''Pool of London'' is a 1951 British noir

crime film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combin ...

directed by

Basil Dearden Basil Dearden (born Basil Clive Dear; 1 January 1911 – 23 March 1971) was an English film director. Early life and career Dearden was born at 5, Woodfield Road, Leigh-on-Sea, Essex to Charles James Dear, a steel manufacturer, and his wife, Fl ...

. It stars

Bonar Colleano Bonar Sullivan (14 March 192417 August 1958), also known by the stage name Bonar Colleano, was an American stage and film actor based in the United Kingdom. Biography Early life Colleano was born Bonar Sullivan in New York City. He had childhood ...

, Earl Cameron and Susan Shaw.

Plot

The character-driven story of ''Pool of London'' centres around the crew of the

merchant ship A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are ...

''Dunbar'', which docks in the

Pool of London The Pool of London is a stretch of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Limehouse. Part of the Tideway of the Thames, the Pool was navigable by tall-masted vessels bringing coastal and later overseas goods—the wharves there were th ...

. The crew members are given shore leave, with some practising petty smuggling and other various dodges. Set in post-war

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, the film is of note for portraying the first interracial relationship in a British film. Black crew member Johnny ( Earl Cameron), an all-round nice guy, meets a pretty blonde, Pat ( Susan Shaw), who offers to show him the sights of London. In a visually-rich montage, they visit the National Maritime Museum and the Greenwich Observatory. Also shown briefly are views from the dome of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

, and some of the bombed areas around the cathedral before the rebuilding of

Paternoster Square Paternoster Square is an urban development, owned by the Mitsubishi Estate, next to St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London. The area, which takes its name from Paternoster Row, once centre of the London publishing trade, was devastated b ...

. Another seaman, Dan (

), inadvertently becomes involved with a jewel robbery in which a night watchman is murdered.

Main cast

as Dan MacDonald * Earl Cameron as Johnny Lambert * Susan Shaw as Pat * Renée Asherson as Sally * Moira Lister as Maisie * Max Adrian as Charlie Vernon *

Joan Dowling Joan Dowling (6 January 1928 – 31 March 1954) was a British character actress. Life and career Dowling was the illegitimate daughter of Vera Dowling. A piece in ''The Laindon and District Times'', on 23 June 2015, written by her cousin Joh ...

as Pamela * James Robertson Justice as Engine Room Officer Trotter * Michael Golden as Customs Officer Andrews * John Longden as Detective Inspector Williams * Alfie Bass as Alf *

Christopher Hewett Christopher George Hewett (5 April 1921 – 3 August 2001) was an English actor and theatre director best known for his role as Lynn Aloysius Belvedere on the ABC sitcom ''Mr. Belvedere''. Career Hewett was born in Worthing, Sussex to Chris ...

as Mike *

Leslie Phillips Leslie Samuel Phillips (20 April 1924 – 7 November 2022) was an English actor, director, producer and author. He achieved prominence in the 1950s, playing smooth, upper-class comic roles utilising his "Ding dong" and "Hello" catchphrases. ...

as Harry *

Ian Bannen Ian Edmund Bannen (29 June 1928 – 3 November 1999) was a Scottish actor with a long career in film, on stage, and on television. He was nominated for an Academy Award for his performance in '' The Flight of the Phoenix'' (1965), the first ...

as Garage attendant * George Benson as George *

Beckett Bould Beckett Bould (28 September 1880 – 25 September 1970) was a British actor. Partial filmography * ''Black Diamonds'' (1932) - John Morgan * ''The Outcast'' (1934) - Minor Role (uncredited) * ''Wednesday's Luck'' (1936) - Minor Role (uncred ...

as The Watchman * Sam Kydd as 2nd Engineer * Victor Maddern as First Tram Conductor * Laurence Naismith as Commissionaire * Campbell Singer as Station Sergeant

Release

''Pool of London'' premiered at the

Odeon Leicester Square The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the ...

in London on 22 February 1951.

Critical reception

In ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', Bosley Crowther wrote, "there is excitement and suspense in the gritty and grimy melodramatics," and concluded that the film, "though not distinguished, is entertaining and has the flavor of a great shipping port."

References

External links

* * * 1951 films 1951 crime drama films British crime drama films Ealing Studios films Films directed by Basil Dearden Films produced by Michael Balcon Films scored by John Addison Films set in London Films with screenplays by Jack Whittingham British black-and-white films 1950s English-language films 1950s British films {{1950s-UK-film-stub