Pink String and Sealing Wax

London Live TV station are currently running a season of Ealing Films and the subject was one produced in 1945, a year from which several notable films were produced.I am a fan of beautiful raven haired film star actresses of the 1940s and in her Victorian tight fitting dress and bustle with black velvet choker. Googie certainly sizzled.Although not a conventional beauty like Jennifer Jones, Hedy Lamarr, Vivien Leigh, Ava Gardner etc, she certainly sizzled as the alluring wife of the drunk pub owner (Garry Marsh).Gordon Jackson had to suppress his natural Scottish accent for a film set in Brighton playing a rather naive role, a bit like he did in "Millions Like Us" (1943).I endorse the sentiments of user comments above and see no point in explaining the plot again.

Mervyn Johns was to step up a few gears when he played Dr.Forrester the Butcher of Ravensbruck, a Nazi Scientist in "Counterblast"(1948).Here he just plays on overbearing, rather tyrannical Victorian father who reminds his wife that under the law at the time, her money and property devolves to him.This was to change by the Married Womens Property Act of 1884.For a connoisseur of 1940s films it was a pleasant surprise that London Live transmitted this film on TV and I awarded it 7/10.

Pearl (Googie Withers) is unhappily married. She is having an affair with the unscrupulous Dan (John Carol) and befriends David Sutton (Gordon Jackson) who works at his father Edward's (Mervyn Johns) chemist shop. A chemist shop gives you access to poisons........so guess what Pearl has in mind for husband Joe (Garry Marsh)? Can she get away with her plan...?

Mervyn Johns, John Carol and Googie Withers put in the best performances. In fact, the whole cast are good, apart from Sally Ann Howes who plays "Peggy" and, despite a couple of funny moments, is as wooden as ever. Even the comedy character of "Miss Porter" played by Catherine Lacey is on the right side of irritating.

Unfortunately, the story only develops when Pearl is on screen. There are 2 definite parts to the story and the better episodes take place at the pub. What a shame that large sections of the film are devoted to family life at the Sutton household. We really don't need the storyline concerning the 2 daughters, Victoria (Jean Ireland) and Peggy. Mervyn Johns is a good enough actor to portray tyrannical power without back-up from these women. Victoria wants to pursue a singing career against her father's wishes. After being subjected to her shrill voice on more than one occasion, the audience can only take his side in this matter. There is one very cringeworthy scene where we are subjected to her singing the whole of "There's no place like home" to a professional singer and it's just terrible. She sings on several more occasions in which she just becomes excruciatingly annoying. We even have to home in on her voice during a church scene where the congregation are singing a hymn......Stop it!......She sounds crap!

I was slightly let down by the ending to this film - it seemed a cop-out. I wanted to see a trial and maybe a final twist - I think the best option for Pearl would have been to leave town sharpish! Despite the tedious sections of atrocious singing in this film, it is a film that is worth keeping to watch again.

Having read the reviews below, I think this film has received short shrift from the reviewers, so I give it a 10 because I was totally won over by the suspense. Perhaps it is because the reviewers did not get too immersed in the story line as Hamer intended or that they had preconceived notions about the actors as indicated by their unfair criticisms. I thought the actors held up pretty well in their roles, totally compelling and the dialogue highly entertaining. In particular Googie Withers who I felt gave her best appearance worthy of an Oscar were she to qualify. Jean Ireland and Sally Ann Howes provided the lighter side of the drama counterbalanced by the religious fanaticism of Mervyn Johns as the strict patriarch. All in all I found the film very absorbing and at times even riveting.

A regrettably subdued film from a first-rate director. He hadn't really got into his stride when he made this. Its studio setting feels as if it were something of a straitjacket for him.

There are compensations, though. There is an excellent leading lady, Googie Withers, who smolders superbly. Mervyn Johns is likewise splendid as a rigid paterfamilias. There a number of imaginatively shot scenes, notably the main act of villainy. And there are a couple of unintentionally hilarious moments, such as when a subplot character sings HOME SWEET HOME to gain the attention of Dame Nellie Melba - no, I'm not making that up.

Ronald Hamer's masterpieces were soon to come: IT ALWAYS RAINS ON Sunday (again with Ms Withers) and KIND HEARTS AND CORONETS.

The detective plot is never really suspenseful , eminently predictable , and sententious at that ;after the first sequence ,in which Sutton did not spare a thought for the woman he helped send to the gallows,one could expect a more convincing backlash.

Therefore ,the most interesting side is the depiction of a Victorian -era petit bourgeois family ,where the holier-than-thou father rules his son and daughters with a rod of iron .They are not allowed to follow their dreams so it will have serious repercussions on the naive son ,who's denied the woman he loves and finds solace with an adultress ; one scene sums up this fossilized milieu in an admirably succint style: for the Lent ,the girls have to recite some kind of act of contrition !

The stand-out is arguably Googie Withers ,who ,in her last scenes ,literally mesmerizes the viewer ; four years later ,she would blow Gene Tierney off the screen in Dassin's "night and the city" ,not a small feat.