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The Blue Lamp (1950)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writers:
Release Date:
1 June 1950 (USA)
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Tagline:
The unending battle of the city streets
Plot:
The daily routine of two London policemen is interrupted by a killer. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
Won BAFTA Film Award.
Another 1 nomination
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User Comments:
Benign & grandfatherly - or just complacent?
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Cast
(Complete credited cast) | Jack Warner | ... | PC George Dixon |
| Jimmy Hanley | ... | PC Andy Mitchell |
 | Dirk Bogarde | ... | Tom Riley |
| Robert Flemyng | ... | Police Sgt. Roberts |
| Bernard Lee | ... | Inspector Cherry |
| Peggy Evans | ... | Diana Lewis |
| Patric Doonan | ... | Spud |
| Bruce Seton | ... | PC Campbell |
| Meredith Edwards | ... | PC Hughes |
| Clive Morton | ... | Police Sgt. Brooks |
| Frederick Piper | ... | Alf Lewis |
| Dora Bryan | ... | Maisie |
| Gladys Henson | ... | Mrs Dixon |
| Tessie O'Shea | ... | Herself |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
84 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)
Certification:
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The first film of Glyn Houston.
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Goofs:
Revealing mistakes: When car 5-D makes a turn at supposed high speed, just after PC Mitchell says "There they are", a woman and two children on the pavement at the left are also walking slightly faster than usual.
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Spoofed in The Black and Blue Lamp (1988) (TV)
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Soundtrack:
Looking for a Lad
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (25 total)
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Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Blue Lamp (1950)| Recent Posts (updated daily) | User |
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| Locations? | mark.sommers |
| Queenie | philphoto |
| DVD - Region 1 | wdsnls |
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Most crits of The Blue Lamp take the view that it shows the good old British copper as the embodiment of all society's virtues: honest, loyal, and imposing a firm but fair discipline. The major threat to social order comes from undisciplined youth. When order is disrupted, all social elements join forces to enforce discipline and restore order.
I believe a closer look at the film reveals something rather more disturbing. I actually find George Dixon a rather unattractive character! He isn't above using strong-arm tactics on a prisoner (Alf Lewis) and tells Andy Mitchell to finish his tea before rushing to investigate a case of wife-beating ("'E don't kill 'is missus off that quick!"). He is also sarcastic to his colleagues: when a member of the police choir complains about having a frog in his throat, Dixon says sourly he should let the frog do the singing.
More seriously, Dixon fails to appreciate what the modern police are up against. When another officer is coshed during a jewel robbery young Andy Mitchell is rightly concerned, seeing it as an escalation in violence towards the police. Dixon waves the incident aside, the officer "has a good hard head" so no harm was done.
As a result, when faced with Tom Riley wielding a pistol, Dixon thinks traditional respect for police officers and his personal air of authority will win through. The look on his face after being shot isn't pain, it's stunned disbelief.
For me, The Blue Lamp stands as a warning about the turmoil lurking beneath an apparently placid, orderly society and the methods that will be needed to keep things under control. The old ways are no longer enough.