''An Inspector Calls'' is a 1954 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...

directed by

Guy Hamilton Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton, DSC (16 September 1922 – 20 April 2016) was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films. Early life Hamilton was born in Paris on 16 September 1922, wh ...

and starring

Alastair Sim Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE (9 October 1900 – 19 August 1976) was a Scottish character actor who began his theatrical career at the age of thirty and quickly became established as a popular West End performer, remaining so until his ...

, Jane Wenham and

Eileen Moore Eileen Moore (born August 1932 in London, England) is a British actress. She is best known as Sheila in the film ''An Inspector Calls''. Life Moore was born in London in August 1932. She was married to actor George Cole from 1954 until their divo ...

. It is based upon the 1945 play ''

An Inspector Calls ''An Inspector Calls'' is a play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in the Soviet Union in 1945 and at the New Theatre in London the following year. It is one of Priestley's best-known works for the stage and is con ...

'' by

J.B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

and was adapted for the screen by

Desmond Davis Desmond Stanley Tracey Davis (24 May 1926 – 3 July 2021) was a British film and television director, best known for his 1981 version of '' Clash of the Titans''. Early life and career Desmond Davis joined the British Army film unit serving a ...

. It was shot at

Shepperton Studios Shepperton Studios is a film studio located in Shepperton, Surrey, England, with a history dating back to 1931. It is now part of the Pinewood Studios Group. During its early existence, the studio was branded as Sound City (not to be confused w ...

with sets designed by the

art director Art director is the title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, film industry, film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supervise and ...

Joseph Bato Joseph Bato (1888–1966) was a Hungarian artist. He fled Germany following the Nazi takeover due to his Jewish heritage and settled in London where he was employed as an art director and costume designer in the British film industry. He worked ...

Plot

In 1912, the

upper class Upper class in modern societies is the social class composed of people who hold the highest social status, usually are the wealthiest members of class society, and wield the greatest political power. According to this view, the upper class is gen ...

Birling family sit at a dining table at the end of a dinner party with their friends. Gerald Croft proposes to the daughter, Sheila. Mother chastises Eric, the son, for drinking too much. Father discusses the likelihood of war and after the meal discusses his possible knighthood with Gerald over port and cigars. They are interrupted by a man calling himself Inspector Poole, investigating the

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

of a working-class girl Eva Smith whose death is linked to each family member. Eva has poisoned herself. She left a diary. Eva was one of Mr Birling's workers in his factory. In a flashback to 1910, we see Eva working in the machine shop in his factory. She goes with a group of women to demand a pay increase from 22/6 to 25/- per week. Birling refuses and tells them to find another job if they are unhappy. Back in the Birling house, the father cannot see what any of this has to do with him. The inspector explains that after a period of unemployment she went to work at Lilworth's but was dismissed after 2 months after a customer complained. It becomes clear that this was Sheila. In a second flashback, Sheila is trying to choose a hat with her mother. Sheila accuses Eva of being rude for smiling as she struggles to fit the hat and demands she is dismissed. Sheila explains she was jealous of her looks. The inspector says Eva then changed her name to Daisy Renton, to which Gerald looks shocked. Gerald confesses to Sheila that he had an affair with Daisy beginning in March 1911. He says he met Daisy at the Palace Variety Show and we enter a third flashback in the bar where he tricks the man, she was with to leave and takes his seat. He takes her for a meal and, finding she is homeless, lets her use his townhouse and gives her money to survive on. It develops into an affair, but he does not go out with her in public. On one of his visits, she realises that he is building up to breaking off their affair, and, to make things easier for him, tells him they should separate as she realises that he only ever felt sorry for her. She leaves the flat the next day. It is revealed that Mrs Birling refused Eva charity in her role as chairwoman of a charity committee. The refusal was on the grounds that Eva gave the name Birling and claims her husband left her. She is pregnant. Finally, Eric is shown to have met Eva on a tram. They have an affair and Eva falls pregnant. He steals money to support her, but she refuses it when she realises it was stolen. This is when she goes to Mrs Birling but is turned down. In summary, each person is partially responsible for Eva's death. Gerald asks a policeman outside and discovers there is no "Inspector Poole" in that town. He goes back into the house to challenge Poole. They send Poole to wait in the library while they discuss it. They all feel partially unburdened of their guilt except Sheila. They decide to turn it all round to avoid a scandal and realise there is no evidence. They also realise the photo of the girl was only shown to one at a time. Gerald phones the infirmary to check the girl is really dead but is told no-one died. It is all a strange scam. Mr and Mrs Birling decide to go back to how they were, though Sheila and Eric are permanently changed. Then the phone rings. A girl has just died at the infirmary and an inspector is on his way. In the library Poole has vanished.

Cast

as Inspector Poole * Jane Wenham as Eva Smith/Daisy Renton *

as Sheila Birling *

Bryan Forbes Bryan Forbes CBE (; born John Theobald Clarke; 22 July 1926 – 8 May 2013) was an English film director, screenwriter, film producer, actor and novelist described as a "Renaissance man"Falk Q. . BAFTA. 17 October 2007. Retrieved 9 May 2013 an ...

as Eric Birling *

Brian Worth Brian Worth (30 July 1914 – 25 August 1978) was an English actor, known for '' Scrooge'' (1951), ''The Man in the White Suit'' (1951) and ''An Inspector Calls'' (1954). He died on 25 August 1978 aged 64. Educated in Britain and America, ...

as Gerald Croft *

Olga Lindo Olga Lindo (13 July 1899 – 7 May 1968) was an English actress. She was the daughter of Frank Lindo, a well-known actor, manager and author. She made her stage debut at the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane on 26 December 1913. She later joined her ...

as Sybil Birling * Arthur Young as Arthur Birling *

Norman Bird John George Norman Bird (30 October 1924 – 22 April 2005) was an English character actor. Early life Bird was born in Coalville, Leicestershire, England. A RADA graduate, he made his West End theatre, West End debut in Peter Brook's produ ...

as Foreman Jones-Collins *Charles Saynor as Police Sergeant Arnold Ransom *

John Welsh John Welsh may refer to: *John Welsh of Ayr (1568–1622), religious leader *John Welsh of Irongray, religious leader *John Welsh (actor) (1904–1985), Irish actor *John Welsh (Australian footballer) (born 1938), Australian rules football player f ...

as Mr. Timmon: Hat Sales Manager *

Barbara Everest Barbara Everest (19 June 1890 – 9 February 1968) was a British stage and film actress. She was born in Southfields, Surrey, and made her screen debut in the 1916 film ''The Man Without a Soul''. On stage she played Queen Anne in the 1935 his ...

as Mrs. Lefson: Charity Committee Woman *

George Woodbridge George Woodbridge may refer to: * George Woodbridge (actor) (1907-1973), English actor * George Woodbridge (illustrator) George Woodbridge (October 3, 1930 – January 20, 2004) was an American illustrator known for his exhaustive researc ...

as Stanley: Fish & Chips Shop Owner * George Cole as conductor on tram *

Olwen Brookes Olwen Brookes (26 November 1901 – 17 September 1976) was an English actress, known for ''An Inspector Calls'', '' The Happiest Days of Your Life'' and ''The First Night of Pygmalion''. Her career spanned over a quarter of a century, and as well ...

as Miss Frances *Frances Gowens as small girl in the chip shop

Production

''An Inspector Calls'' was filmed at

Shepperton Shepperton is an urban village in the Borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, approximately south west of central London. Shepperton is equidistant between the towns of Chertsey and Sunbury-on-Thames. The village is mentioned in a document of 959 AD ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, under the auspices of the Watergate Productions Ltd. In the original play, the Inspector's name was Inspector Goole. Although the play never shows Eva Smith, the film opens in flashbacks that show each member of the family's involvement in Smith's life. In the play, Eva is first sacked for being involved in a strike; in the film, she is simply sacked for suggesting that the wages requested were necessary to live on. Similarly, in the play, Sheila is trying on a dress when the incident with Eva occurs in the shop; in the film, the incident is over a hat. In the play, the Inspector is ushered in by the maid, while in the film he simply appears suddenly in the dining room as if from nowhere, accompanied by an ominous chord in the background music. In the middle of the film, he inspects his pocket watch and asks Eric to enter the room. He states he has just heard Eric come through the door; however, Eric does come through the door before this.

Reception

C. A. Lejeune Caroline Alice Lejeune (27 March 1897 – 31 March 1973) was a British writer, best known for serving as the film critic for ''The Observer'' from 1928 to 1960. She was among the earliest newspaper film critics in Britain, and one of the first B ...

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

critic of ''

The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the w ...

'', recommended the film; despite its lack of technical polish, its slow pace and often trite dialogue, she found it thought-provoking.

References

External links

''An Inspector Calls'' (1954)
at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

* * * ''An Inspector Calls'' (1954) a
Free Films Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Inspector Calls, An 1954 films British historical films 1950s historical films 1954 crime drama films 1950s mystery films British mystery films British crime drama films British black-and-white films British films based on plays Films set in country houses Films directed by Guy Hamilton Films based on works by J. B. Priestley British Lion Films films Films shot at Shepperton Studios Films set in the 1910s 1950s English-language films 1950s British films