Green for Danger (1947)

Waste of Money.

This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Easily the biggest piece of Right wing non sense propaganda I ever saw.

Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Love murder mysteries, have always been fascinated by them since reading my first Agatha Christie novel ('And Then There Were None') aged twelve, and with such a great cast on paper 'Green for Danger' had the potential to be a real treat.Potential that is more than lived up to, if falling slightly short of being surpassed. Not quite a masterpiece of murder and mystery, but for a comedy-mystery thriller it's very near to it and makes one sad that one doesn't see films like this now on the most part. It is a little on the slow side to begin with, picking up the pace from the revelation at the dance that leads to a second murder and especially when Alastair Sim appears midway. The motive for the first murder (the one for the second is easier to follow) comes from nowhere and is rather confusing for anybody, like me, who didn't remember anything like that being mentioned previously, also found it explained in too hasty a way.However, 'Green for Danger' has an attention-grabbing opening line and the opening narration is the perfect way to draw the viewer in and set things up. It also ends with a very clever and amusing final line, and apart from the underwhelming motive the final twist is one of the most unexpected and most genius personally experienced in any film, was not expecting the murderer's real identity or the outcome.There are some great scenes in between. Especially good was the suspenseful build up to the second murder, the suitably eerie photography and lighting helped, and the nail-biting tension created in the second murder itself, Inspector Cockrill's introduction and a tense rescue.While 'Green for Danger' was very engaging for much of its length, much of the film flew by and made the most of the short running time, it particularly comes to life when Alastair Sim arrives on the scene and things get even better. It has been said that Sim steals the film and couldn't agree more. This is quintessential Sim and he is magnificent with his wry, witty line delivery, expressive eyes that tell so much, great energy and deliberately and deliciously contradictory body language (rarely does tremendous energy equal laziness and be so funny).Rest of the cast also fare well. Trevor Howard plays it straight effectively and he plays an uneasy character with naturalness. Sally Gray is beguiling and charming and Judy Campbell, Rosamund John and Megs Jenkins also make a strong impression. Particularly impressive is Leo Genn, his ambiguity, bringing out very subtle shades of the heroic and the villainous, was perfect for a character that one is never sure whether to trust or not and it really deepened the mystery.'Green for Danger's' mystery is a thoroughly engaging one, with a delicious dark wit and nail-biting tension in some scenes. It's complicated, with a lot of information being given mainly through dialogue, but rarely overly-so. The script has some wonderfully funny lines with Sim and is very thought-provoking elsewhere.It's a great-looking film too, the photography and lighting are very stylish and rich in atmosphere. Standing out in particular is the build up to the second murder and the murder itself, which was terrifying even when one knows that it's going to happen. Sydney Gilliat directs beautifully, while William Alwyn's score is hauntingly ominous and jaunty.Overall, a great film and a near-classic that is primarily to be seen for Sim. 9/10 Bethany Cox

World War II Reared its Ugly Head in Post War Cinema Relentlessly. One would be Hard Pressed to Find a Movie in the 1946-50 Period, British or American, that didn't Include Characters and/or Situations that did not Make Reference. Its Stench Lingered.Film-Noir was an Unconscious Style/Genre that Seem to Stem from the Collective Consciousness of Filmmakers as the Form just Unpretentiously and Spontaneously Erupted and Marked its Heavy Stamp on the Way Movies were Made.In this British Who-Done-It the Cinematography with its Dark Tone and Expressionistic Style makes it a Controversial Inclusion in the Cannon of Noir because it is Basically a Mystery Movie with the British Way of Snappy Dialog and Black Humor. Alister Sims, Trevor Howard and the Entire Cast are Worthy of Note.But it is the Setting, a Hospital "Theatre" Operating Room that Makes an Impression with its Creepy Environs and Having the Actors Appear in Masks a Good Deal of the Time is Another Eerie Exponent Worthy of the Surrealism so Often Displayed in Noir. Figuring Out the Murderer will be a Daunting Task as Things Unfold because it can be Quite Confusing and Overwritten at Times. The Characters are Interesting and the Script can be Amusing. But it is the Style of Film, with Buzz Bombs and Paranoia Still Remnant in the Residings of the Populace, the Production Design (most notably the lighting and Sets), that Make this an Engaging Entry in Post War British Cinema and an Across the Pond Film that could Properly be Placed in the Film-Noir Category, if Not in its Purest Form.

Old whodunnit set in hospital surrounds during WWII. A patient dies on the operating table and it turns out to be murder. 2 doctors and 3 nurses, all of whom were present at the time, are the suspects in a classic situation of guess the killer. There is some additional, pointless sub plot about a love triangle between the 2 doctors and one of the nurses but it is nothing more than padding. I was disappointed in the film as I liked it a lot less than I thought I would and it no where near deserves its current 7.7 rating. While it does have the charm of an old British film, the characters and plot aren't that engaging. I was also not keen on Alastair Sim's performance as it lacked subtlety and while this may have been the point, it didn't win me over. It feels as if we are supposed to like him just because he is a bit 'different' or eccentric. It was also odd how his character, who sort of becomes the main character, is not introduced until about 20 minutes into the film.All in all it was OK but I wouldn't bother with a second viewing.

Thoroughly entertaining, this whodunit is set amid the bombing raids in London in 1944, but the plot only tangentially touches on the War. Most scenes take place in or near a hospital. And all of the suspects are hospital staff, identified early and efficiently. As the camera slowly pans an operating room, the story narrator identifies six main characters, doctors and nurses, all dressed in surgical gowns, masks, and caps. "Two of these people (will) be dead, and one of them a murderer".Into this setting comes Inspector Cockrill (Alastair Sim), quick-on-the-uptake, self-assured, and humorously pompous. He learns the details of the crime, interviews the suspects, and then, at the end, recreates the operating room setting wherein the first person was murdered, hoping to trap the killer.The film abounds with subtle clues and red herrings. That's what makes the film enjoyable. Yet, in reviewing the film, I can see that one of the most important clues is really too subtle. And that's my main criticism. Nevertheless, viewers can find all the clues they need to solve the mystery, in the first 20 to 25 minutes of the film, if they really pay attention.B&W cinematography is effective in creating a suspenseful, taut, noir atmosphere, particularly in the operating room scenes. The cinematography is less effective outdoors. But outdoor scenes were actually filmed inside a studio.Good acting amplifies the high quality production. Leo Genn, Judy Campbell, and Megs Jenkins are all quite effective. And, of course, Alastair Sim is terrific."Green For Danger" presents viewers with a murder mystery attended to by a humorously eccentric inspector. It also conveys a realistic look at civilians trying to cope amid the stress and uncertainty of wartime, and thus has thematic value beyond the whodunit element.