Tonight's Movie: It Always Rains on Sunday (1947) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review
In this film set in postwar London, Googie Withers plays Rose Sandigate, who lives in the East End's Bethnal Green. Rose is married to an older man, George (Edward Chapman), and has combative relationships with her young adult stepdaughters Vi (Susan Shaw) and Doris (Patricia Plunkett); there's also a younger son, Alfie (David Lines).
It's a fairly difficult life of deprivation and hard work, with family members finding small pleasures at the local pub, cinema, or arcade. Then one Sunday Rose discovers a prison escapee named Tommy Swann (John McCallum) in the family's bomb shelter. Tommy and Rose had been in love before his imprisonment and her marriage, and she agrees to help by drying his soaked clothes, as well as giving him food and a place to sleep for a few hours while the family are out of the house.
This story serves as the film's center, but the film is also a portrait of the family and their greater community, with daughter Vi having an affair with a married music shop owner (Sydney Tafler) and Doris bickering with her boyfriend (Nigel Stock) over a job offer she receives from a disreputable fellow.
Meanwhile a trio of criminals in the area (Jimmy Hanley, John Carol, and Alfie Bass) are trying to unload a hot shipment of...roller skates?!
I had mixed feelings about this film. I enjoy British films and liked the authentic locations and various "slice of life" bits: The movie star photos on the girls' bedroom wall, the family having to bathe in a tub next to the kitchen fireplace, the ration book to buy cheese, the backyard bomb shelter turned into a storage shed, and the music store with its record listening room.
There's also some very nice humor; my favorite character in the entire movie was Sadie (Betty Ann Davies), the music store owner's wife, who advises young Vi about her unfaithful husband's quirks prior to announcing that she's leaving him. The not-very-dangerous robbers trying to fence roller skates were amusing as well.On the other hand, it's a fairly dark film; almost everyone in the film is either A) depressed, B) up to no good, or C) both! The sad state of almost every character wears on the viewer after a while.
Withers is quite good as a woman living a dead-end existence who has memories of the past reawakened when Tommy appears -- but she's also so nasty it's a little hard to take. Her "wicked stepmother" personality probably results from her unhappiness, not to mention tension over having Tommy hiding in the house, but her endless rudeness to her stepdaughters becomes quite grating.
Just when you think, though, that it's becoming too much of a one-note performance, Withers has a great scene where Rose gives Tommy the ring he'd once given her, to hock for getaway funds; her nonverbal reaction, as she suddenly realizes he doesn't even recognize it, is understated and moving.A choice Rose makes near movie's end, however subtly depicted, would never have been allowed in 1940s Hollywood; in fact, my understanding is that KISS OF DEATH (1947) had to edit out references to a similar situation that very same year. It's thus interesting contrasting some of the subject matter included in this British film.
It's nice to note that Withers and McCallum married the year after costarring in this film, a union which lasted 62 years.
IT ALWAYS RAINS ON SUNDAY was directed by Robert Hamer and filmed in black and white by Douglas Slocombe. A trio of screenwriters worked on the film, based on a novel by Arthur La Bern. It runs 92 minutes.The Kino Lorber Blu-ray includes a commentary by Imogen Sara Smith and two featurettes, including one on the film's locations. The disc also contains the trailer, along with trailers for three additional films available from Kino Lorber.
Given the stronger-than-usual British accents and slang in this film, it's worth also noting that the disc includes subtitles. The Blu-ray print, as is usual for Kino Lorber, looks good.
Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.
posted by Laura @ 8:45 PM
3 Comments:
Great review Laura,and I loved reading your comments on the "slice of life" elements
in the film. I must admit that I like the film far more than you.
I would go as far as to say that it's my fave Brit Flick of all time,simply because
I cannot think of a better one,right now.
Interesting that you reference KISS OF DEATH; was not Patricia Morison's role axed from
that film regarding the scene you mention...too bad,perhaps it might have revived Patricia's
screen career.
I also love the take on London's Jewish community and those lovely Yiddish words like
"shiksa" and "meshuggener"
The fact that the film is so dark and pretty grim at times is a plus factor as far as
I'm concerned. For a somewhat lighter take on East End London life I would recommend
Carol Reed's A KID FOR TWO FARTHINGS which also features some of the same character
players.
The Imogen Sara Smith commentary has got me considering double dipping this time around.
Sadly Robert Hamer's career was destroyed by alcoholism and resulted in his early passing.
Hamer's Noir THE LONG MEMORY is superb,although equally grim and downbeat. I hope that
THE LONG MEMORY is on Kino's Brit Flick roster.
One of my all-time favourite British pictures, Laura! Filmed on London locations in the year I was born, I can attest to its authenticity, the hardship and shortages (thankfully I was luckier than depicted here though); I well remember ration books.
Made by the great Ealing Studios, famous for their wonderful comedies but much else besides. Another personal favourite of theirs is "POOL OF LONDON",also filmed on London locations (1950) and equally 'gritty'!!
Hi John and Jerry! I was hoping to hear from you on this one as I know it's special to each of you, and I loved reading your takes and reminisces.
John, you're right, it's the Patricia Morison role I'm thinking of regarding KISS OF DEATH...she still ended up on the posters even though they decided to entirely cut her part from the film! There are some stills still existing which make me really wish the scenes would turn up in some archive and be available to put on a disc as extras...
When Sadie referred to her husband's "blond shiksas" I actually rewound the scene to make sure I'd heard it right. You just don't hear words like that in a '40s Hollywood film. I love noticing these kinds of differences between UK/European and Hollywood in that era.
It's fun you mention Carol Reed, John, as we're planning to go see his NIGHT TRAIN TO MUNICH next weekend. Thank you for the recommendation!
I have been impressed with the couple commentary tracks by Imogen Sara Smith I've heard to date and look forward to this one.
Jerry, how fascinating that ration books were still in use long enough after this film was released for you to have that memory. Thank you also for the recommendation of POOL OF LONDON.
Although I had mixed emotions on viewing it, I did find the film very worthwhile, which perhaps I could have made more clear in my write-up...it was very interesting taking a peek into that world (however dark!) and postwar London.
I'll be reviewing films in Kino's new British Noir II set in the coming weeks so stay tuned for more posts on postwar British crime films! (I purchased the initial set some time back but have not yet delved into it...)
Thanks again to you both!
Best wishes,
Laura
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