West 11 (1963) User Reviews

Smoothly made little Brit-pic

[ianbrown65 · 6/10 · 7 January 2016]

A minor but very smoothly made example of British film noir. Director Michael Winner, then at the start of his career, had a strong cast (Alfred Lynch, Eric Portman, Diana Dors, Finlay Currie, et al) to inhabit this starkly photographed little crime melodrama set in London bedsit-land, all tacky Notting Hill coffee bars and smoky jazz clubs.

Lynch makes a downbeat but sympathetic protagonist, more thoughtful than the usual type of hero. Portman plays the clipped-moustache ex-military man-turned-swindler to perfection. Dors is just right, too, as a blousy divorcée ("Young enough to still want a husband; old enough not get the one I want").

Winner plays up the salacious sex element a bit, but a tight Keith Waterhouse/Willis Hall script touches on Lynch's Catholic guilt, and Currie's existential search for 'truth', just enough to give the story a modicum of depth. There's also an evocative score by Stanley Black, with Acker Bilk on sax.

Until latterly a neglected, even scorned, cinema sub-genre, these usually low-budget British film noirs, often superbly photographed, were violent by the standards of their day, and showed the rain-washed streets of cities like Newcastle (Payroll), Manchester (Hell Is a City) and Brighton (Jigsaw), as well as London, could be pretty mean, too.

Winner's next film, The System with Oliver Reed, was even better.

Where Trustafarians Roam...................

[ianlouisiana · 8/10 · 6 October 2007]

For many years now scions of the rich have vicariously lived a glib and cushioned version of street life cheek by jowl with those who walk the walk as well as talking the talk.In those far - off days of the early 1960s Notting Hill - unrecognisable to dear,dear Hugh and Julia - was a far more gloomy and grimy district,prime bedsit territory with landlords like the much - feared and detested Peter Rachman terrorising their unfortunate tenants.This is the world explored by Mr M.Winner's cruelly neglected "West 11". It is usually forgotten by all except its proponents when British neo - realist cinema of the era is discussed.This is an injustice,for,in my opinion,it deserves to be considered in the same breath as the better - known works of Richardson,Sleschinger,Anderson et al. Although entitled to claim membership of the Oxbridge Mafia,Mr Winner has ploughed a lonely furrow,a true maverick of the British cinema. In "West 11" we have an early expiation of his favourite theme of urban alienation and the loss of purpose and sense of individualism in city life.Mr A.Lynch plays a basically decent young man drifting from job to job aimlessly.Desperately short of money he accepts a commission from conman Mr E.Portman to murder his wealthy aunt.He finds himself unable to carry out his task,but the old lady is killed falling down the stairs and he runs off leaving behind his portable chess set which fatally links him to her death.That,shorn of frippery,is the basis of the movie. But the meat is in the detail.Mr F.Currie gives his best performance since "Great Expectations" as Mr Lynch's lonely elderly neighbour, the oft - abused Miss D.Dors is excellent as a proud estranged parent who is hanging out with young people in a sad effort to hold off middle age. Cruelly referred to in the sixties as "forgotten but not gone",she belied that phrase many times in the later stages if her career and is now remembered as an actress of considerable talent. Marvellously photographed by Mr O.Heller,the movie depicts a Notting Hill far less neighbourly than that of its contemporary "The L - shaped room".Here,spite,petty jealousies and malice are abroad. With this and the also woefully neglected "I'll never forget whats 'is name" Mr Winner presents us with an accurate and sharply drawn picture of life in the capital as Britain recovered from its post - war depression.Unfortunately his subsequent reputation as a maker of exploitative and bizarre movies has distracted us from his obvious love and concern for humanity and his passion for making films.

Better than its reputation might suggest.

[MOscarbradley · 6/10 · 16 October 2016]

This low-key British kitchen-sink movie is much better than it's lukewarm reputation might suggest. It's no masterpiece and it's certainly no "Saturday Night and Sunday Morning" or "A Taste of Honey" but it's far from negligible and is worth seeing. It was directed by Michael Winner at a time when he actually made good films and stars the underrated Alfred Lynch as a feckless young man roped into a murder plot by Eric Portman's slimy and possibly bogus ex-army officer. Keith Waterhouse and Willis Hall wrote the above average screenplay and it's superbly shot in its Notting Hill locations by Otto Heller. Others in a fine supporting cast include Diana Dors, Kathleen Harrison and Finlay Currie.

Decent entry in its genre. Dors shines again.

[HillstreetBunz · 7/10 · 25 September 2022]

Clearly a lesser known entry in the 'Angry Young Man" brit flick drams of the early 60s. Like This Sporting Life, Saturday Night, Sunday Morning, Look Back in Anger et al, its all generational conflict and post war miserabilism. This new realism wore itself out as the 60s really took hold and for many, things did change and improve. Perhaps the young lead Alfred Lynch didnt make it as Harris or Finley did, but he sustained a career over decades. Here he is supported by some stalwarts of British cinema (Kathleen Harrison, Eric Portman and Finlay Currie) and even the poor young actress (Kathleen Breck) saddled with the role of 'tart' which says everything about the double standard of the time and nothing about the character herself. But as is so often the case, the standout for talent and charisma is the much missed Diana Dors. Despite her Rank charm school beginnings, her natural acting talent easily makes the most of the ever so slightly ageing good time girl role she has. Her charisma makes her the most compelling of all the players. Star quality that never left her.

Its not great, but its worth a watch, if only as a reasonably authentic period piece. The Director Michael Winner had more commercial success, but this may be as a good a film as he ever made.

London life before it started swinging

[jfryleach · 8/10 · 5 June 2019]

Caught this British Kitchen Noir on the excellent UK film channel Talking Pictures recently - A visual time capsule of young hedonistic London life in the early 60s, Party for tonight and to hell with the hangover and consequences in the morning. Glossy on the outside grim and desperate on the inside in this story. The talent behind the production certainly capture the 1960s grotty bedsit dwellers existence perfectly with excellent cinematography, a sultry jazzy score courtesy of Stanley Black and efficient direction from the soon to be admired/despised directed Michael Winner. Alfred Lynch puts in a good performance as the protagonist in this tale of a man trying to live up to the expectations of the women in his life, walking out of his job, hoping something more exciting will fall his way, unfortunately all that is waiting for him are a shady character with promises of easy money with just one catch - Murder ! Not top drawer Brit Grit, but involving storytelling evoking an era of London Life that was reality for many people.

Atmospheric but not compulsive viewing.

[g-hbe · 5/10 · 31 March 2019]

Maybe it's because I don't much like Alfred Lynch or Michael Winner films generally, but this film dragged terribly. For me, it was only worth watching for the end credit music played beautifully by Mr Acker Bilk, a haunting piece somewhat reminiscent of Bilk's own 'Bitter Harvest' theme. There were some great 'kitchen sink' films made in Britain in the late 50's and early 60's, but this doesn't make the grade.

a forgotten classic of its kind

[ib011f9545i · 8/10 · 14 August 2021]

If anybody actually reads my reviews they will say god he has bought a blu ray of an old British film again.

Yes I have and I really liked this one.

I watched Stranger In The House recently and did not like it much.

But I really liked West 11.

Alfred Lynch plays a dodgy chancer who does not want to work.

He hangs out in pre Beatles/Swinging sixties West London seducing girls and eating in cafes and pubs.

I saw pre Beatles London deliberately because the great soundtrack to this is jazz,characters sit about in jazz clubs.

A year after the film was made I assume the jazz clubs would be struggling for customers and Beat Boom would have been in full swing.

I won't give plot details but I feel this film is a great view of society on the edge of change.

Historians and sociologists write about Kensington/Notting Hill and this film might help their studies.

I know Alfred Lynch best from tv drama Manhunt but mut seek out his other work.

I don't know Kathleen Breck at all.

The cast is full of familiar faces in tiny parts,eg David Hemmings.

I think I saw Anthony Valentine in a party scene.

An forgotten classic of its kind I think.

I bet a lot of people who say they are fans of 1960s British cinema will have never seen this.

I don't recall it ever being on tv.

Rather strange

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 29 May 2019]

With writers who were at the heart of the British new wave and set in a run down Notting Gill,as it was,I was expecting a touch of social realism.However what we get is a film that after much coveting of an X certificate,tends to go into lurid melodrama in the last third.However it was good to see Kathleen Harrison and Frieda Jackson,Finlay Currie and of course Diana Dors.A cast to cherish even if the film is not

Boredom and Crime

[richardchatten · 9/10 · 23 March 2024]

Michael Winner dined out for the rest of his life for testing but not casting Julie Christie for a part in this reminder of those far-off days when even Winner couldn't fail to make a watchable film

Another of that select band of films upon whose behalf fate intervened in the winter of 1963 by covering London in a picturesque covering of snow and employing probably the best cast Winner ever worked with - ranging from Finlay Currie to Francesca Annis - just the title and date tell you that you're in for a treat; with a witty script by Waterhouse & Hall, technical collaborators of the calibre of Otto Heller and designer Robert Jones (the latter with obvious relish placing Tretchikoff's 'Green Lady' on the wall of Diana Dors' apartment) and Mr Acker Bilk on the soundtrack.

A big load of nothing.

[alexanderdavies-99382 · 3/10 · 10 September 2019]

I don't know why anyone would give this film the time of day. It has virtually nothing in its favour and an effective cast quickly goes to waste. I'm a bit surprised that writers like Willis Hall and Keith Waterhouse couldn't have produced a stronger narrative. "West 11" merely stumbles about from one scene to the next, with little continuity. A few characters are completely irrelevant to the story, so why bother having them in the first place? Michael Winner was never a good director in my opinion, more like an average, ordinary hack. Whenever he tried to make something remotely trendy or thought-provoking (like with the above film), Winner is all out at sea! The film may be well photographed - which it is to be fair - but that can't compensate for a weak plot. After all, Alfred Lynch is supposedly persuaded into committing the so-called perfect crime by Eric Portman. The only problem is, this doesn't happen until over an hour of the film has elapsed. So in the meantime, Lynch's character wonders aimlessly around London and drags the audience along with him. The only scenes I feel that work, are the ones Alfred Lynch has with his on-screen mother (well played by Kathleen Harrison). Alas, it doesn't last. Diana Dors was quite watchable, even though she wasn't that important to the story. The producer of "West 11" didn't a good judge of acting potential or those with box office appeal. He had the nerve to turn down different people for the leading role because he felt they were only good enough for "B" films?? Who the hell was he trying to kid? This particular film is just that - a low budget production that not many care about. Alfred Lynch is a very capable leading man and should have been used more in that capacity. It's a pity he's not very well remembered today. I would avoid this tedious mess of a film for all its worth....

Superb! (but under one condition)

[dzericak-49355 · 10/10 · 29 March 2024]

While trying to create a stylish British film noir, Michael Winner unwittingly created an existentialism masterpiece! Only those armed with such expectations will feel that their time is not wasted. Those expecting kitchen sink drama or noir will very probably yawn throughout.

As such, acting in this movie serves its purpose and helps open up the world of boredom, hope and individual aspirations and disappointments. Nicely shot, slowly-paced and with a decent period music deployed to show adequately gloomy passtime activities of the W11 youth and pub-goers of the early 60's, the film satisfies all the criteria required for it to fit into the existentialism category.

Middling kitchen sinker

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 31 December 2020]

WEST 11 is an early film in the career of Michael Winner and it has an atmosphere of the general seediness that seemed to infuse all of his pictures; an early '60s Notting Hill is the most interesting past of this. Alfred Lynch plays a down-on-his-luck youth who gets caught up in the sinister schemes of Eric Portman, but rather than focusing on the crime aspects of the storyline this is more of a kitchen sink/angry young man drama with personal relationships bearing the brunt of the attention. A good supporting cast enlivens it somewhere, but I found it strictly middling.

Winner really does well

[christopher-underwood · 8/10 · 21 June 2023]

It's very interesting, made before the 'swinging sixties' but just after the 'kitchen sink' this was Winner's first significant film although his first had been Play it Cool (1962) staring Billy Fury and Helen Shapiro. Keith Waterhouse worked on the script which is really good and most of the location around Notting Hill Gate. There are some shots around London especially Kensington Gardens and even a great view of Kenwood House in the snow. Much of the scenes are in the snow which I seem to remember in that very cold winter. As the story begins an ex-army officer tries to get the young guy to bump off his old aunt to get her money. (When he first meets him to try and tell him his plan it is in a Wimpy!) We later see him go to Paddington and even down to Corfe Castle in Dorset and the killing attempt is short but rather thrilling. Winner really does do well here and only about 28. I think it looks as there was only one scene in the studio although I'm not sure about the party and dance scenes although we even see Una Stubbs, probably her first film as she's on her knees at a party and a glimpse of Mike Leigh. There is much more than a glimpse, well about 60 seconds and no talking and no mention in the credits but we clearly see David Hemmings as a young hoodlum. Great fun.

An early loser from Michael Winner

[jamesvalentinegardiner · 2/10 · 20 September 2022]

Probably the most interesting thing about this film is seeing what some of the worlds most expensive real estate looked like before gentrification painted all its doors and sucked the life out if it. The Portobello Road locations buzz with life ; if only the script did. Such stalwarts as Kathleen Harrison , Harold Lang and Eric Portman do their best with plot-line completely lacking in plausibility and bristling with superfluous characters. Leading man Alfie Lynch seems completely bored , who wouldn't be? And who on earth cast Diana Dors as an aging has-been ? She was about 30 when it was shot , and as gorgeous as ever.

None of the female characters come out well in this bit of noir-ish kitchen sink , young brainless bimbos who are anybody's for the taking , old harridan land-ladies , tragic heroic Mothers who die young......yawn yawn yawn . An early loser (one of many) from Michael Winner.