The Net (1953 film)
Encyclopedia
The Net is a 1953
British film made by Two Cities Films
, directed by Anthony Asquith
and starring James Donald
, Phyllis Calvert
, Robert Beatty
and Herbert Lom
. The film is set in the world of aviation research and was based on the novel of the same name by John Pudney
.
).
Matters take a sinister turn when Carrington is killed, and the project members realise there is a spy in their midst. The M7 is finally given its first tense test flight, and emerges intact. The group continue to work on modifications to iron out minor problems identified on the test flight. The finished version then takes to the sky, but this time the spy shows his hand and tries to hijack the aircraft.
1953 in film
The year 1953 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*September 16 — The Robe debuts as the first anamorphic, widescreen CinemaScope film.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:A...
British film made by Two Cities Films
Two Cities Films
Two Cities Films was a British film production company. Formed in 1937, it was originally envisaged as a production company operating in the two cities of London and Rome which gave the company its name....
, directed by Anthony Asquith
Anthony Asquith
Anthony Asquith was a leading English film director. He collaborated successfully with playwright Terence Rattigan on The Winslow Boy and The Browning Version , among other adaptations...
and starring James Donald
James Donald
James Donald was a Scottish actor. Tall and thin, he usually specialised in playing authority figures.Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance sometime in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire's Fylde coast...
, Phyllis Calvert
Phyllis Calvert
Phyllis Calvert was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s....
, Robert Beatty
Robert Beatty
Robert Beatty was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK.-Career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Beatty began his acting career in Britain in 1939....
and Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom
Herbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
. The film is set in the world of aviation research and was based on the novel of the same name by John Pudney
John Pudney
John Sleigh Pudney was a British journalist and writer. He was known for short stories, poetry, non-fiction and children's fiction .-Education:...
.
Plot
At a secret aviation research station in the English countryside, an international group of scientists are working on the prototype of a revolutionary new aircraft, known as the M7, capable of flying at up to 2,000 miles per hour. The atmosphere is competitive rather than co-operative, with fierce rivalry between the various scientists. The project leader Michael Heathley (Donald) is so wrapped up with the M7 that his wife Lydia (Calvert) feels neglected and that she is being sidelined in favour of her husband's work. At a social gathering she strikes up a conversation with Heathley's colleague Alex Leon (Lom), and the pair are soon circling one another. Meanwhile Heathley is desperate to test the M7, but is continually stonewalled by facility director Carrington (Maurice DenhamMaurice Denham
Maurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
).
Matters take a sinister turn when Carrington is killed, and the project members realise there is a spy in their midst. The M7 is finally given its first tense test flight, and emerges intact. The group continue to work on modifications to iron out minor problems identified on the test flight. The finished version then takes to the sky, but this time the spy shows his hand and tries to hijack the aircraft.
Cast
- James DonaldJames DonaldJames Donald was a Scottish actor. Tall and thin, he usually specialised in playing authority figures.Donald was born in Aberdeen, and made his first professional stage appearance sometime in the late-1930s, having been educated at Rossall School on Lancashire's Fylde coast...
as Michael Heathley - Phyllis CalvertPhyllis CalvertPhyllis Calvert was an English film, stage and television actress. She was one of the leading stars of the Gainsborough melodramas of the 1940s....
as Lydia Heathley - Robert BeattyRobert BeattyRobert Beatty was a Canadian actor who worked in film, television and radio for most of his career and was especially known in the UK.-Career:Born in Hamilton, Ontario, Beatty began his acting career in Britain in 1939....
as Sam Seagram - Herbert LomHerbert LomHerbert Lom is a Czech film actor, best known for his role as former Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movie series.-Life and career:...
as Alex Leon - Noel WillmanNoel WillmanNoel Willman was a Irish actor and theatre director of English descent..His films included Androcles and the Lion , The Man Who Knew Too Much , Across the Bridge , Carve Her Name with Pride , The Kiss of the Vampire , Doctor Zhivago , The Reptile...
as Dennis Bord - Maurice DenhamMaurice DenhamMaurice Denham OBE was an English character actor who appeared in over 100 television programmes and films throughout his long career.-Life and career:...
as Carrington - Muriel PavlowMuriel PavlowMuriel Lilian Pavlow is a British actress. Her mother was French and her father was Russian.-Film career:She began work as a child actor with John Gielgud and the Royal Shakespeare Company...
as Caroline Cartier - Walter FitzgeraldWalter FitzgeraldWalter Fitzgerald was an English character actor.Born Walter Fitzgerald Bond in Keyham, Devon. Married 1st Rosalie Constance Grey in 1924.1s .2nd Angela Kirk in 1938. 3 sons 1 daughter....
as Sir Charles Craddock - Patric DoonanPatric DoonanPatric Doonan was a British stage and screen actor. He featured in films of the time as The Blue Lamp, Train of Events and The Cockleshell Heroes but never played the leads...
as Brian Jackson - Marjorie FieldingMarjorie Fielding-Selected filmography:* Quiet Wedding * Spring in Park Lane * Conspirator * The Mudlark * The Lavender Hill Mob * Mandy * The Magic Box...
as Mother Heathley - Herbert LomasHerbert Lomas (actor)Herbet Lomas was a British actor who appeared in more than forty films in a career lasting between 1931 and 1955. He was born in Burnley, Lancashire in 1887 and made his first screen appearance in the 1931 film Hobson's Choice.-Filmography:...
as George Jackson - Cyril ChamberlainCyril ChamberlainCyril Chamberlain was an English film and television actor. He appeared in a number of the early Carry On, Doctor in the House and St. Trinian's films....
as Inspector Carter - Marianne StoneMarianne StoneMarianne Stone was a British character actress. She appeared in many films from the early 1940s to the late 1980s...
as Maisie
External links
- The Net at BritMovie