Review for An Inspector Calls
An Inspector Calls is a simple story of an uninvited guest. A family dinner is interrupted by a mysterious Inspector Poole who brings them the news that a young lady has died. All of those present may have played some part in her death. Poole is seemingly able to reveal everyone's involvement in the grisly death of the young girl, but who is this Inspector and why is he doing his investigation in this way?
I studied this film when I was in University and so I may be a little biased when I say that it is wonderful. The way the film is set up, the characters and the general flow of the narrative is perfect. Having also seen the original play, this film is possibly as close as you could get to replicating that.
What I always loved about the play and film is the feeling of 'coincidence and consequence' that brings all of the characters in contact with Eva and contribute to her death. This element and feeling was almost perfected in Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia and the weaving of the characters around certain events and moments is just perfect. As the film continues you get to see the consequences of an action or maybe not? The ambiguity of the play and film is one of the things that makes it so entertaining and intriguing.
The performances of the cast are wonderful and Alastair Sim as Inspector Poole is wonderful as always. There is a creepy, macabre feel to how he portrays the character and this is something he had already perfected in Scrooge a few years earlier. The rest of the cast are all solid with Jane Wenham as the ill-fated Eva a sympathetic victim of the Birling family.
The actual staging of the film could be classed as 'Typical 1950s English Drama' in the vein of anything Ealing would have produced. It is a very simple film, but unlike the play, we get to view what the family have done to Eva and the use of flashback to tell this part of the story is very effective. By the end, we really sympathise with the character of Eva and the finally few minutes of the film are a perfect mix of tension with a twist.
My only problem with this seemingly special edition is that apart from the wonderful print of the film, it is simply an average release. The only Extra is an interview with Jane Wenham which is less than seven minutes long. That's it. No commentaries, no look back at the film or anyone who was involved, not even a trailer. It was almost like they thought the film would sell the disk itself. Sadly, despite how much I enjoyed it, there's simply not enough here to recommend it. When you consider this is supposed to be a '60th Anniversary Edition' I shudder to imagine what a 'Basic' version of the film would be like?
An Inspector Calls is a great film, let down by a rather average release. If you are studying the play or just want to watch some classic English film making, then this is the film for you. If you are wanting to know more about the film itself, you may need to call elsewhere.
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