Operation Third Form

A late entry (1966) in the old-style, classic CFF films featuring London bombsites, scrapyards, near-empty streets and B&W photography. No cheating, bullying kids here-all the baddies are adults, especially Derren Nesbitt who, unfortunately for him, was perfect in nasty roles! Well, it paid his mortgage no doubt.

The photography is especially good and sharp, there is suspense throughout and the acting by all the kids is fine. The locations are fairly wide-ranging-Notting Hill, Regents Park, Highgate.... As mentioned by other reviewers, this is not some inferior, sub genre, but holds its own with many full length second feature films of the period.

The well-recognised Sydney Bromley-who specialised in tramps, eccentrics-has possibly his longest speaking role here as the sympathetic "Steptoe" character-complete with beloved horse!

And yes-the baddies have their obligatory dunking-in the Regents Park pond!