The number one British box-office movie of its year was this Ealing drama (they weren't all comedies) set in post-war London and centring on the killing of a popular policeman by a spivvy young hoodlum. The film however is more than that, combining close observation of police operations especially in pursuit of a cop-killer but also the general public going about their everyday lives.
For the first half of the film we're introduced to the two strands of the narrative which will intertwine at the turning point, which is obviously the shooting of Jack Warner's in-with-the-bricks policeman, P. C. Dixon, here of Paddington Green but later resurrected and stationed at Dock Green in the long-running BBC TV Show, Firstly, we get to know the experienced Dixon, happily married to his matronly wife, a regular bobby on the beat, liked and respected by his colleagues. He's paired with young new boy P. C. Andy Mitchell, played by Jimmy Hanley and even offers him digs with him and his missus. We see the police going about their everyday duties, not always respected by the public they serve but in the main dispensing common sense as they go. Behind the scenes, we see the coppers off-duty, even conducting choir-practice, the point being to show they're not much different from the men and women on the street.
This is contrasted with the entry of Dirk Bogarde as Tom Riley, a good-looking but nasty young hoodlum, who with his mate Patric Doonan as Spud, carries out robberies in the neighbourhood. Also in tow with him is Riley's new girlfriend, runaway teenager Diana, played by Peggy Evans.
The film dramatically changes the second Riley shoots down Dixon as the police go through their paces to track down the cop-killer and soon end up on Riley's trail, leading to a surprisingly exciting car-chase and indeed car-crash through the streets of London.
The film stops short of explaining why Bogarde's character is the way he is and also doesn't show his subsequent trial and inevitable death by hanging, the director's intent no doubt being to focus on the human drama rather than run deeper into either social commentary or courtroom drama. While some of the situations and characters depicted might seem parochial looking back over seventy years ago, director Deardon does a very good job mixing documentary-like technique with dramatic action in creating a film which clearly resonated with its contemporary audience.
Bogarde shines as the nasty piece of work Riley in his breakthrough role while you can already see Warner stepping into the slippers of the role which would define his career. Evans' acting, on the other hand is overly histrionic, but the ill-fated Doonan is better as Bogarde's unwilling accomplice. Bernard Lee, later M in the Connery-era Bond movies, demonstrates his facility in playing authority figures as Inspector Cherry.
Whilst in the shadow of say, "Brighton Rock" in its portrayal of petty crime and the wider poor working class folk (notice how distrusting the young children are of the police), with its use of real-life locations, notably the climactic scenes at White City Stadium and recognisable characters in believable situations, "The Blue Lamp" is a commendable, skilfully made, very British, crime thriller, still worth watching today.
For the first half of the film we're introduced to the two strands of the narrative which will intertwine at the turning point, which is obviously the shooting of Jack Warner's in-with-the-bricks policeman, P. C. Dixon, here of Paddington Green but later resurrected and stationed at Dock Green in the long-running BBC TV Show, Firstly, we get to know the experienced Dixon, happily married to his matronly wife, a regular bobby on the beat, liked and respected by his colleagues. He's paired with young new boy P. C. Andy Mitchell, played by Jimmy Hanley and even offers him digs with him and his missus. We see the police going about their everyday duties, not always respected by the public they serve but in the main dispensing common sense as they go. Behind the scenes, we see the coppers off-duty, even conducting choir-practice, the point being to show they're not much different from the men and women on the street.
This is contrasted with the entry of Dirk Bogarde as Tom Riley, a good-looking but nasty young hoodlum, who with his mate Patric Doonan as Spud, carries out robberies in the neighbourhood. Also in tow with him is Riley's new girlfriend, runaway teenager Diana, played by Peggy Evans.
The film dramatically changes the second Riley shoots down Dixon as the police go through their paces to track down the cop-killer and soon end up on Riley's trail, leading to a surprisingly exciting car-chase and indeed car-crash through the streets of London.
The film stops short of explaining why Bogarde's character is the way he is and also doesn't show his subsequent trial and inevitable death by hanging, the director's intent no doubt being to focus on the human drama rather than run deeper into either social commentary or courtroom drama. While some of the situations and characters depicted might seem parochial looking back over seventy years ago, director Deardon does a very good job mixing documentary-like technique with dramatic action in creating a film which clearly resonated with its contemporary audience.
Bogarde shines as the nasty piece of work Riley in his breakthrough role while you can already see Warner stepping into the slippers of the role which would define his career. Evans' acting, on the other hand is overly histrionic, but the ill-fated Doonan is better as Bogarde's unwilling accomplice. Bernard Lee, later M in the Connery-era Bond movies, demonstrates his facility in playing authority figures as Inspector Cherry.
Whilst in the shadow of say, "Brighton Rock" in its portrayal of petty crime and the wider poor working class folk (notice how distrusting the young children are of the police), with its use of real-life locations, notably the climactic scenes at White City Stadium and recognisable characters in believable situations, "The Blue Lamp" is a commendable, skilfully made, very British, crime thriller, still worth watching today.