An Inspector Calls (film)
Encyclopedia
An Inspector Calls is a 1954 film
directed by Guy Hamilton
and written for the screen by Desmond Davis
. It is based upon a play of the same name
by J.B. Priestley. It stars Alastair Sim
, Jane Wenham
, and Brian Worth.
Birling family is interrupted by Police Inspector Poole, investigating the suicide
of a lower class girl Eva Smith whose death is linked to each family member. In the original play, the Inspector's name was Inspector Goole.
, Shepperton
, Surrey
, England
, under the auspices of the Watergate Productions Ltd.
Although the play never shows Eva Smith, the film is opened up to show - in flashbacks - each member of the family's involvement in Smith's life. The relationships between Eva and Gerald, and later, Eric, are smoothed over in accordance to the censorship of the day. Still, enough elements are retained to give the viewer a good idea of the depth of involvements.
In the play, Eva is first fired for being involved in a strike; in the film, she is simply fired for suggesting that the wages requested were necessary to live on. Similarly, in the play, Shelia is trying on a dress when the incident with Eva occurs in the shop; in the film, the incident is over a hat.
1954 in film
The year 1954 in film involved some significant events and memorable ones.-Events:*May 12 - The Marx Brothers' Zeppo Marx divorces wife Marion Benda...
directed by Guy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton is an English film director.Hamilton was born in Paris, France where his English parents were living. Remaining in France during the Nazi occupation, he was active in the French Resistance...
and written for the screen by Desmond Davis
Desmond Davis
Desmond Davis is a British film and television director.-Early career:After serving a long apprenticeship as a clapper boy in the 1940s, with Britain's Army Film Unit, Davis eventually worked his way up to focus puller and camera operator in low-budget British films of the 1950s...
. It is based upon a play of the same name
An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls is a play written by English dramatist J. B. Priestley, first performed in 1945 in the Soviet Union and 1946 in the UK. It is considered to be one of Priestley's best known works for the stage and one of the classics of mid-20th century English theatre...
by J.B. Priestley. It stars Alastair Sim
Alastair Sim
Alastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
, Jane Wenham
Jane Wenham (actress)
Jane Wenham is an English actress.Ann Jane Wenham Figgins was born in Southampton, Hampshire and led a long career in film, television and the stage. She made her film debut in the film adaptation of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls...
, and Brian Worth.
Plot summary
Set in 1912, a dinner party held by the upper-classUpper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
Birling family is interrupted by Police Inspector Poole, investigating the suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
of a lower class girl Eva Smith whose death is linked to each family member. In the original play, the Inspector's name was Inspector Goole.
Production
An Inspector Calls was filmed at Shepperton StudiosShepperton Studios
Shepperton Studios is a film studio in Shepperton, Surrey, England with a history dating back to 1931 since when many notable films have been made there...
, Shepperton
Shepperton
Shepperton is a town in the borough of Spelthorne, Surrey, England. To the south it is bounded by the river Thames at Desborough Island and is bisected by the M3 motorway...
, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, under the auspices of the Watergate Productions Ltd.
Although the play never shows Eva Smith, the film is opened up to show - in flashbacks - each member of the family's involvement in Smith's life. The relationships between Eva and Gerald, and later, Eric, are smoothed over in accordance to the censorship of the day. Still, enough elements are retained to give the viewer a good idea of the depth of involvements.
In the play, Eva is first fired for being involved in a strike; in the film, she is simply fired for suggesting that the wages requested were necessary to live on. Similarly, in the play, Shelia is trying on a dress when the incident with Eva occurs in the shop; in the film, the incident is over a hat.
Cast
- Alastair SimAlastair SimAlastair George Bell Sim, CBE was a Scottish character actor who appeared in a string of classic British films. He is best remembered in the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in the 1951 film Scrooge, and for his portrayal of Miss Fritton, the headmistress in two St. Trinian's films...
as Inspector Poole(Goole) - Jane WenhamJane Wenham (actress)Jane Wenham is an English actress.Ann Jane Wenham Figgins was born in Southampton, Hampshire and led a long career in film, television and the stage. She made her film debut in the film adaptation of J. B. Priestley's An Inspector Calls...
as Eva Smith - Brian WorthBrian Worth (actor)- Selected filmography :- External links :...
as Gerald Croft - Eileen MooreEileen MooreEileen Moore is a British television and film actress. Between 1954 and 1962 she was married to the actor George Cole.-Selected filmography:* Mr...
as Sheila Birling - Olga LindoOlga Lindo-Filmography:* The Shadow Between * Royal Cavalcade * Dark World * The Last Journey * A Romance in Flanders * Luck of the Navy * The Stars Look Down * What Men Live By...
as Sybil Birling - Arthur YoungArthur Young (actor)Arthur Young was an English actor, notable for roles including Gladstone in the 1951 The Lady with the Lamp....
as Arthur Birling - Bryan ForbesBryan ForbesBryan Forbes, CBE is an English film director, actor and writer.-Career:Bryan Forbes was born John Theobald Clarke on 22 July 1926 in Queen Mary's Hospital, Stratford, West Ham, Essex , and grew up at 43 Cranmer Road, Forest Gate, West Ham, Essex .Forbes trained as an actor at the Royal Academy of...
as Eric Birling - Norman BirdNorman BirdNorman Bird was a British character actor. Often sporting a moustache and an air of worried resignation, he seemed to specialise in downtrodden roles...
as Foreman Jones-Collins - Charles Saynor as Police Sergeant Arnold Ransom
- John WelshJohn Welsh (actor)John Welsh was an Irish actor.After an early stage career in Dublin, Welsh moved into British film and television in the 1950s. His roles included James Forsyte in the 1967 BBC dramatisation of John Galsworthy's The Forsyte Saga, as well as the butler Merriman in The Duchess of Duke Street, Sgt...
as Mr. Timmon: Hat Sales Manager - Barbara EverestBarbara EverestBarbara Everest was a British film actress. She was born in Southfields, Surrey, and made her screen debut in the 1916 film The Man Without a Soul.-Selected filmography:* A Romance of Old Baghdad...
as Mrs. Lefson: Charity Committee Woman - George WoodbridgeGeorge Woodbridge (actor)George Woodbridge was an English character actor in films and television from the 1930s to the 1970s...
as Stanley: Fish & Chips Shop Owner - George Cole as conductor on tram