A Matter of Choice (1963)

A MATTER OF CHOICE is an interesting piece of social drama mixed with more traditional crime and thriller aspects which viewers of British B-cinema will be used to. It's directed by the hard-working Vernon Sewell and tells an atypical story about a couple of skirt-chasing young men whose lives fatefully cross with those of an adulterous couple one night. The ponderous narration at the film's opening alerts us to the fact that this is a morality piece, exploring how a single trivial decision can lead unknowingly into disaster.The problem with the film is that it's very slowly paced and the main plot elements don't occur until half the movie has elapsed. The viewer is saddled with the two youths for much of the running time and they don't make for much in the way of company, stuck in the same kind of superficial rut as the characters in THE DAMNED, BEAT GIRL, THE SYSTEM, and a dozen other similar works of social commentary released during the era.The second half includes the police investigation and is more involved. There's a nice role for Ballard Berkeley, for once cast against type as a cuckolded husband. Anthony Steel (ALBERT, R. N.) does well as the adulterer too. The ending is solid, but doesn't feel of much consequence really, and the whole thing has dated somewhat since release. As such, A MATTER OF CHOICE is a mildly interesting curio, nothing more.

AMOC is another of those low-budget 1960s black-and-white films that I enjoy, though unlike others available on "movie channels", there were hardly any nostalgic shots of contemporary London.It gets off to a slow start with lots of talking (but some period atmosphere), and I started to fidget and wonder where it was leading. Then it got better, as the two lads found themselves getting into more and more trouble. Early in the film, they came across as obnoxious (somewhat impoverished "Hooray Henrys"), but I started to feel just a little sympathy for their predicament. (One of them remarks ruefully that the girl who stood him up was "only 15", an attitude that might outrage society today but back in the 1960s was not that exceptional.) And the way the film ends means they will still be in deep trouble - something that viewers are left to realise for themselves.I wonder what Anthony Steele thought about "starring" in this modest film after being a major name in the 1950s? He has less of a speaking role than half-a-dozen of the other actors and spends some screen-time unconscious.I'm glad that after my early doubts I persevered with watching this film.

This is an entertaining drama.It contains a whole raft of coincidences but nevertheless makes them in an entertaining fashion.After all Anthony Steel is in the car with his lover when he dashes out to try and catch the lads,leaving his overcoat and insulin in the car.The lads happen to run into the mews where the lover lives with Ballard Berkeley.Having laid him out they then park him in of all places Berkeley's garage.Berkeley comes home and leaves his car by the car doors so the lads cannot get out that way,and so on.Interesting to see Anthony Steel on his way down after being the pin up boy of the British Cinema in the 1950s.Berkley on the other hand,whilst nearing the end of his career had one more shining moment as the major in Fawlty Towers.

It's been about 15 years since I saw this film but I recall it was actually a very good film. It deals with the implications of everyday decisions, in this case the decision made by two people over which route to take home, and how these fateful decisions can effect a wide circle of people. Low budget and black and white with no standout acting performances, it is nevertheless coherent and thought provoking.