Seven Days to Noon

source: Seven Days to Noon

Moviecut—Seven Days to Noon

I'm not a big fan of "the people will panic..." films, so prevalent in the 50's. This film conveys a similar message, but manages to do so in a wonderfully understated manner. We see the British going on with life despite the undercurrent of menace. People going to work, dining, drinking, an unintentional precursor of New York after 9/11. A counterpoint to the plot, and in many ways the strongest element of the film, we have these extraordinary images of London, still laden with the ruins of the "Blitz"...bricks, rubble, vacant lots. An earlier comment spoke of the professor's moral dilemma. He is reproached for his willingness to let millions of average citizens pay the price for his conscience. Certainly, other, less fanatical means were available. Ultimately, we see him less as an ethicist but more of a quiet man of genius driven to madness. It is clear, from his actions, that to him, the lives of others are a mere abstraction. Of special note to me, are the glimpses of soldiers sent on a life-or-death mission, acting not as robots, but as very fallible men, taking a drink, a cigarette or skipping a flat. In essence, human. Most striking of all are the views of a deserted London. Eerie, silent, devoid of humans, but chilling. This is a memorable film for its cinematography, its slices of life, and mostly because it cares about people.

This movie looks back and also forward -back in style and execution to the British wartime documentary tradition ,and forward in theme to the obsession amounting to unjustified paranoia about the nuclear arms race. Barry Jones -giving a brilliant and moving performance -plays a physicist driven to the point of mental collapse and moral crisis by his unease about his job ,which is working on developing nuclear weaponry at a top secret research laboratory.Gripped by a mood of apocalyptic religious fervour he steals the prototype of a new form of nuclear device ,small enough to fit into a briefcase and delivers an ultimatum to the British government (then as now in the invariably incompetent grasp of the Labour Party).They must destroy the nations' stockpile of nuclear arms within 7 days or else he will detonate the device and devastate London in the process. This is not a crazed scientist ,such as that jerk Oppenheimer,but rather a frail sick and tired old man operating from a number of the myriad boarding houses in the shabbier areas of London.the world is run down and has seen better days -like the man himself and his battered and worn bag.The movie is a race against time as the police hunt him down and London is readied for evacuation -scenes shot in a restrained and semi-documentary style . the movie has flaws -the young couple played by Hugh Cross (the scientists' assistant)and Sheila Manahan(the scientists'daughter)are pretty vapid and elicit weak performance .There is a moving cameo from Olive Jones as a fading actress on the verge of prostitution , The movie is the best British contribution to the doomsday cycle of movies in the early 50's and is a striking piece of cinema that becomes at times almost unbearably tense

In this day and age when atomic weapons are everybody's bow and arrows the plot of this film has never been more up to date. The setting of the film in London with the devastation left by the bombing in World War II made a great back drop for the story. I can remember when London really looked like that. Both the plot and the characterisation are believable and the acting more than adequate. But star status must go to the people of London who back in 1950 still had the camaraderie and spirit forged by six years of war. This was a time when people still looked out for each other and this come over well as the story unfolds. With our video making mobile telephones and instant access to news this film may seem tame and dated but don't let the black and white format fool you this is a good story, well told and well worth seeing. Oh, and by the way, we really did talk like that back in 1950.

This is a lovely and seldom seen Oscar-winning film. Before it came on Turner Classic Movies yesterday, I'd never heard of it--probably because it is not often seen and is a bit more low-key and literate than the usual films seen on TV. There are no famous actors in the film, no explosions and no love interest--just exceptional writing and a gripping story from start to finish. A British nuclear scientist has been thinking over a desperate plan for some time, though none of his colleagues know about it. He is so concerned about nuclear annihilation that he's come up with what seems like an insane plan. He'll steal a nuclear device and threaten to blow up central London unless the Brits publicly renounce their nuclear program. However, the man isn't necessarily mad or evil, as he gives the government ample warning in order to give them time to evacuate and blowing up this historic area is a price he thinks is worth it to ensure that nuclear war can be averted. While his scheme is a bit naive (after all, there are other nuclear nations), it does have a certain strange appeal--and this is much of why I liked the film, as they made a crazy thing seem so reasonable. The guy who plays the scientist is Barry Jones and he is great in the part because he's so unassuming and normal looking. During most of the film he's on the run--hiding from authorities until he can ultimately destroy the city center as well as himself. Excellent acting on his part and the rest of the cast, superb writing (which earned this small film the Oscar) and an idea that is fascinating, this is a great film. In many ways, it's highly reminiscent of another wonderful film, THE Satan BUG, which is about an insane scientist who wants to unleash a lethal bacteria upon the world. The only problem with SEVEN DAYS TO NOON is that the central idea of stealing a nuclear device is a bit preposterous and you need to keep yourself from worrying about how this isn't possible--I know it isn't--just go with it!!

Despite a long and active career, which included amongst other things supplying the off-screen 'voice' of Lord Haw Haw in Twelve O'Clock High and creating the role of Socrates in the Broadway production of Maxwell Anderson's Barefoot In Athens, Barry Jones was relatively unknown to cinema-goers in 1950 which made him an ideal choice for Professor Willingdon who, well-shod in London, intends to detonate a nuclear device in its centre unless the Prime Minister agrees to issue a statement prepared by Willingdon. This is one of those British films that DO stand up half a century later which is not, of course, the same as saying they are without flaws - for one thing we never see Willingdon until he has stolen the nuclear device, left home, wife and daughter and made his way to London. What we feel the loss of is a sense of seeing him being slowly driven from brilliant scientist and nondescript family man to someone prepared to unleash devastation on a great capital city. Joan Hickson and Olive Sloan are both solid in support as is Andre Morrell, charged with the task of finding Willingdon but others characters, Willingdon's daughter, his colleague and son-in-law-in-waiting are cheapest cardboard cutouts. Overall the pace is the thing that keeps it interesting, that and the period 'feel' of a lost London. Definitely worth a look.

Gawd knows what planet some reviewers here are living on if they think this movie belongs to the sci-fi genre. Of course it doesn't. It's in a league of its own, a 'protest' movie made before CND was thought of and a film with a social conscience long before other UK film-makers had awakened to the realities of the new world (i.e., nuclear era). There's nothing 'sci-fi' in 'Seven Days To Noon' other than the fact that the writers fictionalised the ease with which a nuclear device could be carried around the streets of a city back in 1950. The issues broached by the movie are all too real, and given the way that at this particular moment in history, when the populace at large was still woefully ignorant of nuclear war (remember, both the US and UK Governments consistently denied that anyone ever died of radiation at Hiroshima; it was the blast-effect wot did it, guv) the movie must rank as one of the bravest made by any British studio. Obviously, it has dated. Obviously, the characterisation and dialogue is out of the Ark. But in 1950, we really weren't that long out of the Ark anyway, our collective simplicities pretty well mirrored in the Cockney stereotypes which people the film. Verdict: a lost gem of British film-making -- but never, ever, an example of science fiction.

Seven Days To Noon is ironically one of those films that has grown into the times rather than be dated. It's certainly a relevant film given the threat of nuclear terror today. But back in 1950 I don't believe the technical expertise was there so that Barry Jones or anyone else could have put a device like that in a briefcase. Take a look at pictures of Fat Man and Little Boy the code names for the weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Those things could not have fit in a briefcase and developments hadn't advanced that far in five years. Now sad to say it actually could be done. Barry Jones is an atomic scientist who is suffering from fatigue and overwork and a questioning mind about what exactly he's developing. His mind snaps and he takes one of the weapons Great Britain has been developing and sends a letter to the Prime Minister. Issue a statement you'll stop the program or he's going to explode his package on Sunday at high noon. That sets up a manhunt for Jones throughout the United Kingdom, but especially of course in London. His note does specify the seat of the government. Andre Morrell as a Scotland Yard Inspector, Hugh Cross as one of his fellow scientists who will have to disarm the device once located, and Sheila Manahan as his daughter lead the search for Jones and the package of destruction he has. Despite the fact that it was a technological impossibility in 1950, Seven Days To Noon is still an effective thriller of a film, worthy of a Hitchcock. It's interesting that they came close to getting Jones a few times before they do catch up. Best in the film is Olive Sloane the frowzy former music hall entertainer who Jones holds as a hostage for a while. She wants to do her bit as well as she's trying to get to Aldershot to entertain the troops. Seven Days To Noon got an Oscar for Best Screen Story. It remains one of the few films that actually grew technologically and became more relevant now than when it first came out.

I have seen it several times & find something new each time A definite classic & the acting superb-details good too Loved the fading actress & her little King Charles Spaniel Victor Madden in one of his early films & dear Joan Hickson just added to the film content Simply loved it