The Small World of Sammy Lee (1963)

Director:

Ken Hughes

Writer:

Ken Hughes (screenplay)

Release Date:

April 1963 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The compère of a seedy strip club struggles to keep one step ahead of the bookies to whom he owes money. |

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Cast

Anthony Newley	...	Sammy 'Lee' Leeman
Julia Foster	...	Patsy
Robert Stephens	...	Gerry Sullivan
Wilfrid Brambell	...	Harry
Warren Mitchell	...	Lou Leeman
Miriam Karlin	...	Milly
Kenneth J. Warren	...	Fred
Clive Colin Bowler	...	Johnny
Toni Palmer	...	Joan
Harry Locke	...	Stage Manager
Al Mulock	...	Dealer
Cyril Shaps	...	Maurice 'Morrie' Bellman
Roy Kinnear	...	Lucky Dave
Derek Nimmo	...	Rembrandt
Harry Baird	...	Buddy Shine

Runtime:

107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:X | UK:12 (video rating) | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Company:

British Lion Film Corporation

Trivia:

In the opening credits, a cinema marquee advertising Naked as Nature Intended (1961) appears. This was done as a favour to the film's director George Harrison Marks, who was a friend of Sammy Lee star Anthony Newley.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Trailer Cinema (1992) (TV)

Excellent Black-and-White photography, vivid, brilliant

I recently watched this movie in a newly made print with German subtitles during an Austrian film festival which showed a retrospective of the work of Wolf Suschitzky, the D.O.P. of this movie. Though 95 years old, he was present and I asked him afterward about the superb quality of the picture with "the blacks as real blacks and the whites glaringly white". It was probably shot with English Ilford stock of low sensitivity. Suschitzky pointed out that the most important thing is the quality of the print material and how experienced labs can handle this. I recommend this movie for anyone seriously interested in black and white film work and for getting moody, well-lit images in a real naturalistic location. Suschitzky tried to avoid bare grays so the grain won't show and even under night conditions there are parts overexposed and therefore white. Overall this movie has a great speed made-up of daring images, a superb jazz soundtrack and fast editing. Fortunately, it doesn't have a hand-held look, every image is carefully lit and composed. It is an enjoyable journey into the live of a very nervous and hasty man who doesn't seem to get anything right and instead is digging into trouble deeper and deeper. Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be available on DVD right now so watch out for the cinema experience.