Pool of London (1951)

London docklands in the 1950's . Just a little before my time . I was 12 at the time of filming ,but a few years on when I was 15 I cycled around the Pool with my friends and this movie brought back memories. We also cycled around the Beacton power station and always ended up in a greasy spoon for a meat pie and a cup of builders tea. Great days for so little money.I still remember how things have changed those old buildings have gone and the docks have given way to Docklands and Canary Wharf along with the trappings of super luxury apartments and financial centers. The Thames has altered , so clean, there are so many species of fish. One thing about the film was the Thames sailing barges they have gone, Shame. The film was an excellent example of life in post war London. If you get a chance watch it. the chase through London on a Sunday morning and the old police cars smashing!!.

As a post-war British movie, this has it all in terms of story and setting. The backdrop in the stark, bomb-site ridden City of London, centred round the old docks by Tower Bridge, brings home the reality of everyday privations in a period of austerity before the gradual economic recovery during the 1950s. Good acting across the board from Bonar Colleano to Max Adrian. I liked Colleano in the Way to the Stars and he is just as convincing in this thriller, one of the better examples of the British (Ealing) crime film of the period.I can see why it is sometimes called 'noir' but I think that's more to do with the effective cinematography than the storyline, which is enhanced in interest by including a Jamaican seaman. sympathetically played by Earl Cameron. As another commentator said, it is nice to see that he has consistently acted until today.I appreciated the comments from admirers of this film who were involved in the film-making, and lived in the area where it was filmed. These kind of comments help make IMDb the informative and interesting film site it is; thank you to them.Thoroughly enjoyed this film and recommend it to anyone interested in this crucial period of British film-making.

I worked on this film as an apprentice electrician,working for Hays Wharf in To0ley street London s.e.1I was about 16 at the time,and used to put cargo lights on the dockside cranes for the night shoot.They were shot at Mark Browns wharf,which was adjacent to Tower Bridge,and a part of the Hays Group.I can remember Bonar Colleano,and he was always very polite to all of the people attending,always had a cheery Hi,for everyone,a very nice chap.a lot of the scenes on the boat were shot on Sundays or Saturday afternoons,but the ones that were shot on working days were a bit hectic as there were Dockside cranes working overhead,plus Lister trucks dashing about moving the produce to the different warehouses.I also attended the shots where they had been out for the evening and came home to the old house.This was shot in a road called Wilds Rents and was next to Tooley Street,and is in fact still there,but not the houses.The ship was actually the Jaroslav Dowbroski,and they used to paste a paper name on her before she came under Tower Bridge.I have a DVD copy of the film and it still brings back memories.I was surprised at the amount of racial prejudice in the film when i saw it at a much later date,i don't think that this film could be made to-day without some protest.It was however a very good reflection of the times,as there were very few (coloured) people in this country,and those that were were mostly Seamen.The austerity of Post War Britain is also very stark,and a reminder of the hard times just after the 2nd world war.I lived in Bermondsey,and we suffered the heaviest Bombing of any of the London Boroughs,57 continuous nights from 10.30pm until 5.30 am,during which time there was much devastation in the borough.All in all i loved this film for its stark reality and portrayal of the times,plus the easy going acting of Bonar and James Robertson Justice.All in all very well type cast,and a good performance by all.Bill K

This is a much overlooked and underrated Ealing gem. It features fine performances by Bonar Colleano and Earl Cameron as his friend and ship-mate. Cameron's performance is an important and groundbreaking one for a black actor in a British movie. The location shots of post-war London are wonderful. I thoroughly commend this movie