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Home Archives for trevor howard

September 23, 2015 By iluvcinema Leave a Comment

They Made Me a Fugitive (1947)

Screen Shot 2015-09-15 at 12.06.47 AMScreen Shot 2015-09-15 at 12.07.28 AM

“This is the last time organ runs his fingers through my permanent wave.”

Once I heard this line I was convinced I had to write about this film. Released as I Became a Criminal in the United States They Made Me a Fugitive is Brazilian-born British director Alberto Cavalcanti’s (simply known as Cavalcanti) foray into noir, a genre usually associated with post-WWII American urban landscapes. The Brit-noir stars Trevor Howard as Clem Morgan, an ex-RAF down on his luck. He finds himself caught in a criminal enterprise that leads to him being framed for a crime he did not commit.

For the most part They Made Me a Fugitive is a standard-issue crime drama, but here are a few reasons I enjoyed the film:

  • The setting (post-war London) rivals or surpasses any post-war urban decay as portrayed by its American counterparts – kind of makes sense, because noir thrives on the decayed and the decrepit. After being bombed to near oblivion, London is an ideal location.
  • Trevor Howard – yes that quintessential English gent – is reduced to a life of crime and on the lam. This is something worth staying in for (or at least enjoying as a late night cinematic treat).
  • One for the ladies – while Narcy (portrayed by Griffith Jones) is the head of the smuggling racket, the place they use as a front is a funeral home (aptly named Valhalla), run by Aggie (Mary Merrall), who is tough as nails.

This setting is just one of the several references in the film to the theme of death, a theme that reaches its climax on the rooftop of the aforementioned funeral home –

Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 11.25.35 PM

You can catch this gem on Amazon Prime Video.

Fun fact: The script was written by playwright Noel Langley, one of the screenwriters of The Wizard of Oz. (Source: Wikipedia).

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: Brit Noir, Cavalcanti, They Made Me a Fugitive, trevor howard

May 8, 2012 By iluvcinema 12 Comments

Tuesday’s Overlooked: Green for Danger (1946)

Again TCM comes to the rescue! Recently, I have unearthed a treasure trove of many classic British films from the 1940s. My selection for this week’s overlooked film is such a title.

Green for Danger is a murder mystery that takes place in a country hospital. When a patient dies in the operating theater, an attending nurse (sister) cries murder. When she is found dead shortly after, tensions are running high and Scotland Yard-er Inspector Cockrill.

In the midst of the tension in trying to solve the whodunit, there is a love triangle and a few moments of light humor, inserted seemingly to throw the audience off the scent of the culprit. At least it did so for me – I had no idea who had done it! A couple of twists that I did not see coming in the end add to the enjoyment of this film.

While I (and others) know Alastair Sim principally from his role as Ebenezer Scrooge, this film is another way for the modern audience to get familiar with the versatility of the actor.

This film is currently available on Criterion DVD.


* Please make sure to visit Todd Mason’s blog, Sweet Freedom for more overlooked titles.

Filed Under: Overlooked Films Tagged With: alastair sim, green for danger, trevor howard

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