Wednesday 18 May 2016

The Wrong Arm of the Law (1962, rel. 1963 Cliff Owen)

Had a somewhat complicated gestation, coming from a story by Crossroads Ivor Jay and William Whistance Smith, then a screenplay by John Warren and Len Heath (who'd both worked on Two Way Stretch), then re-written by Galton & Simpson and John Antrobus. It seems cohesive though, and is most entertaining, with stars on good form: Peter Sellers (on the cusp of international success with The Pink Panther) as the great-named 'Pearly' Gates, Lionel Jeffries as 'Nosey' Parker, Bernard Cribbins ('Nervous'), and lots of other familiar faces, including (apparently) a young Michael Caine as Police Station PC. Nanette Newman fairly annoying as usual.



Music by Richard Rodney Bennett, shot by Ernest Steward. Lots of nice location filming, including Battersea Funfair. Film trades on British disrespect for coppers and odd respect for criminals, particularly those who get away with it (though in effect they don't). It's also very London-centric - the North was just around the corner, in the shape of the New Wave. Great driving of Aston Martin, which, according to http://www.imcdb.org/ is both a 1960 DB4 Mk II and a 1961 DB4 GT!

The crooks hang out at Haven Green Court, Ealing. And the impressive-looking block of flats later on is the Grade II listed Dorset House, Marylebone, just off Baker Street, dating to 1935.


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