Finally, there is a nice John Ford sense of irony at the end though, which gives a real sense of satisfaction.

The film has some great sayings, such as which you're unlikely to hear in any cops and robbers film again!

Gideon has a gun pointed at him by the artist-turned-payroll robber. He calmly smokes his pipe and speculates the outcome for the artist, if he were to shoot, at which the artist/robber says "I don't see why you're using the subjunctive!".