John Mills is “The October Man”

The October Man (1947) is a British mystery film directed by Roy Ward Baker and starring John Mills and Joan Greenwood. The screenplay was written by novelist Eric Ambler who also served as producer.

Jim Ackland (Mills) sustains a brain injury in a bus accident and a young girl in his care is killed. The guilt, combined with the brain injury has Jim filled with guilt. His guilt led him to attempt suicide twice while he was in recovery.

Once out of the hospital, Jim gets a job as a chemist and lives in a boarding house with an assortment of interesting characters, to say the least. He meets a young woman, Jenny Carden (Joan Greenwood) the sister of a work colleague, and the relationship becomes serious.

One of the rooming house residents, Molly Newman (Kay Walsh) asks Jim if she can borrow 30 pounds, a considerable sum. Jim writes her a check and she is found murdered the next day.

Because of Jim’s hospitalization for a brain injury, he immediately becomes the prime suspect. Jenny tries to convince Jim that he couldn’t have murdered Molly, but Jim isn’t so sure. He wonders if he might have murdered her in some kind of trance.

Is Jim a murderer? Or is there another murderer out there who could murder again?

Roy Ward Baker (1916 – 2010) was an English film director. When Baker was 17, he worked in menial jobs in the British film industry. He rose through the ranks and was appointed assistant director to Alfred Hitchcock on The Lady Vanishes. He served in the Army during World War II, where one of his superiors was novelist Eric Ambler. Ambler gave Baker his first big break with The October Man (1947).

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office success. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

Joan Greenwood (1921 – 1987) was an English actress. She had a successful film and stage career in her native country. She may be most famous for her role as Sibella in Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949). Other films she starred in include The Man in the White Suit (1951), Stage Struck (1958) co-starring Henry Fonda, and Tom Jones (1963).

The October Man trivia

• The little girl on the bus with Jim Ackland is Juliet Mills, John Mills’s real-life daughter.
• This was the first feature-length movie by Roy Ward Baker who may be best known for directing A Night to Remember (1958).
• Roy Ward Baker directed John Mill in six movies. This was the first.
• Roy Ward Baker was the assistant director on Alfred Hitchcock’s The Lady Vanishes (1938).
• He directed several films in America including Don’t Bother to Knock (1952) starring Richard Widmark and Marilyn Monroe.

To watch the film on YouTube, click here.

 

 

Click here to join the discussion on November 20, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation with a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. What did you think of John Mill’s performance? Was he believable as a man who had doubts about his own sanity?
2. When the murderer was revealed, were you surprised or did you guess who it was?
3. If you were Jenny, would you have been convinced that Jim was innocent?
4. As a first-time feature-length director, were you impressed with Baker’s skill?
5. Did this film remind you of any others you’ve seen?
6. Knowing that he worked with Hitchcock, do you see any similarities with the Master of Suspense?

 

 

John Mills has “Great Expectations” in the David Lean adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic

Great Expectations (1946) is a British drama directed by David Lean and based on the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens and starring John Mills and Valerie Hobson. The strong supporting cast included Jean Simmons, Finlay Currie, Martita Hunt, Torin Thatcher, and Alec Guinness. The cinematography by Guy Green won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, Black-and-White.

Orphan Phillip “Pip” Pirrip (Anthony Wager) lives with his mean older sister and her kindhearted blacksmith husband, Joe Gargery. While visiting his parents’ graves, Pip meets Abel Magwitch, an escaped convict (Currie). Magwitch intimidates young Pip into bringing him tools to remove his chains. Pip brings him the tools and food too. Magwitch thanks him for his efforts but is eventually captured and sent to jail.

An eccentric spinster named Miss Havisham (Hunt) arranges to have Pip provide companionship for her adopted daughter Estella (Jean Simmons). Estella treats Pip cruelly but he is entranced by her beauty and finds himself falling in love with her.

As Pip (Mills) grows older, a secret benefactor provides him with money and privilege in London. Pip has no idea who his benefactor is. The lawyer Mr. Jaggers says that his benefactor wants to remain anonymous. Pip still pines for Estella (Hobson) even though she still treats him indifferently.

Will Pip ever discover his benefactor and will he find true love with Estella?

Alec Guinness and John Mills

Great Expectations trivia

• Alec Guinness and Martita Hunt were both in the stage production of Great Expectations.
• This was Guinness’s first significant screen role. It was the first of six movies he would make with Lean.
• Jean Simmons who played young Estella would go on to play Miss Havisham in the 1989 TV mini-series.
• David Lean had never read any Dickens when it was suggested that he direct an adaptation.
• Tony Wager who played young Pip was three years younger than Jean Simmons.

 

To watch the movie on YouTube, click here.

 

 

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Discussion questions

1. If you are familiar with the novel, how close do you think the film was to the book?
2. This film made John Mills a major star in England. What did you think of his performance?
3. Many critics thought that Valerie Hobson was miscast as Estella. Do you agree?
4. The film won an Academy Award for its black-and-white cinematography. Do you think it was well deserved?
5. Did you have a favorite character actor or performance?
6. This film is widely considered the best screen adaptation of a Dickens novel. Do you agree?

Robert Newton and Celia Johnson head the cast in David Lean’s “This Happy Breed”

This Happy Breed (1944) is a British drama directed by David Lean and starring Robert Newton, Celia Johnson, Stanley Holloway, and John Mills. The screenplay is by Lean, Anthony Havelock-Allan, and Ronald Neame. The screenplay is based on the play This Happy Breed (1939) by Noel Coward.

The story dramatizes the life of a suburban London family from 1919 to the early years of World War II.

Robert Newton and Celia Johnson

David Lean (1908 - 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He is considered one of the greatest and most influential directors of all time. Lean started out working in silent films where he worked his way up from teaboy to film editor. He made the transition to talking pictures and in directed his first feature In Which We Serve in 1942 which was made in collaboration with Noel Coward. Lean collaborated with Coward on This Happy Breed (1944), Blithe Spirit (1945), and Brief Encounter (1945) widely considered one of the greatest British films ever made. Today Lean is best known in America for his epic productions of films like The Bride on the River Kwai, Lawrence of Arabia, Doctor Zhivago (1965), and A Passage to India (1984).

Robert Newton (1905 – 1956) was a popular English actor and is probably best remembered for his role as Long John Silver in the Walt Disney version of Treasure Island (1950). His exaggerated accent in that role is credited with what we consider the “pirate voice.” Newton was a popular player in London’s West End and he also appeared on Broadway, replacing Laurence Olivier in Private Lives. He made several films in Hollywood including The Desert Rats (1953), Les Miserables (1952), Blackbeard the Pirate (1952), and The High and the Mighty (1954).

Celia Johnson (1908 - 1982) was an English actress who was a star on the stage, film, and television. She was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her performance in Brief Encounter. Other films Johnson starred in include This Happy Breed (1944) and Captain's Paradise (1953). Later in her career, Johnson won a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie (1969).

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

This Happy Breed trivia

• Laurence Olivier is the narrator during the film’s opening.
• David Lean’s first Technicolor movie and first solo directing credit.
• John Mills was the only cast member to reprise his role for the film.
• Robert Donat was offered the role of Frank Gibbons but turned it down.
• Celia Johnson plays John Mills’s mother-in-law but they were both the same age in real life.

 

To watch the film on YouTube, click here or the link below.

 

Discussion questions

1. Do you think Lean had an underlying message in the telling of the story of the Gibbons family?
2. Did Newton and Johnson make a believable married couple?
3. Were the family situations realistic? Could you relate to any of them?
4. Did the situation with Queenie (Kay Walsh) ring true?
5. Did you have a favorite character or scene?
6. Were you surprised that the film was in Technicolor? Was color a plus?

 

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Charles Laughton, John Mills, and Brenda de Banzie star in “Hobson’s Choice”

Hobson’s Choice (1954) is a British romantic comedy film directed by David Lean and starring Charles Laughton, John Mills, and Benda de Banzie. The film is based on the play of the same name written by Harold Brighouse. The film’s setting is 1880 Salford, England.

Henry Horatio Hobson (Laughton) is the proprietor of a somewhat fancy boot shop that he runs with his three daughters. Hobson is a widower who rules his business with an iron hand. He doesn’t even pay his daughter any wages. Not only do they work for him, but they keep house for him as well.

The eldest daughter, Maggie (de Banzie) has a real head for business and at 30 years old, she’s too old for marriage, according to her father. One of his main reasons for believing this is because she’s invaluable to his business. The two younger sisters are both keeping company with young professional men but their father is against paying marriage settlements.

Maggie decides that she wants to get out from under her father’s control so she sets her sights on Will Mossop, the most talented boot maker in the city. She convinces him that they should marry and start their own boot business. At first, Will is reluctant. However, Maggie sees potential in Will and she is determined to develop it. She tutors him in writing and advises him in the ways of business.

As a married couple, Maggie and Will have managed to turn their little startup into a very profitable business.

How will this all work out with Henry Hobson who has resented his daughter’s foray into the boot business in direct completion with him?

Brenda di Banzie and John Mills

Charles Laughton (1899 – 1962) had a long career on the stage and in Hollywood. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor for his portrayal of Henry VIII in The Private Life of Henry VIII (1933) and was nominated for two other Best Actor Oscars for his performances in Mutiny on the Bounty (1933) and Witness for the Prosecution (1957). His performance in The Suspect is considered one of Laughton’s most natural screen performances, which is credited to director Siodmak, a close personal friend of the actor.

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

Brenda de Banzie (1909 – 1981) was a British actress of stage and screen. American film audiences may remember her as Lucy Drayton in Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956), but she had many roles in British cinema. She costarred with Laurence Olivier as his wife in The Entertainer (1960). She starred with Olivier on Broadway in role she created, for which she was nominated for a Tony Award. Other film roles include The Mark (1961), and The Pink Panther (1963).

John Mills, Brenda di Banzie, and Charles Laughton

Hobson’s Choice trivia

• Charles Laughton played the role of Hobson on the stage as a teenager.
• Brenda de Banzie plays a 30-year-old in the film but was 44 at the time of filming.
• John Mills was only nine years younger than Charles Laughton and considered his role as  Will Mossop among his favorite film roles.

To watch the film on YouTube, click the link below.

 

To join the discussion on July 24, 2023, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time, click here. Once you RSVP, you will receive an invitation and a link to join the discussion on Zoom.

Discussion questions

1. What was your overall impression of the film?
2. Did you find the family relationships relatable?
3. Was the relationship between Will and Maggie believable?
4. Which role did you think was most critical to the success of the film?
5. Did anything about this film surprise you?

John Mills, Horst Buchholz, and Hayley Mills struggle in “Tiger Bay”

Tiger Bay (1959) is a British crime drama directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, Horst Buchholz, and Hayley Mills in her first major film role.

The plot centers around a young Polish sailor named Bronislav (“Bronek”) Korchinsky (Buchholz) who returns from a voyage to visit his girlfriend, Anya (Yvonne Mitchell). He discovers that she is no longer living in the apartment he was paying for, he tracks her down at her new flat. There she tells him that she no longer wants him and is involved with a married man (Anthony Dawson). They argue and in a fit of jealously, he hits her. She defends herself with a gun, but Bronek takes the gun from her and shoots her dead. 

Unbeknownst to Bronek at the time, a young tomboy named Gillie (Mills) watches the whole scene through the letterbox. Gillie at first fears for her life when Bronek confronts her, but instead the two develop a bond that will change both their lives.

Hayley Mills and Horst Buchholz

J. Lee Thompson (1914 - 2002) was a British film director. He made pictures in England and Hollywood and is best remembered for Cape Fear (1962) and The Guns of Navarone (1961). Thompson began his career as a screenwriter and dialogue coach. After a stint in the RAF during World War II, he went back to screenwriting. In 1950 he directed his first feature Murder Without Crime (1950) in England. Other Hollywood films directed by Thompson include What a Way to Go! (1964), John Goldfarb, Please Come Home (1965), and Mackenna’s Gold (1969).

John Mills (1908 - 2005) was an English actor who made over 100 films in the United States and in Great Britain. He won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Ryan’s Daughter (1970). Mills worked on the stage in London in the Noel Coward revue Words and Music (1932). He made his film debut in the U.K. in 1932 and appeared with Ida Lupino in The Ghost Camera (1933). He had a supporting role in Goodbye Mr. Chips (1939) starring Robert Donat. Mills starred as Pip in Great Expectations (1946) to great acclaim and popular box office. Mills continued acting into the 2000s.

Horst Buchholz (1933 - 2003) was a German actor who was once called “the German James Dean” was an international movie star and voice artist. In America, he starred in The Magnificent Seven (1960), On, Two Three (1961). He starred opposite Leslie Caron in Fanny (1961) and Nine Hours to Rama (1963). He’s almost as famous for the roles that got away. He was offered the roles of Tony in West Side Story (1961) and Sherif Ali in Lawrence of Arabia (1962) but scheduling conflicts prevented him from starring in those films.

Hayley Mills (1946 - ) is an English actress and at one time was one of the biggest child stars in the world. The daughter of actor John Mills and Mary Hayley Bell and younger sister of Juliet Mills, she got her start in films playing Gillie in Tiger Bay (1959). It was her performance in that film that brought her to the attention of Walt Disney and international stardom. Mills made her American movie debut in Pollyanna (1960), winning the Academy Juvenile Award in the process. Other films she made at Disney include The Parent Trap (1961), In Search of the Castaways (1962), Summer Magic (1963), and That Darn Cat! (1965).

Tiger Bay trivia:

• The role of Gillie was meant to be a boy, but when the director met John Mill’s daughter Hayley, he thought making Gillie a girl would improve the movie.
• This was the English-speaking movie debut of Horst Buchholz.
• John Mills said that Hayley received no film offers in the U.K. after her acclaimed performance.
• John and Hayley Mills worked together again in The Chalk Garden (1964).

To watch the film on YouTube, click on the link below.

To join the discussion on Zoom on Tiger Bay on February 16, 2021, at 6:30 p.m. Central Time click on the link here. Once you RSVP, you will get an email with a Zoom link.

Questions for discussion:

1. Do you think the film would have been different if the role of Gillie had been played by a boy?
2. Why do you think Gillie bonded with Bronek?
3. Did anything about the film surprise you?
4. What do you think happened to Bronek after his arrest at the end?