I gave it a 7.5 out of 10

Am I Missing Something?

A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.

The movie is wonderful and true, an act of love in all its contradictions and complexity

Copyright 20 January 1949 by London Film Productions, Inc. New York opening at the Trans-Lux 72nd Street: 1 February 1952 (sic). U.S. release through Snader Productions. U.K. release through London Films: 21 February 1949. Australian release through Universal- International: 3 November 1949. 9,620 feet. 107 minutes.Alternate U.S. release title: HOUR OF GLORY.SYNOPSIS: A back-room scientist meets his greatest challenge when called on to defuse a German bomb.COMMENT: Although handicapped by the serious miscasting of Kathleen Byron as the heroine, this is an engrossing, well-written (the phraseology and nuances of Civil Service talk are expertly captured) and often inventively directed (the sequence with the clocks) picture of back-room boffins engaged in secret war work.David Farrar does a sterling job keeping audience sympathy way up for what is basically a rather unpleasant character. Good to see Jack Hawkins too — and as the villain for once. Fine character studies from a whole range of people from Michael Gough through Sidney James to Milton Rosmer and Robert Morley. The last-named makes a surprise guest appearance, and his comic scene, although short, is the one, next to the super-suspenseful climax, that everyone remembers.A bit of trimming would certainly improve the movie, however. There are too many sub-plots (Cyril Cusack's wife, for example) and Kathleen Byron just can't help looking sinister even when she's supposed to be friendly.Although the theme has since been worked to death, "The Small Back Room" has it all over Time Bomb, Ten Seconds to Hell and the rest in both meticulous background and moodily stylish film noir photography.OTHER VIEWS: Based on Nigel Balchin's anti-heroic novel, the story of Sammy Rice's obsessive quest to understand the workings of a new German bomb, is intertwined with his tortured love for Susan. Low- key, shadowy interiors alternate with the bleak landscapes of bomb- disposal areas in a film now widely hailed as an authentic British film noir.

As the Germans drop explosive booby-traps on Britain in 1943, the embittered expert who'll have to disarm them fights a private battle with alcohol.While this film is about World War II and a man's struggles with alcohol (as noted in the plot summary), this is not what I particularly enjoyed about the film. I thought it was most interesting because it showed the scientists behind the scenes. Whether it was isolating a gas or something else, it was nice to see this aspect.The point is made that a politician had never seen an adding machine before. This could be taken in many ways, but for my purpose I think it is neat to focus on these men because their creations are what move war (or society) forward. Countless movies depict war, but very few show the men and women who design the airplanes or other devices.

Quite apart from its wartime themes, this is the best introduction I know to the world of office politics and power broking. Fans of Ricky Gervais are advised to give this little film a viewing. It has enough story lines to keep everyone happy and the cast is mighty fine at playing a variety of individuals. It's hard to think of a better supporting-role performance from Jack Hawkins, and anything with Kathleen Byron in it always has to be watchable.I've only just read the novel of the same name, on which it's based (still in print and available, and strongly recommended by the way). Comparing the two, it's easy to see how so much of the film derives from the novel; but this is far more than a film of the book. Powell and Pressburger have done a superb job of focusing and concentrating the novel's strengths.

This is a wonderful movie, ahead of its time. The filming has the intense chiaroscuro of monochrome at its best, Kathleen Byron is astonishingly beautiful (even more so than in Black Narcissus), and the undertones are dark and very modern. Susan and Sam (the pain-ridden hero) have no idealised relationship; the film is uncompromising about Sam's alcoholism and, remarkably for its time, clear in its implication that Sue and Sam live together despite being unmarried. There are also many nice well-observed details, such as the scientist who embarrasses a visiting minister by knowing the answer to a sum faster than the calculator they are supposed to be demonstrating, the snoozing officer in the War Room, and the laid-back Strang who clearly is intensely attracted to Sam. I just keep watching this and finding more to see.