Odd Man Out (1947)

Director:

Carol Reed

Writers:

F.L. Green (by)
F.L. Green (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 April 1947 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

A wounded Irish nationalist leader attempts to evade police following a failed robbery. Action takes place in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Plot Keywords:

Irish | Police | Belfast | Ireland | Northern Ireland

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 2 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

James Mason	...	Johnny McQueen
Robert Newton	...	Lukey
Cyril Cusack	...	Pat
F.J. McCormick	...	Shell
William Hartnell	...	Fencie
Fay Compton	...	Rosie
Denis O'Dea	...	Inspector
W.G. Fay	...	Father Tom
Maureen Delaney	...	Theresa O'Brien
Elwyn Brook-Jones	...	Tober
Robert Beatty	...	Dennis
Dan O'Herlihy	...	Nolan
Kitty Kirwan	...	Grannie
Beryl Measor	...	Maudie
Roy Irving	...	Murphy
Joseph Tomelty	...	'Gin' Jimmy, the cabbie
Arthur Hambling	...	Tom
Ann Clery	...	Maureen
Maura Milligan
Maureen Cusack
Eddie Byrne	...	Policeman - in final scene
Kathleen Ryan	...	Kathleen Sullivan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Wilfrid Brambell	...	Standing Passenger on Tram (uncredited)
Dora Bryan	...	Girl in Telephone Kiosk (uncredited)
Harry Hutchinson	...	Waiter in Crown Bar (uncredited)
Geoffrey Keen	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Madam Kirkwood-Hackett	...	Minor Role (uncredited)
Pat McGrath	...	(uncredited)
Maurice Millard	...	(uncredited)
Noel Purcell	...	Tram Conductor (uncredited)
Guy Rolfe	...	Policeman Watching Kathleen's House (uncredited)

Directed by
Carol Reed

Writing credits
F.L. Green		(by)
F.L. Green		(screenplay) and
R.C. Sherriff		(screenplay)

Produced by
Carol Reed	....	producer
Phil C. Samuel	....	associate producer (as Phil. C.Samuel)
Herbert Smith	....	executive producer in charge of production (uncredited)

Original Music by
William Alwyn

Cinematography by
Robert Krasker		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Fergus McDonell

Casting by
Irene Howard		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Ralph W. Brinton		(as Ralph Brinton)

Makeup Department
Tony Sforzini	....	makeup artist (uncredited)

Production Management
Frank Bevis	....	production manager
Filippo Del Giudice	....	in charge of production (as F. Del Giudice)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Mark Evans	....	assistant director
Tony Hearne	....	second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Roger K. Furse	....	production decor (as Roger Furse)
E. Lindegaard	....	backings (as F. Lindegaard)
E.W. Brister	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Colleen Browning	....	scenic artist (uncredited)
Betty Pierce	....	assistant art director (uncredited)
Stanley Yeomanson	....	assistant constructor (uncredited)

Sound Department
Desmond Dew	....	sound recordist
Sash Fisher	....	sound recordist (as A.Fisher)
Harry Miller	....	sound editor
Peter Davies	....	assistant dubbing mixer (uncredited)
Bill Lewthwaite	....	sound assistant (uncredited)
John W. Mitchell	....	production sound mixer (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Stanley Grant	....	special effects
Bill Warrington	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
H.A.R. Thomson	....	camera operator (as Russell Thomson)
Davis Boulton	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Alan Cullimore	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Laurie Friedman	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Maurice Gillett	....	electrician (uncredited)
Gerry Massy-Collier	....	focus puller (uncredited)

Casting Department
Maude Spector	....	casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Peggy Henderson	....	wardrobe buyer (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Geoffrey Muller	....	assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Muir Mathieson	....	conductor
George Stratton	....	leader: The London Symphony Orchestra

Other crew
Olga Brook	....	continuity (as Olga Brooks)
Cecil F. Ford	....	advisor: Irish (as Cecil Ford)
Joseph Tomelty	....	advisor: Irish
George Leech	....	stand-in: Mr. Mason (uncredited)
J. Arthur Rank	....	presenter (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Two Cities Films (as A Two Cities Film)

Distributors

• General Film Distributors (GFD) (1947) (UK) (theatrical) (released through) (as General Film Distributors Ltd.)
• Universal Pictures (1947) (USA) (theatrical)
• Eagle Lion Film (1947) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Parvisfilmi (1947) (Finland) (theatrical)
• J. Arthur Rank Film (1948) (Germany) (theatrical)
• J.Arthur Rank-Film (1948) (Austria) (theatrical)
• American Broadcasting Company (ABC) (1955) (USA) (TV)
• Parvisfilmi (1959) (Finland) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1966) (Finland) (TV)
• Video Collection International (1986) (UK) (VHS)
• TV3 (1987) (Finland) (TV)
• Paramount Pictures (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Image Entertainment (1999) (USA) (DVD)
• Carlton International (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Gaumont DVD (2004) (France) (DVD)
• Park Circus (2006) (UK) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Future Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Divisa Home Video (2011) (Spain) (DVD)
• Státní Pujcovna Filmu (194?) (Czechoslovakia) (theatrical)
• Criterion Collection, The (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Elephant Films (2013) (France) (video)
• Koch Media (2011) (Germany) (DVD)

Other Companies

• London Symphony Orchestra, The (LSO)  music played by (as The London Symphony Orchestra)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

116 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Finland:K-16 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (video rating) (1986) | Australia:PG | Iceland:12 | West Germany:16 | UK:PG (tv rating) | Netherlands:18 (original rating) (1947)

Filming Locations:

Belfast, County Antrim, Northern Ireland, UK

Company:

Two Cities Films

Trivia:

The framed print hanging on the wall in Father Tom's foyer, just off the vestry is entitled Ecce Homo by Rembrandt van Rijn. Father Tom must have been quite an art lover. Above his fireplace hung a print of The Angel's Head from the (London, National Gallery) Virgin of the Rocks, painted 1506-08, by Leonardo da Vinci, not to be confused with (Louvre) Virgin of the Rocks, painted 1482-03, also by Leonardo da Vinci.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Johnny's three friends are fleeing the police, they run into a little square with a grocer's shop. The shop and the windows above it are lit up. As they run past it, a blind in the left-hand upper window is pulled down. Later, when Dennis tries to draw the police away from Johnny, he runs past the same shop. It can be seen that the blind is now back up again.

Quotes:

Lukey:[about painting a portrait of the wounded Johnny McQueen] There's something to be said about him before he dies.
Tober:And about all of us.
Lukey:I understand what I see in him.
Tober:What is it?
Lukey:It's the truth about us all.
Tober:Is that all?
Lukey:He's doomed.
Tober:So are we all.

Movie Connections:

Featured in A Sense of Carol Reed (2006) (V)

Reed's masterpiece

The settings and photography of this film are absolutely outstanding, Johnny's hiding place, Shell's odd room full of canaries, the elaborate Victorian tavern,the snow covering Johnny as he lies unconscious. I love the Third Man but this is by far my favorite Carol Reed production. It is slow and contemplative and transforms essential theological and philosophical concepts into visual media. It is strange and almost at times hallucinatory, but after all Johnny is often hallucinating in his pain and fever and this dreamlike quality is quite appropriate -- the slow thoughts of a man before he dies, as he tries to figure out what it was about and where he may be going. Reed does so much with film without dialog -- his close-ups of faces, his soft, dark streets and odd angles turn very difficult concepts and feelings into a visual masterpiece. I am always surprised to see how little commentary, what short shrift this excellent film is given