The Small Back Room (1949)

★ 6.7 1h 46m IMDb

As the Germans drop explosive booby-traps on 1943 Britain, the embittered expert who'll have to disarm them fights a private battle with alcohol.

The Small Back Room

Where to Watch

Not available for streaming right now

Rent / Buy

Rent

Not available for rent

Buy

Not available to buy

Cast

David Farrar
David Farrar as Sammy Rice Died 1995 · Forest Gate, London, England, UK ​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia David Farrar (21 August 1908 – 31 August 1995) was an English stage and film actor, born in Forest Gate, east London. Three of his most notable film roles were...
Kathleen Byron
Kathleen Byron as Susan Died 2009 · London, England, UK Kathleen Elizabeth Fell (11 January 1921 – 18 January 2009), known professionally as Kathleen Byron, was a British actress of stage, screen and television..
Jack Hawkins
Jack Hawkins as R.B. Waring Died 1973 · Wood Green, London, England, UK John Edward Hawkins, CBE was an English actor who worked on stage and in film from the 1930s until the 1970s. One of the most popular British film stars of the 1950s, he was best known for his portray...
Leslie Banks
Leslie Banks as Col. A. K. Holland Died 1952 · West Derby, Liverpool, England, UK Leslie Banks, CBE (9 June 1890 – 21 April 1952) was an English theatre and cinema actor, director and producer, now best remembered playing gruff, menacing characters in black and white movies of the...
Michael Gough
Michael Gough as Capt. Dick Stuart Died 2011 · Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Francis Michael Gough (23 November 1916 – 17 March 2011) was an English character actor who made over 150 film and television appearances, known for his roles in the Hammer Horror Films from 1958 and...
Cyril Cusack
Cyril Cusack as Cpl. Taylor Died 1993 · Durban, Natal, South Africa From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Cyril James Cusack (26 November 1910 – 7 October 1993) was an Irish actor, who appeared in more than 90 films. Description above from the Wikipedia article Cyr...

Audience Reviews

John Chard 8/10 Jul 02, 2015
I must have a drink. Ask me to have a drink woman.

The Small Back Room (AKA: Hour of Glory) is directed by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, with both adapting the screenplay from the Nigel Balchin novel. It stars David Farrar, Kathleen Byron, Jack Hawkins, Leslie Banks and Michael Gough. Music is by Brian Easdale and cinematography by Christopher Challis.

As the Germans drop explosive booby-traps across coastline England, Sammy Rice (Farrar) will be tasked with learning the secret to disarming the deadly devices. But first he must beat his private battle with alcohol, his form of self medication due to the loss of one of his feet.

The Archers produce what is in essence a tale of redemption, it's a superbly mounted drama dripping with realism and infused with atmospheric black and white photography. It somewhat divided critics back on release, but that tended to be customary where Powell was concerned, who himself wasn't sure about the validity of this particular piece. Yet it finds Pressburger and himself on sure footings, returning to more grounded human dramatics, their willingness to explore the murky fallibility of mankind is a thing of bold and effective cinematic beauty.

The by-play between Farrar and Byron is sexually charged, but heart achingly poignant as well. The pic is at its best when these pair share scenes, the back drops to their troubled courting veering from vibrant (hope) to dour (despair), the latter always staged at Sammy's gloomy flat and the scene of a brilliantly filmed expressionistic nightmare that he suffers. Elsewhere various military types either stand tall or sit behind desks speaking in correct literary tones, their collective problem being that the pesky Germans have come up with a vile bomb tactic that needs addressing ASAP.

Can Sammy come through for not only the war effort, but also for his sanity? Watch and see, it's great film making across the board. 8/10

Similar Movies