The Secret Place (film)

The Secret Place is a 1957 British crime film that was the directorial debut of Clive Donner.[1] It stars Belinda Lee, Ronald Lewis, and David McCallum in a supporting role.[2]

The Secret Place
Directed byClive Donner
Produced byJohn Bryan
associate
Anthony Perry
Written byLinette Perry
StarringBelinda Lee
Ronald Lewis and Michael Brooke
Music byClifton Parker
CinematographyErnest Steward
Edited byPeter Bezencenet
Production
company
John Bryan Productions
Distributed byRank
Release date
27 May 1957
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

Plot

Crime melodrama set in the badly bombed London after the war. A diamond robbery is carried out by small-time crooks, and an adolescent boy finds himself unwittingly caught up after discovering they have hidden the loot in his home.[2][3]

In East London, young Freddie Haywood has a crush on kiosk attendant Molly Wilson, who is engaged to Gerry Garter. Gerry is a member of a criminal gang working from a car dealership where Molly's brother Mike works. Gerry, Mike and their friend, Steve, are planning a diamond robbery for which they need a policeman's uniform. On instructions from Gerry, Molly asks Freddie to borrow the uniform of his policeman father. After the robbery of a Hatton Garden jewellers, Gerry hides the diamonds inside Molly's record player. Not knowing this, Molly gives the player to Freddie as a thank you gift. Freddie discovers the diamonds and the gang go after him.

Cast

Production

Filming took place at Pinewood Studios in November 1956.[4] It was Donner's first feature as director.[5]

Reception

The British Film Institute praised the "remarkable debut screenplay by Linette Perry, which manages to intertwine the generic conventions of the heist thriller with a simple, but poetic, moral drama. In Perry's world the secret places stretch beyond the physical - the record player, gang hideouts and derelict buildings - into the hearts of the young protagonists. Faced with opportunity and misguided by love, the characters are all confronted with their own buried selfishness."[6]

References
  1. "The Secret Place 1957 | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  2. "The Secret Place (1957) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast". AllMovie. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  3. "The Secret Place | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Retrieved 4 March 2014.
  4. Round the British Studios Nepean, Edith. Picture Show; London67.1754 (Nov 10, 1956): 1
  5. By, E. A. (1964, Jul 19). LOCAL NEWS: BANKHEAD'S BACK, OTHER ITEMS. New York Times (1923-Current File) Retrieved from https://search.proquest.com/docview/115852896
  6. The Secret Place at BFI Screenonline


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