The Blue Lamp (1950)

Basil Deardon's police procedural is widely regarded as an important piece of work in British film. It's also the film that spawned the character of PC Dixon (Jack Warner) who went on to be the focus of Dixon of Dock Green (1955-1976), the well loved television series. It's not much of a plot giveaway to say that Dixon was revived for the TV series after being gunned down in The Blue Lamp, a murder which drives the film's plot. A city wide manhunt begins after the murder, and it's interesting to see the general public play such a key role in the search. Sure, it's seventy odd years ago now, but there's something refreshing about seeing deserted London streets being patrolled by a bobby, and Deardon allows us the joy of seeing them changing shifts as well, one after sternly telling a canoodling young couple to move along. Despite being clearly influenced by stronger films before it (Fritz Lang's 1931 masterpiece M is an obvious touchstone) and of course Alfred Hitchcock's work, The Blue Lamp really holds its own as an intelligent and apparently very accurate portrayal of police work of the time. There was certainly better films to come in the genre (and arguably before) but Deardon produces a very likeable group of characters who display a very British approach to the idea of hunting a killer of 'one of their own'. 7.2/10