MR DENNING DRIVES NORTH

UK, 1955, 93 minutes, Black and White.
John Mills, Phyllis Calvert, Wilfrid Hyde White, Eileen Moore, Herbert Lom, Raymond Huntley, Sam Wanamaker.
Directed by Anthony Kimmins.

A briskly made, very British thriller. Directed by Anthony Kimmins, director of such films as Mine Own Execution and Smiley, the film's strength lies in John Mills' performance. The plot is very contrived and deliberately so - the audience becomes involved in the puzzle of a disappearing body and the responsibility of Mr Denning for the death, the recovery of the corpse.

Phyllis Calvert gives support to John Mills and there is a good supporting cast which includes Wilfrid Hyde White who causes some humorous moments. The screenplay is by Alec Coppel, author of a number of crime thrillers and especially of Moment to Moment (with Jean Seberg and Honor Blackman, directed by Mervyn Le Roy) which resembles this screenplay in some instances.

1. An interesting and entertaining murder thriller? Audience involvement in the mystery, the puzzle, the identification with the hero and his plight?

2. The conventions of the thriller genre? Crime, the body, investigations, court case? flow well were these handled? conventionally, better than average?

3. Black and white photography, English atmosphere? Musical score?

4. The structure of the film? Mr Denning and his anxieties, his explanation and the flashback to the crime, the involvement of the audience with his wife and the need for the discovery of the body, the continued puzzles, Chick and his investigations? The coincidences and Mr Denning finally facing up to the situation? His going off scot free? justice? The plausibility of the situation especially Mr Denning's work, his relationship with his wife, his daughter and the confrontation with the victim? The search? The court case? The
contrivances sufficient for this kind of thriller?

5. John Mills as Denning? his work, with planes, the importance of the dream sequence involving the characters and introducing us to the puzzle? His accountant and their clashes? The situation with the victim, hiding the body with all the coincidences especially the encounter with the police? The encounter with the gypsies, with the cemetery attendant etc.? The cover-up and whether he should have confessed to the police? His relationship to his wife and her support, his daughter, to Chick? his facing up to the truth at the
end?

6. Mrs Denning and her support of her husband, her collaborating with all his cover-up, the investigations? The searches for the body? her story about the gypsy and its consequences for the court case?

7. Chick and his legal ability, work with the firm, engagement to the daughter, his investigation and making his mark, the jibes at the American as regards the gypsy, his discovery of the truth, the hypotheses, the irony of the automobile association plate?

8. The minor characters and their contribution to the atmosphere the people at the plane works especially the accountant? The people at the inquest and the court case? The humour of the cemetery attendant, his recognition of the ring, his statement at the end especially about the photo? The gypsies and the collage of interrogations, Mrs. Smith, the deaf and dumb gypsy girl and her boy friend? The victim himself and his callous attitudes, the victims brother?

9. A satisfying thriller?