Green for Danger

Moviecut—Green for Danger

source: Green for Danger

Old whodunnit set in hospital surrounds during WWII. A patient dies on the operating table and it turns out to be murder. 2 doctors and 3 nurses, all of whom were present at the time, are the suspects in a classic situation of guess the killer. There is some additional, pointless sub plot about a love triangle between the 2 doctors and one of the nurses but it is nothing more than padding. I was disappointed in the film as I liked it a lot less than I thought I would and it no where near deserves its current 7.7 rating. While it does have the charm of an old British film, the characters and plot aren't that engaging. I was also not keen on Alastair Sim's performance as it lacked subtlety and while this may have been the point, it didn't win me over. It feels as if we are supposed to like him just because he is a bit 'different' or eccentric. It was also odd how his character, who sort of becomes the main character, is not introduced until about 20 minutes into the film. All in all it was OK but I wouldn't bother with a second viewing.

This movie is unusually dull for the initial 40 lackluster minutes until Alistair Sim shows up. When he does, its in a setpiece with a perfectly choreographed bit of slapstick that seems to signal a more imaginative, engaged type of film-making than we've been looking at. But despite a few ravishing moments of camera-work in the movie, still more convention confirms that that was all you get! It's potential dissipates as it plunges through narrower and narrower scales until all that's left is comparing it to other mysteries. It's a bit naff when a b&w movie mentions the color green, pounding you over the head with the title clue. There is craft here, but nothing to transform it into art. A viewer may find intrigue in how a region downstream interprets a Hollywood genre; in this case "noir" filtered through the British investigator tradition. The quaint rural England milieu and sets will stick in your mind. But the movie never becomes the above average film that it's production design hints at, and one wonders why the extra effort was made. Its regional setting reminded me of P&P's A Canterbury Tale. Perhaps it's the very unflappability of the English that makes this exercise so unengaging. Characters can barely be bothered to feel threatened or excited. The psychology is paper deep.

Even the presence of master thespians Leo Genn and Trevor Howard can't solve this 1946 film,which was nothing more than a rather cheap take-off on Alfred Hitchcock's types of films. Mayhem seems to break out at a remote British hospital when a patient dies suddenly and a nurse who realized this was murder soon follows him. Everyone concerned are counted as suspects. The ending is ridiculous with carbon dioxide the culprit, used by the killer instead of oxygen. The real murderer is briefly psychoanalyzed. That's what's needed for this film. Alastair Dim is sent in to investigate this madness. By film's end, he has erred and submits his resignation, which he hopes shall be accepted. This film's makers should have submitted theirs as well.

One of my top 100 British films a must see. Remarkable performances from an ensemble of British acting talent. The depth of the characterisations is wonderful. All of this held together by an excellent performance by Alistair Sim. A blackly comic script and sharp direction all add to this classic film.

With its darkly atmospheric tones,Green for danger works extremely well.The second murder is incredibly well shot with scenes reminiscent of 'I walked with a Zombie',the noise & movement caused by wind being particularly effective.A stellar cast interact perfectly with a special mention for Sally Gray,on her first role after a 5 year break due to 'a mental breakdown',comes across as a glacial goddess.I'm not worthy.Alistair Sim's lugubrious narration provides a perfect framing device building a sense of anticipation and atmosphere.I don't find the movie slow and I was surprised that people find it 'talkie',maybe its modern audiences with their legendary short attention span!

From the opening words of Sim's narration, mystery lovers understand that they are in store for a whimsical treat. Who is the murderer in the operating theatre? Sally Gray and Trevor Howard also deliver vivid portrayals of most interesting characters. Leo Genn also adds a nice bit as a head surgeon who is a bit of a lothario. This is marvelous entertainment.

Green For Danger (and how cheeky is THAT title!) is a bravura example of simplicity in the art of movie making. It's a rural whodunnit set in WWII (it was nearly banned in case it frightened soldiers from going to hospital!) wherein a small group of medical professionals soon discover there is a murderer in their midsts after the homicide of a soldier. Enter a Scotland Yard Inspector (Sim) to tidy up the loose ends and swiftly solve the case - before handing in his resignation!!! This film, despite its whimsical charm, is replete with fine examples of every film-making ingredient. The acting (though a tad stiff) is dead on the ball; the dialogue is always precise and frequently ingenious (Sim's music hall gag about impurities...); the editing is never less than effective and the direction and cinematography constantly inspired (the mood and lighting for the second murder is awesome). It is clear from this type of gem that the ingredients of cinematic success are not always excessive ones - unless it is an excess of skill and talent; and this film has that in abundance. On top of this it also has the gorgon-eyed brilliance of Alistair Sim: a man late to his profession but BOY did he make up for it! Check out his delivery in this film and his constantly out-of-kilter (and surely spontaneous) body language. He is an actor relishing being the fulcrum of every scene he's in - and even those he isn't: The night-time scene in the woods being a perfect example of his equal gift for comedy and scene stealing. And he still makes me laugh out loud!

Directed and produced by Sidney Gilliat and Frank Launder, the British mystery-comedy Green for Danger is a rare treat. Featuring the incomparable Alastair Sim as Cockrill, a bumbling Scotland Yard detective and the redoubtable Trevor Howard as a suspicious doctor, the plot is a convoluted murder mystery in which five people have motive and means to commit murder -- but whodunit? Set in a rural British hospital (that looks like an Elizabethan mansion) during the latter stages of World War II, two people are murdered before you can say "buzz bomb". The first suspicious death occurs when a postman suddenly dies on the operating table after receiving an anaesthetic. This is soon followed by the death of Nurse Marion Bates (Judy Campbell) after she announces at a party that she has found evidence to expose the killer. The possible killer includes the uptight Dr. Barnes (Trevor Howard), the emotionally unstable Nurse Sanson (Rosamund John), Nurse Woods (Megs Jenkins), Nurse Linley (Sally Gray), the object of affection from both doctors, and the philandering surgeon, Mr. Eden (Leo Genn). Each one of the suspects looks and acts guilty. There are many twists and turns and, without giving anything away, a staged mock operation after an attempted third murder ultimately will tell the tale. But the film belongs to Alastair Sim. The word whimsical must have been invented with him in mind. You just cannot take things too seriously when he is around. His capricious charm and impudent smile lights up every dark shadow in the old hospital. Green for Danger is a bit stodgy but lots of fun.