The Green Cockatoo

This is a real mixed bag of a film, which could have been a lot better if the screenplay had been kept more taut and tense. The basis of Graham Greene's novel is certainly there, as are some of the characterisations with Rene Ray as wide-eyed innocent in the big city, and Robert Newton playing a low-key role to good effect. There's even TV's Fabian of the Yard, Bruce Seton, playing a gangster. The one major cuckoo in the nest is John Mills, who is quite hopelessly miscast in the lead role. He comes across as a watered down, British version of James Cagney! In a long and distinguished film career, this is probably his most forgettable performance. The changes in his accent are pretty hilarious, and some of the dialogue phony, to say the least. On the plus side, the photography is impressive, in that an atmosphere of the dingy side of the city is invoked, and the gangsters look suitably menacing. And, it could be said to be a forerunner of the later film noir series from the USA. Unfortunately, as other reviewers have pointed out, it is too talky with not enough action, and could have been a lot better given the talent at its disposal.

From the prolific writer graham greene. Eileen is heading to london to look for work. When she arrives, she crosses paths with a mob of crooks and murderers. And dave connor, the man they are after. She's completely innocent, but is now in it up to her eyebrows! Falsely accused, she's on the run. Can eileen stay out of jail long enough to prove her innocence? To the coppers, and to jim ? Pretty good suspense. Low budget shortie B film from twentieth century. Directed by william menzies. Greene was nominated for one of his other works, fallen idol. Menzies had already won two oscars for other works. The lead, john mills had won an oscar and a bafta. And the green cockatoo is the name of jim's pub. It's not bad. Pretty simple story.

With direction from William Cameron Menzies and a script by Graham Greene, The Green Cockatoo should have come out a whole lot better than it was. The film was what we call a B production and over there they call a quota quickie. In this case quick was not good because haste made some sloppy waste.

Young Rene Ray a girl from the sticks arrives in London and almost before she knows it she's got herself involved with gangster Robert Newton who gets stabbed by another mob for betraying them in a dog race fixing scheme. Newton dies in her room, but not before naming his killers and telling her to get in touch with his brother John Mills who has a song and dance act at a club in Soho called The Green Cockatoo.

The biggest thing that The Green Cockatoo has is that it shows off some musical talents that a lot of fans including myself didn't know that John Mills possessed. Unfortunately Graham Greene's script is rather incoherent, possibly the fault of some bad editing on this quota quickie.

Both Mills and Newton would certainly go on to bigger and better things. I'm sure neither was impressed by The Green Cockatoo as I wasn't.

What stands out most of all from this film are the credits.The film was directed by William Cameron Menzies at Denham just after "Things To Come".It was from a Graham Greene story.It was photographed by Mutz Greenbaum(Max Greene) who was one of Herbert Wilcox's favourite DOPs and the music was by Miklos Roza,one of the numerous Hungarians brought over to work in the UK by his compatriot Alexander Korda.So not your average quota quickie.I first saw this when i hired a 16mm print in the 1960s.I saw it again yesterday.I have to say it is fairly entertaining.A young Robert Newton for once not overplaying.A young John Mills reminding us that he started out as a singing juvenile lead.His performance is a bit off key.He seems at times to be in a Warners crime film of the thirties doing his Cagney impersonation before doing his Gordon Harker impression.A really enjoyable reminder of a now moribund genre.

Although today the term 'B-movie' is taken to be a bad or cheap film, this isn't exactly what Bs were back in the 1930s and 40s. A B-movie was a short film (about 50-70 minutes) that was relatively cheaply made and it was intended to be the second movie in a double-feature. But they were not necessarily good nor bad...they were just short and economically produced. And, when you watch "The Green Cockatoo", you're watching a British B-movie...so American studios were not the only ones making such pictures.

A very naive (and rather stupid) country woman (Rene Ray) is going to live in London. Aboard the train is a very weird man who talks about the evils of big cities...and he is a most ridiculous character who completely telegraphs what's coming next. What is that? A gambler (Robert Newton) is stabbed by some fellow thugs after he cheats them and he dies in her arms a bit later. It looks as if she killed him and she runs to avoid arrest. She goes to the nightclub owned by the brother (John Mills) of the dead man to tell him about the killing and to get his help. What's next? See the film.

The film is a mixture of good and bad. The production values, noirish camerawork, and most of the acting is very nice. What isn't is the leading lady,...she has virutally no personality and is too passive (such as when Jim Connor is being attacked...and she just stands there doing nothing). They also make her a bit too stupid. As a result, the story is a mixed bag and is reminscent of a cheaper and less stylish version of Hitchcock's "39 Steps".