Film Review
Hayley Mills was just 12 years old when she made her screen debut with
no previous acting experience in this compelling crime drama. She
stars opposite her father John, a long established actor of British
cinema, and German heartthrob Horst Buchholz, who was on the brink of a
successful international film career. Despite the abundance of
acting talent that surrounds her, Hayley Mills steals the film almost
from the moment she first enters the frame, so convincing is she in the
role of a feisty tomboy with a misplaced sense of loyalty and a
disturbing interest in firearms. Her scenes with Buchholz are the
most moving and intense, with both actors suggesting far more in looks
and gestures than any screenwriter could hope to convey in words.
The scenes between Mills and her father are just as well played
and furnish the film with a few well-judged moments of humour.
Masterfully directed by J. Lee Thompson,
Tiger Bay represents something of
transition piece in British cinema of the late 1950s, a conventional
crime-drama with more than a hint of the New Wave realism that would
take hold a few years later. The exterior location sequences,
shot on the busy Cardiff Docks, and rundown tenement interiors give a
flavour of social realism, although the film is more suspense thriller
than kitchen sink drama. The only thing that mars an otherwise
faultless production is the classic B-movie plot that relies far too
heavily on contrivance for its own good. The clunky storyline and
superficial secondary characters date the film far more than the
performances and the sumptuous black-and-white photography, which
both bring a striking modernity.
Tiger Bay is an essential piece of
British cinema, one that offers one of the silver screen's most
authentic and intelligent depictions of
childhood.
© James Travers 2010
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Film Synopsis
On his return to Cardiff after a stint at sea, a young Polish sailor
named Bronislav Korchinsky learns that his girlfriend Anya has moved
out of his lodgings and is having a relationship with another
man. In a violent argument, Korchinsky shoots Anya dead with a
gun given to her by her new lover. The murder is witnessed by
Gillie Evans, a 12-year-old tomboy who lives in the same tenement with
her aunt. As Korchinsky flees in panic, Gillie recovers the gun
he has attempted to hide. A short while later, the girl is
confronted by the Polish man who, fearing she may betray him to the
police, decides to abscond with her. Unaware of the danger she is
in and thinking that Korchinsky regards her as a friend, Gillie
persuades him to hide out with her in the countryside...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by frenchfilms.org and must not be copied.