Ultimatum

A wonderful picture of London in the 50s, and an insight into the way people behaved, and were treated, during the war - patient crowds sitting on railway platforms waiting to be evacuated (Come along, ma! No, lad, you can't take that chicken!). I can't see or hear the married couples calling each other "darling" that another reviewer complained of - there's an engaged couple and he calls her "darling" about twice. Watch out for Joss Ackland as an eager copper and Jonathan Cecil as a young officer. The aging "actress" is simply wonderful and the relationship between her and Prof. Willingdon quite touching. ("He was a gentleman and I treated him as such - as he did me!") Lovely to see Joan Hickson as a cat-loving landlady, living in a house untouched for fifty years and crammed with Victorian nicknacks. What would they be worth now!

An excellent suspense thriller! Kindly old Prof Bullington (Barry Jones) gives the British government an ultimatum- unless they cease all atomic testing by the weekend, he will set off an A-Bomb in the center of London. Andre Morell heads the task force to find "the needle in one helluva haystack." Done in a documentary style that shoves the details and urgency of a great manhunt onto the audience. However, the human element of the story (i.e what Bullington's daughter has to go through, the dear sweet ol' actress Bullington holds captive, and the mass evacuation of London) is not lost for a millisecond. Superb acting (Especially by Morell and Jones) and writing. Do not miss!!

This is a lovely and seldom seen Oscar-winning film. Before it came on Turner Classic Movies yesterday, I'd never heard of it--probably because it is not often seen and is a bit more low-key and literate than the usual films seen on TV. There are no famous actors in the film, no explosions and no love interest--just exceptional writing and a gripping story from start to finish.

A British nuclear scientist has been thinking over a desperate plan for some time, though none of his colleagues know about it. He is so concerned about nuclear annihilation that he's come up with what seems like an insane plan. He'll steal a nuclear device and threaten to blow up central London unless the Brits publicly renounce their nuclear program. However, the man isn't necessarily mad or evil, as he gives the government ample warning in order to give them time to evacuate and blowing up this historic area is a price he thinks is worth it to ensure that nuclear war can be averted. While his scheme is a bit naive (after all, there are other nuclear nations), it does have a certain strange appeal--and this is much of why I liked the film, as they made a crazy thing seem so reasonable.

The guy who plays the scientist is Barry Jones and he is great in the part because he's so unassuming and normal looking. During most of the film he's on the run--hiding from authorities until he can ultimately destroy the city center as well as himself. Excellent acting on his part and the rest of the cast, superb writing (which earned this small film the Oscar) and an idea that is fascinating, this is a great film. In many ways, it's highly reminiscent of another wonderful film, THE Satan BUG, which is about an insane scientist who wants to unleash a lethal bacteria upon the world. The only problem with SEVEN DAYS TO NOON is that the central idea of stealing a nuclear device is a bit preposterous and you need to keep yourself from worrying about how this isn't possible--I know it isn't--just go with it!!

An absolutely excellent thriller from the golden age of British SF filmmaking. Relying on tension and character rather than special effects, the film depicts a fevered manhunt for a scientist threatening to blow up London with a small A-bomb. Whereas other films would've easily dropped into stereotype, this film took the trouble to depict all the major characters as three-dimensional. Not to be missed.

The Boulting Brothers stray from their usual cheery British comedy films to make this effective and thoughtful thriller. Leaving the plotting to one side, it is remarkable as, at that time, the Government was laying the basis for the U.K.'s independent atomic deterrent and the effects of Atomic and Nuclear testing were never discussed. (ask the poor soldiers who watched the tests in Australia!) The issue is never resolved, and in the end the Professor can't make his case publicly.

Part of the film shows the evacuation of London. It harks back to the great evacuations of 1939/4 and invokes the same spirit. Oddly enough, Wartime studios had not portrayed the Home Front (other than nods to Fire Services or War-Work)and perhaps this is a belated look back. It does show one incident that would never have passed the wartime censor's pencil- the shooting of looters.

Other cultural notes: How easy it was for the studios to clear London even then the most traffic congested city in England, and to get the army to lend hundreds of personnel (and demonstrate their efficiency). And the great attraction of the old 1950's films: glimpses of bomb sites, long lost street scenes and forgotten buildings.

Watch it and remember its been 55 years since this film was made and 7/7. I don't think the genre was attempted again. Instead Studios turned to Sci-Fi ( a thin disguise for the external Russian menace).