The Blue Lamp

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isla s This is a charming 1950s British film. I liked the scenes with the police choir and the way a young child of interest to the criminal case responded to the 'local bobby's'. There is clear sexism/misogny present with the interactions of husband and wife but then its a film of its time, so thats perhaps to be expected. A reasonably enjoyable film, yes I suppose I would recommend it overall. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review paul d Basil Dearden's The Blue Lamp is a love poem dedicated to the average Constable in the London Police. The film spends a lot of time showing us their humanity, camaraderie, the mundane aspects of their jobs, and their essential goodness. The film slowly increases the tension by also drawing, in parallel, a portrait of two ambitious young hoodlums and a desperate young girl looking for a way out of the slums of post-war London. These two worlds are destined to meet, and that's when the film shifts into its top gear, a crime story and manhunt. Dirk Bogarde plays a hotheaded villain with style and a very convincing mix of bravado, cold-bloodedness and stupidity. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member I don't imagine this was an accurate account of life in 1949 and it certainly hasn't worn well with time. For all that it's probably how we wish things were, for good or bad it was responsible for the long running TV series Dixon of Dock Green. Luckily George Dixon rose from the grave... Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member Affectionate portrayal of cops on the beat in post-war London, showing their camaraderie in the face of a rise in youth crime. Jack Warner and Jimmy Hanley play mentor and mentee cops who have to deal with rebel Dirk Bogarde who stages a couple of robberies with his partner Patric Doonan and 17-year-old girlfriend (Peggy Evans). The young hoods are too wet-behind-the-ears for the professional criminal class who refuse to help them (and may even help the police instead). What we get, then, is partly police procedural with an occasional tilt toward noir (via some expressionist lighting) but more often we see the cops at work in their everyday roles (and in some cases cosily at home). Scenes with Bogarde don't really reveal the motivation behind his crimes but he's always charismatic. Add to this, the real London settings (especially seen in a frantic car chase) and the result is highly enjoyable, although admittedly fantasy (i.e. in the portrayal of the noble and caring cops who are too idealized to be really human). Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member a good British crime noir film it even had a car chase and Dirk Bogarde in a early role as a bad guy. i enjoyed this movie. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Wonderful performances from Jack Warner, Bernard Lee, Jimmy Hanley and Dirk Bogarde as the killer. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Blue Lamp

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