One of our double bill of Michael Powell quota quickies, written by Brock Williams, both distinguished by interesting, original material.
This one immediately elicits our sympathies for orphan John Singer (who later appeared in In Which We Serve) whose experiences are cross-cut against down-on-luck chancer Ian Hunter (the screenplay continues to do this successfully throughout), who then picks up Nancy O'Neil under false pretences. That it then turns into a battle between two rival petrol station companies is not what we were expecting at all.
Muriel George (Last Holiday, Went the Day Well?) is the sympathetic landlady. It's quite charming, lively, winning and - of course - short. In fact it's amazing how much you can seem to pack into 60-odd minutes - a lesson in film story-telling.
Basil Emmott shot it. American Ralph Dawson (it's a Warner Bros Teddington film), who cut it, won three Oscars including one for The Adventures of Robin Hood, and also edited Kings Row.
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