Mon propre bourreau

Interesting a previous reviewer said it might be the first film to feature psycho therapy. When I was invalided out of the army through Northfiuelds Hospital not long after the war my psychiatrist recommended I should read the book. Don't think I did. I worked in the Pinewood Story Department later and met Nigel Balchin. He had been in the army but had done better than me - rising to Brigadier General I think. Booze got him alas.

In this or one of his other books he used the words 'Boffin' for scientist and 'back room boys' - words that have gone into the language.

Meredith shines in this underrated film that may be the finest depictions of the profession of psychotherapy ever made. He is first-rate as he portrays a therapist struggling with his personal flaws and profound doubts as to his effectiveness with clients. Exciting, well-written, superbly directed, and excellently filmed by cinematographer Freddie Francis, this will have a special significance to any counselor who has ever wondered if he or she was doing any good for themselves or anyone else. I saw this film first as a young boy and while I did not appreciate the subtleties in the script at the time, I found myself drawn to the character of the therapist. Eventually, I became one myself and perhaps this film planted the seed of interest in psychology and psychotherapy. When a film has that sort of impact, it is nothing less than a treasure.

I will simply concur with most everyone else who has praised this excellent film and add only that it certainly wasn't underrated when it came out: critics were unanimous in their praise and the film was even selected as the British entry in the 1947 Cannes Film Festival.

The only pity is that the only thing that seems to be available on DVD or video are horrible copies that do not do the film's visuals justice. It can only be hoped that this is corrected one day soon.

I must correct one of the writers who credits the film's fine cinematography to Freddie Francis. The cinematographer on the film was in fact Wilkie Cooper, who did so much brilliant work throughout his career. Mr Francis did work on the film, as Cooper's camera operator. But the lighting, composition and creating of visuals was the work of Cooper and that fine art director William Andrews.

See the film. You won't regret it.

This is a highly delicate psychological drama of a case of schizophrenia which proves too difficult to handle correctly. It is typical of such cases that they are completely unpredictable and can appear as jovial and harmonious as any perfectly healthy person when suddenly something else takes over which is too terrible for words. The director himself had a war background from both world wars and knew what he was directing as he visualized war traumas on film. The war scenes here are just a short parenthesis in the middle of the film and are passed by never to return, but they provide the essential key to the film and its horrible account of a traumatized war victim who never can get rid of his past. The dialogue is splendid and extremely sustained all the way through, and the three ladies also play an important part. Above all, it is Burgess Meredith's film who makes a perfectly convincing realization of a psychiatrist's difficulties when he is faced with an extreme case. As a psychological war drama, it is of the very highest rank and the higher, for showing the war as little as possible.

This is an insanely underrated film, faithfully screenplayed by Nigel Balchin from his engrossing and subtle novel of the same name. After I saw the film back in the 80's I trawled the pre-internet second hand bookshops to read as many of his other works as I could, including The Small Back Room, Fall Of The Sparrow, Sort Of Traitors, Sundry Creditors, and others more or less excellent too but none quite up to the standards here.

Non-medically trained psycho-analyst Felix Milne is involved with two practices (one paying and one for the poor) two women (one his wife one the woman he thinks he loves) and two important patients (one a potentially violent schizo and one himself). The schizo's story is prised out under hypnosis, while the shrink's story is prised out through events. And as usual where human emotions are rampant events spiral out of control to an unguessable outcome. Two points: there's more of a story going on underneath the main story, there are many sub-dramas going on; and I think along with Obsession the film most perfectly captures the post War zeitgeist of a London pulling itself together again. In addition to a good story and good acting there's some splendid photographic framing and atmospheric homely scenes to mull over, although the washed out copy I just saw didn't really do it full justice – UK Channel 4 used to screen a decent copy so hopefully that will resurface someday. It's a pity the main character had to become a Canadian – but it was probably more convincing than acidic Burgess Meredith playing an Englishman! Kieron Moore was a bit more wooden than he needed to be, however Dulcie Gray was so charming as Milne's long-suffering wife she was almost a extra diversion.

Some people might deplore the lack of grittiness, sordidness, sex and yobbishness so it's not for them - although there is one violent scene it would be handled far more graphically in colour hd cgi nowadays. It's a film that's obviously old-fashioned (as everything is sooner or later), wordy with people apparently with marbles in their mouths, thoughtful and thought-provoking on simultaneously simple and deep levels. I notice that at present there are no second opinions available on IMDb, that's because it's clearly an excellent and worthy film it'd be madness to dis.