Ealing Rarities Volume 1

This ‘Volume 1 Collection’ of rare or until now unseen Ealing Studios films – presented in their original aspect radios and as new transfers – is an essential addition to anyone interested in Classic British films.

Consisting of four films on two discs, the genres span drama, adventure, comedy and even a musical!

DISC 1 starts with the 1930 drama Escape, directed by Basil Dean. It’s a very entertaining watch, and the moody b/w photography adds to the general atmosphere. The story itself is based on a 1921 play by John Galsworthy (better known for his novel The Forsyte Saga) and charts the experiences of upper class Captain Matt Denant (Gerald du Maurier, father of novelist Daphne du Maurier), who is sentenced to doing time in Dartmoor prison after accidentally killing a plain-clothes copper during a quarrel involving an apparent prostitute. Not made of the thickest of skins, the harsh prison climate soon makes everything worse than it already is. Matt sees only one solution to the problem: escape! And escape he does, across the famous moor, hunted by policemen. In an ironic twist, this brings us back to the opening scene in which Denant participates in a foxhunt. Call it karma? To Denant, who is in fact a POW escape from the First World War, all this hunting business must seem like Groundhog Day. Along the way to freedom, and despite being a ‘wanted convict’ who escaped from Dartmoor, he encounters various folks who seem in favour of offering him food and a place to crash (one lady in particular) instead of informing the authorities… It’s interesting to see their reactions toward him, and vice versa.
The picture looks a little grainy at times but overall it’s decent considering the film has not been restored, the sound is at times pretty crackly however.

We get the perfect sound and the perfect picture (even in colour) with West Of Zanzibar, unfortunately, this 1954 colonial adventure romp fails to impress on a deeper level. The main plot concerns an African tribe called the Galanas, who are being forced by soil erosion to flee their homelands and move into the hills where there is more fertile soil to be found. This advice comes from Bob Payton (Anthony Steel), a white man who has befriended the tribe and whom tribal leader Chief Ushingo (Edric Connor) asks for opinion. The younger members of the tribe show little intention of moving to the hills, preferring the urban attractions of Mombasa. Not listening to Paytons’ warning and concerns, the young men move to the city nonetheless, where soon after they fall victim to drink, and criminal activities including encounters with ivory poachers. It’s not before long that Ushingo blames his young men for falling prey to the trappings of city life, but the real problem is the colonisation of the country by the white men (like in so many other continents…). The film offers no satisfactory answer or a solution to these issues, and probably would have worked better as a straightforward adventure romp without a political/ecological message attached to it. Quite what director Harry Wiatt had in mind is not entirely clear.

DISC 2 kicks off with a real corker from renowned director Carol Reed. Penny Paradise (1938) is a farcical comedy about Joe Higgins (Edmund Gwenn), the captain of a Liverpool tug. Together with his sidekick, forgetful and daydreaming Irish first mate Pat (Jimmy O’Dea), he displays a fondness for spending a weekly sixpence on the football pools. While Pat secretly fancies Higgins’ daughter Betty (Betty Driver), who works in a local caff, Higgins has his eyes set on sourpuss widow Clegg (Maire O’Neill), who never misses a chance lecturing him on the value of a hard earned penny. One day, Higgins has every reason to believe he won half a fortune on the football pools and promptly organizes a party in a local public house, complete with champagne and scheming relatives who hope to weasel a few bob out of him. Two particularly vile relatives (but great fun to watch) are Aunt Agnes and Uncle Lancelot. Also amongst the opportunists is a young fella who starts courting Betty (or her money, rather). Naturally, this development leaves Pat very unhappy, and he tries to open Betty’s eyes and warn her, albeit to no avail. Meanwhile, widow Clegg deeply disapproves of Higgins wild partying. In an attempt to win her back, Higgins instructs the hapless Pat to go to her and pretend he’d forgotten to post the winning pools coupon, so she can see that money isn’t everything in his life. Trouble is, Pat really forgot to post the coupon… but hasn’t had the nerve yet to tell Higgins. Of course, this leads to all sorts of screwball scenarios and sets the stage for a grand finale. There are a few songs included in the film, but they don’t interfere with the action.

Last but not least, we get the 1936 musical Cheer Up! Directed by Leo Mittler, it stars English allround entertainer Stanley Lupino as struggling writer Tom Denham, who’s mistaken for a millionaire. When two composers approach him, asking to finance their musical farce, Denham sees this as a chance to further his own career. Going about it in very unorthodox ways indeed, he manages to anger them and they succeed in angering him. All the while Lupino keeps up the pretence of being filthy rich. The pacey plot, catchy tunes, thrilling dance numbers and slick choreography make this a joy to watch, as does comedian Roddy Hughes in the role of Dick Dirk.