An Inspector Calls (1954)
Directed by Guy Hamilton

Film Review

J.B. Priestley's celebrated 1945 play An Inspector Calls is given a bleakly claustrophobic rendition in this memorable screen adaptation, which powerfully expresses the deeply felt socialist concerns of its author.  Although somewhat less inspired than he would be on his later, grander films such as The Colditz Story (1955), Goldfinger (1964) and Battle of Britain (1969), director Guy Hamilton makes the most of Priestley's taut drawing room play to tell a cogent morality play, with subtle use of camera angles and lighting effectively underscoring the character revelations that gradually emerge in the course of the inspector's strange investigation.

Extended flashbacks, redolent of classic film noir, help to prevent the film from feeling too stagy, although it can be argued that by locating most of the drama in the Birlings' household Hamilton manages to imbue the film with a stifling sense of oppression that helps to stir the conscience of its audience.  The play is not, as it is often characterised, merely an attack on bourgeois complacency towards the working classes; it is equally an attempt to make us aware of our responsibility towards our fellow man and that all actions have consequences - better to act kindly rather than cruelly, as we can have no idea what thoughtless cruelty can lead to.

As the mysterious Inspector Poole, Alastair Sim possesses an eerie, almost mephistophelean presence.  He appears out of nowhere and seems strangely disconnected from his surroundings, almost as if he were a collective hallucination representing the conscience of the individuals he has come to taunt.  Sim is best known for his comedic portrayals in a string of classic British film comedies but here he is just as engaging in a straight dramatic role, which reveals a much more sinister side to his persona.   The performances from the other principal players are hard to fault (Jane Wenham is captivating as the unfortunate victim of class prejudice) but it is Sim who leaves a lasting impression, a falsely benign imp who delights in revealing our failings as human beings.  Modest as the film is technically it is compelling and thought-provoking, but what is most surprising is how pertinent Priestley's play continues to be, more than half a century after it was written.

Film Synopsis

England, 1912.  At his North Midlands home, Arthur Birling, a rich mill owner, is hosting a dinner party to mark the engagement of his daughter Sheila to Gerald Croft.  The dinner over, the Birlings are disturbed by the arrival of a man who introduces himself as Inspector Poole.  The latter explains that a young woman named Eva Smith has just died from poisoning at the local infirmary and he is conducting an investigation into the events leading up to her death.  From a photograph shown to him by the inspector Birling recognises the dead woman as an employee he dismissed two years ago after pressing him for a pay rise.  Sheila then admits that she was the cause of Eva's dismissal from her next job in an upmarket department store.  As the inspector continues his investigation it becomes apparent that every member of the Birlings household knew the unfortunate Miss Smith and may have had a hand in driving her towards suicide...