The October Man (1947)
Directed by Roy Ward Baker

Film Review

There's a distinctly Hitchcockian feel to Roy Ward Baker's first directorial feature, which perhaps isn't too surprising given that he had worked as an assistant under the Master on The Lady Vanishes (1938).  The plot isn't too far removed from that of The 39 Steps (1935), with a man on the run from the police to prove himself innocent of a crime he is believed to have committed.  That Baker was influenced by Hitchcock's early films is evidenced by the striking film noir composition - cinematographer Erwin Hillier was visibly influenced by German expressionism for this and other films of this period - and its exciting race-against-the-clock final act.  The October Man was in fact based on a novel by Eric Ambler, who not only scripted the film but also produced it.  Ambler and Baker would subsequently collaborate on A Night to Remember (1958), one of cinema's most cherished accounts of the Titanic disaster.

Heading a distinguished cast is a John Mills who bares scant resemblance to the likeable and uncomplicated everyman of his wartime movies.  As Jim Ackland we see a very different Mills, a man visibly falling apart at the seams as internal fears and external threats drive him ever closer to a complete mental breakdown.  Resisting this psychological onslaught is a steely resolve which is strong enough to see him through - something that an audience living through the austere aftermath of WWII would doubtless have taken to heart and been encouraged by.  The October Man isn't a propaganda film but it clearly recognises the hardship of its time and in Jim Ackland's personal ordeal there is an obvious metaphor for Britain's struggle to see it through hard times and an appeal not to give up the fight.

Mills's performance here probably rates as the best he has given so far - this brings not just a grim intensity to the film but also a harrowing impression that mental suffering can be just as unbearable as physical pain.  His character's sense of isolation is amplified by some superbly atmospheric lighting and camerawork, and also the menace that is conveyed by the other characters, from Joyce Carey's horribly mean-spirited harridan to Frederick Piper's doubtful Inspector Godby, who takes blooded-minded scepticism to the absolute limit.  Most chilling is Edward Chapman's loathsome Mr Peachy - you hardly recognise him as the same actor who played Norman Wisdom's comic foil Mr Grimsdale in several comedies a decade on.  Mills's only solace in his nightmare of self-doubt is an iridescent Joan Greenwood, the siren in a storm who, for once, is the hero's saviour rather than an instrument of his doom.

As a murder mystery, The October Man falls down somewhat as the identity of the killer is pretty self-evident within minutes of the crime being committed, but there is enough tension and suspense elsewhere to make up for this minor deficiency.  Roy Ward Baker directs the film with the confidence and artistry of a seasoned filmmaker and the last two reels are enjoyably nerve-racking, with just a touch of wry humour to prevent the numerous plot contrivances from appearing too obvious.  What most sells the film is the finesse and commitment that John Mills shows as he tackles his most challenging screen role to date - so convincing is his portrayal of mental instability that in some scenes we dare not doubt that his character is capable of murder.  Who'd have thought that so much darkness could lie behind such an affable persona?

Film Synopsis

Jim Ackland, a research chemist, ends up in hospital with a serious brain injury after a bus crash that left the young girl in his care dead.  Traumatised by the girl's death, he attempts suicide whilst being treated but finally he is well enough to resume his former life.  He moves into a small hotel in the London suburb of Brockhurst Common but finds it hard to socialise with his fellow boarders, who treat him with mistrust after learning he might be a mental case.  A budding romance ensues when Jim gets to meet Jenny Carden, the sister of a colleague of his.  Despite their mutual attraction, Jim insists that they cannot marry until he is fully recovered from his head injury.  When Molly Newman, one of the residents at Jim's hotel, is murdered one evening suspicion soon falls on Jim.  Near the dead woman's body is a cheque that he had earlier given to Molly on hearing that she was in desperate need of money, so the police draw the obvious conclusion that he murdered her after she attempted blackmailing him.  When the real killer tries to flee the country Jim goes after him, doing his best to evade capture by the police as he makes a desperate bid to clear his name...