Le ballon jaune

"the Yellow Balloon" is the second movie directed by Jack Lee Thomson, and with a B budget, directed a faced paced 80 minutes full suspensed story of a poor young teen who saw his young friend killed in an accident and getting in the claws of a killer thief. This young teen is played by the excellent Andrew Ray, also shooting his seconth movie : his wide eyes are staring dramatically at each nasty events he gets involved into. And what about his parents not understanding what happens, imagine. The rhythm of the entire movie gets more and more energic until the final chase in the sub.

Available on dvd, you can double bill with "Hunted" (or "Rapt") directed by Charles Crichton one year before with an even younger boy, aged six.

You won't find the films of J. Lee Thompson on any list of all-time great movies nor will you find Thompson mentioned on any list of great directors and yet he was one of the best directors Britain ever produced and he went on to have a sizeable international career. He made "The Yellow Balloon" in 1953; it was only his second film and while a minor movie in the Thompson canon it showed considerable promise, making great use of its London locations. It had a good plot, involving the accidental death of a child and a blackmailing murderer and it gave that fine and underrated actor William Sylvester one of his best roles as the villain.

The talented Andrew Ray is the boy being blackmailed after his friend falls to his death and he's spotted at the scene by Sylvester who then uses him in a robbery that goes wrong. Ray's parents are the always reliable Kenneth More and Kathleen Ryan while Bernard Lee is once again on the side of law and order. There's also an uncommonly good supporting cast of British character actors. It's a small film but it is genuinelly exciting and it showed Thompson was definitely a name to watch.

THE YELLOW BALLOON can be said to be a period piece unto itself. It is an art film that was made in the early 50's. A time when cinema was dead in the water. Especially in Britain. Television was attempting to upstage the big screen until THE ROBE debuted(also in 1953). THE YELLOW BALLOON takes place in post-WW2 London which makes it even more referential in its sociological tone. It's Hitchcockian plot concerns a capricious boy who gets misconstrued with a tragic event perpetrated by the incidental drudges of his war-torn society. The most fascinating aspect of the film is that the plot is a byproduct of the film itself. In many ways it resembles Kurosawa's HIGH AND LOW. Anyone familiar with that film or the Ed McBain story will appreciate this. THE YELLOW BALLOON is also notable as an early film by J. Lee Thompson(GUNS OF NAVARRONE)and cameraman Gilbert Taylor(DR. STRANGELOVE, STAR WARS) You might also recognize William Sylvester who played Dr. Heywood Floyd in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. THE YELLOW BALLOON is a lost film,which also means that it is hard to find. If you ever do find it,consider yourself a genuine afficianado.

The photography and editing in this film are first class,particularly in the climax.All very expressionistic.Actually very reminiscent of early Hitchcock.Also seeing London the way it was in 1952 ,with so many bomb sites is very nostalgic.However the story fails to grip due to its total implausibility and the use of too many clichés and coincidences.Whilst Sylvester makes a convincing villain his use of the boy in the robbery is rather beyond belief.Kenneth More as the puzzled father is just on the cusp of stardom.The next year he would appear in Genevive and the following year in the film which made his name,Reach For The Stars.Andrew Ray just seems a bit too posh to have lived in that environment and would surely have been rather more streetwise.

What a nice neat little slice of post-war London life this film is. Being a great fan of British films from the 1950's I was delighted to discover this near-forgotten gem on DVD and it will now take pride of place in my collection. I have always loved and admired Kenneth More and as "The Yellow Balloon" came just prior to his burst to stardom in "Genevieve" we find him here in a relatively small but very significant role as the boy's loving father. I just relish every moment he is on screen and long for more of him.

Andrew Ray is on screen for the entire film and he is moving and totally convincing in role that may have scared a less competent child actor ; he is pivotal to the entire plot development. The long list of familiar players in brief but impressive appearances keep the action moving at a nice pace and at less than 90 minutes duration you really are left wanting more and not less as is the case with so many films. Noteworthy is the intense sense of atmosphere and I love the communal cold-water tap and sink in the stairway of the family's apartment block. I heartily recommend this very British film ; I know I'll be re-watching on a regular basis along with my very extensive Kenneth More collection.