Tonight's Movie: An Inspector Calls (1954) - A Kino Lorber Blu-ray Review

Alistair Sim stars in the title role in AN INSPECTOR CALLS (1954), just released on Blu-ray and DVD by Kino Lorber.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS is a filmed version of a stage play by J.B. Priestley, written for the screen by Desmond Davis. As the story begins, Mr. and Mrs. Birling (Arthur Young and Olga Lindo) are hosting a dinner celebrating the engagement of their daughter Sheila (Eileen Moore) to Gerald Croft (Brian Worth). Sheila's brother Eric (Bryan Forbes) is also on hand.

As dinner ends, Inspector Poole (Sim) arrives from the police department. He conveys that a young woman named Eva Smith (Jane Wenham) has just committed suicide, and he believes the family can shed light on what happened to her. They're initially mystified, but as the discussion continues each member of the family gradually realizes the roles they played in her unhappiness.

I won't be much more specific so as not to spoil either the mystery or the conclusion; that said, AN INSPECTOR CALLS has been filmed multiple times so some readers may already be well aware of the story.

I recently rewatched Sim in the classic mystery GREEN FOR DANGER (1946), so it was interesting to see him in another mystery-solving role as Inspector Poole. Poole, however, is not quite as endearing as Sim's GREEN FOR DANGER detective, as he relentlessly -- and somewhat creepily -- pushes each family member to reveal what they know. There's actually something a bit off-putting about the character, and in the end the viewer may have reason to believe this shading of the character was a deliberate choice.

While it was engrossing enough to hold the attention, AN INSPECTOR CALLS was only a so-so film for me. The storyline defied credulity in multiple ways; it seemed downright silly that each and every one of the family could have been so intimately involved in the life of Eva Smith. Moreover, while no one acted admirably, none of them actually committed a crime; this makes their cross-examination all the stranger. Here again, it may make a little more sense once one gets to the end, but it's a bit of a slog arriving at that point.

I was also annoyed that the film seemed to rob Eva Smith of the agency to make her own decisions. Instead her fate is seen to rest entirely in the hands of others, with Smith an innocent victim of class warfare, the poor young woman abused by the idle rich.

In the end this 80-minute film is more parable than crime thriller, illustrating the duty we each have to care for our fellow human beings, and the film's curious ending, which also won't be revealed here, serves to underscore that point. Anyone expecting a more traditional crime mystery should know going in that this isn't it.

The performances are all adequate, though no one particularly stood out for me among the small cast.  I was unfamiliar with the actors, other than Sim; it felt a bit like a very good stock company of unknown faces performing a familiar play, and I suppose that's pretty much what it was. The best-known cast member in addition to Sim is probably Forbes, who would also go on to work as a director. Everyone in the cast seems to have had solid careers, with Wenham working as recently as TV's DOWNTON ABBEY close to a decade ago.

The movie was the third film directed by Guy Hamilton, who would go on to direct GOLDFINGER (1964) and other James Bond films. The movie was shot in black and white by Ted Scaife.

AN INSPECTOR CALLS is one of a number of British films recently released by Kino Lorber. I have reviews of more in the works, including THE SOUND BARRIER (1952) and THE NIGHT MY NUMBER CAME UP (1955), as well as additional films from the British Noir II collection; I previously reviewed THE INTERRUPTED JOURNEY (1949) from the noir set.

The Kino Blu-ray print is crisp and the soundtrack is clear. Extras include a commentary by David Del Valle, an interview with actress Jane Wenham, and a gallery of three trailers for other films available from Kino Lorber.

Thanks to Kino Lorber for providing a review copy of this Blu-ray.