GREEN FOR DANGER
UK, 1946, 93 minutes, Black and white.
Alastair Sim, Sally Gray, Rosamund John, Trevor Howard, Leo Genn, Megs Jenkins, Judy Campbell.
Directed by Sidney Gilliat.
Green For Danger is an very entertaining English murder mystery. Set at the end of World War Two, it has the atmosphere of the British war films and looks forward to the kinds of comedies and melodramas that they were to do so well in the late '40s and the '50s.
The film has an excellent cast. Trevor Howard was at the beginning of his career. Leo Genn is smooth-voiced and perhaps sinister. The cast of actresses includes Sally Gray, Rosamund Johns who was popular at the tine, and Megs Jenkins. However, the film is stolen by a very amusingly bumbling Alastair Sim as Inspector Cockerill. His voice-over is highly ironic and entertaining, his comments and his behaviour and investigations as well as his unpredictable reactions to the cast are all excellent. Alastair Sim never looked back as a conic actor from this point.
The film comes from the team of Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat who had written such films as Hitchdock's The Lady Vanishes in the '30s and were to make a number of dramas and comedies in the '40s and '50s - including the St. Trinian's series with Alastair Sim.
1. An interesting and entertaining British murder mystery? The atmosphere of the war? The set-up of the characters, clues, investigation?
2. English production? Locations? War atmosphere in the small country town? Black and white photography? Musical score?
3. The title and its appropriateness for a mystery? Its giving the clue for the ultimate solution and the canisters of oxygen?
4. The basic situation: Inspector Cockerill's memoirs, his comments, the voice-over, the establishing of the characters, the deaths, the giving of clues (and the set-ups to make characters more mysterious)? The investigation, the crisis with the operation? Inspector Cockerill asking that his resignation not be accepted?
5. The portrait of Inspector Cockerill as a Scotland Yard investigator? His presumption? His presumptions? His cavalier treatment of people, ironic and unpredictable comments, humour? The irony of his mistakes at the end?
6. The situation in the town, all the suspects being related to events in the town? The hospital and its running? Timetable? Personnel involved? The deaths and the suspicions? Mutual suspicion?
7. Dr Eden as the suave surgeon, philanderer, his concern about Esther and people's suspicion of him? With Sister Bates and her death? His not always telling the truth? The most likely suspect until the end?
8. Barney and his reputation, love for Freddie and the clashes with her? As the anaesthetist? The stories about the deaths in the past? His being careful? His own investigations? Was he ever a suspect?
9. Freddie as heroine, her work in the hospital, relationship with Barney, the dance and the clash, Dr Eden and his advances? The relationship with the other nurses, with Esther? Her not being under suspicion? The attempt on her? Her pretence and willingness to go through the mock operation?
10. The various nurses: the severe nurse and the break-up with Dr Eden, her jealousy, her talking too much, her death? The importance of the clue, the stabbing, the uniform? The black paint? The nurse whose sister was the pro-Nazi voice from Germany? A suspect? Her kindliness and care for all?
11. Esther and her nervousness, her mother being buried by the bombs, her gentleness, people caring for her, Dr Eden concerned? The irony of her turning out to be the murderer - her skill, motives, cover-ups?
12. The victims - the postman and his connection with the situation, the operation and its procedure? The irony of repeating the operation and the chance for Esther to kill Freddie?
13. The quality of the dialogue, the crispness of the humour, the sketching of British character and the clipped British style? The underlying exploration of human nature in this kind of murder mystery?
