Hue and Cry on DVD (1947)

A customer from Cardiff, Wales , 17/05/2005

'Hue and Cry' tells how a group of teenage boys and a girl foil a criminal organisation in London's post-war underworld. The film shows clearly the impact of the war on ordinary lives: the children play in bombed-out streets and houses while imitating the sounds of bomber aircraft and bomb explosions, London is plagued by criminals who easily outwit the police, and the final battle between crooks and children takes place in the bombed-out warehouses of the Thames' south bank, among the bomb craters, twisted iron and shattered glass, while the young hero and the villain stalk each other through the dark and sinister caverns of a gutted warehouse near Southwark Bridge, described by director Charles Crichton as 'a vast honeycombed shell' whose iron reinforcing bars stand out 'like the bones of a skeleton'. Alternatively, this is a film about a gang of teenage yobs who take the law into their own hands. The fact that most of them started full-time work at the age of thirteen or fourteen does not keep them off the streets or out of trouble! When this film was first released it was greeted with delight by critics and ordinary audiences alike. The film critic Roger Manvell, writing in 'The Penguin Film Review', described it as 'exciting and imaginative and ... entertaining', while Maurice Speed in his annual 'Film Review' for film fans, described it as 'a minor classic', 'unusual' and 'out of the rut'. Almost sixty years later, some viewers will see it as old-fashioned -- it's in black and white, the music is sometimes a little loud, it's obviously a children's fantasy, it's not as profoundly comic or satirical as some of the later Ealing comedies. Yet it remains an exciting drama which depicts life in post-war London more clearly and convincingly than any modern reconstruction, it is funny and it is still excellent family entertainment. Incidentally, there really were twenty-eight teenage lads in that taxi.

  5 out of 5 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

A customer from Manchester , 21/10/2004

A group of criminals use a boy's paper as a means of messages and information. This ploy is discovered by a group of East End boys who take exception to the crooks use of their favourite read!

This film, the first 'Ealing Comedy', features a strong cast and a memorable climax with the criminals being chased by thousands of young boys through the London Docklands.

  4 out of 4 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

John Pearce from Bolton, England , 21/12/2004

Though a long way from being the best of the Ealing films this is worth a rent.

As a record of post-war Britain it is very interesting and it is quite fun to see the way people interacted in those pre-PC days.

If it is a choice between this and other Ealing comedies choose another; if it is a choice between this and a modern blockbuster with no story then you should choose this.

  3 out of 3 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews

brian daley from tamworth staffs [Highly rated reviewer] , 19/01/2007

an excellent example of film making,not a scene wasted,authentic scenery,great use of background and a ripping yarn well told.an outstanding cast,each one just right for the role they played.Miss this at your peril!!!!

  2 out of 2 people found this review helpful

Read all reviews