GREEN FOR DANGER (1946, directed by Sidney Gilliat)  Frank Launder and Sidney Gilliat were responsible for some of the finest British films ever made. Beginning as writers, they eventually formed a partnership under the banner of Individual Films. One of their most delightful collaborations is GREEN FOR DANGER, a superb who-done-it that manages a perfect blend of eccentric humour and compelling drama.

     Set during WWII when the ever-present threat of V2 buzz bombs punctuated the activities of daily life, GREEN FOR DANGER takes place at a rural emergency hospital. There, a series of murders committed during surgery prompts the appearance of slightly daffy Inspector Cockrill, played with virtuosity and eccentric glee by Alastair Sim.

     That’s the premise. The investigation provides the meat of the film. With a suave Trevor Howard (when he was still young enough to be suave instead of crusty) and a slightly world-weary, pipe-smoking Leo Genn as two of the doctors implied in the murders, Sim is in fine company. Everyone is good in an acting ensemble that gives the impression of a well-rehearsed play.

     Sim provides some of the film’s most humourously unexpected moments, such as when Howard and Genn engage in a rollicking knock-‘em-down, roll-around-on-the-floor fight scene in the hospital. Rather than try to dislodge the opponents and restore order, like any normal police Inspector, Sim settles in to watch the fight with an almost crazed but ultimately silly grin that encapsulates British eccentricity as never before. One almost expects him to start taking bets, a la THE QUIET MAN.

     Another lovely bit, at the end of the film, finds the departing Inspector looking skyward as the imminent sound of yet another buzz bomb is heard. As Sim braces himself for the moment when the engine will cut out and the bomb begins its descent of destruction, a motorcycle zooms round the corner, proving to be the source of the similar-sounding plane engine. Sim shrugs it off and disappears round the same corner. It’s a quaint little metaphor for the Inspector’s near miss in solving the case.

     Sim, whose rapid vocal delivery reminds me of a baritone John Gielgud, is priceless as the Inspector. It is a marvelous piece of work that foreshadows his great performances to come in AN INSPECTOR CALLS and, most famously, A CHRISTMAS CAROL. (It’s no wonder Sim impresses vocally; he was an elocution teacher before he became an actor).

     If there has ever been any doubt about Sim’s impact as a film actor, bear in mind that no less an artist than the great Alec Guinness did a full-blown Sim impersonation in THE LADYKILLERS!

     GREEN FOR DANGER’s rich atmosphere, witty script, brilliant acting and intriguing plot twists ensure its classic status from a simpler time when directors could tell a story without incessantly moving their camera. The shooting style is simple, with telling art direction and lighting, all serving to better tell the story.

     Available (yet another one!) from the treasure trove found at Woody Wise’s Discount Video, buy this film if you love the very best of the suspense/mystery genre.

     Why this great film has not been restored and released in a pristine new version is beyond me. It’s better than most films made today.

     And what does the ‘green’ in the title refer to? I can’t tell you that!

Jon Ted Wynne