SEVEN DAYS TO NOON

UK, 1950, 94 minutes, Black and white.
Barry Jones, Olive Sloane, Andre Morell.
Directed by John Boulting.

Seven Days to Noon is considered something of a classic British thriller. It was directed by John Boulting, one of the celebrated Boulting Brothers who made a number of serious films in the 50s and then moved to satire in the late 50s with I'm All Right Jack and other films with Peter Sellers. In the aftermath of World War Two and the dropning of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, this kind of thriller of the Cold War period was particularly telling in its time. A mad scientist holds London to ransom. Barry Jones is effective as the pathetic mad scientist.

While the film has the elements of the horror thriller, the theme was topical in its day and has continued so in the subsequent decades, especially from the 60s onward with the focus in films on nuclear scares and the aftermath of the dropping of nuclear bombs. While the film is very much of its period, its universal theme is \ applicable to later audiences.

1. A good thriller, interesting and exciting?

2. The characteristics of the British thriller of 1950? The cinematic impact and style?

3. Britain in 1950 in terms of theme; post-war Britain, the atmosphere, people's expectations?

4. The film's background of the Cold War, the development of atomic bombs,'bomb threats? Did this film communicate what it was like to be fearful of bombs in 1950?

5. The film's background of science, science madness, the loneliness of the scientist; the anti-war theme via the mad scientist? How effective? How realistic?

6. The suspense structure of the film and its impact? The listing of the days, the emphasis on time, the professor's ultimatum?

7. Audience interest in and sympathy for the professor? Was he pre-judged insofar as we heard about him before seeing him? People's alarm at his behaviour without understanding him? His explanation for his actions? How credible were they? How mad was he? The background of his family, especially his daughter and wife? The explanation of his work, the presentation of his assistant? The growing obsession? The cunning, for example, at the barber's, eluding the posters and the newspapers? His encounter with the landlady and her fear? His pacing up and down and reflecting; the dramatic impact of this? His friendship with Goldie and staying at her house? His terrorising her? The final vision of him at prayer? How real a character?

8. The contrast of his daughter and his laboratory assistant? Their contribution to the human impact of the film? To the suspense?

9. The presentation of the inspector, the Prime Minister, the various police?

10. The presentation of the soldiers; eventually, the nervous soldier? How credible was it that he would shoot the professor?

11. The scenes of evacuation? How realistic? The impact of people at the time? Does this seem real?

12. The importance of Goldie? The fact that she stayed? The suspense from the soldiers not examining her room?

13. The ending and its suspense? How well handled? The emphasis on time, the co-ordination of the search parties?

14. How credible was the ending? The finding of the professor, the defusing of the bomb, the professor's death, Goldie trying to get away from London, the people returning?

15. The film is considered something of a masterpiece. Does it merit this? The value of its exploration of human and social themes?