LieutenantJohn

Posted this on IMDb and got a total of 1 response on the Classics Board there

The end or the beginning?



Britain, World War II.

A symphony conductor who has a few months to live.

A war profiteer.

A husband and wife coming to the end of their marriage, their daughter desperate to keep them together.

An elderly couple conflicted over the death of their son in the line of duty.

All of them wind up together at the Halfway House, a beautiful, yet strange Welsh country inn. Their hosts are Rhys and Gwyneth, the place appears to be stuck in a time warp, all the visitors here are here for a reason, a reason that will changed all their respective lives for ever.

Based on the Denis Ogden play, The Halfway House is brought to us from the wonderful Ealing Studios, it is, all things considered, an under seen gem from that particular Studio. There really is no great surprises as regards how the film unfolds, the makers, by way of Mervyn Johns first appearance, are not trying to bluff the viewer in any way, this is a halfway house after all!!!!. What drives the picture on is the unflinching stubbornness of the characters, despite the overwhelming evidence available to them, they all refuse to accept the mysterious hammer hitting them over the head. This makes the film a highly enjoyable piece, the mixture of comedy and mystery going hand in hand with it's fantasy led core, come the final reel the viewers should be in a state of warmth because in my honest opinion the film has undoubtedly done its job.

It's one of those films that wouldn't be out of place on Rod Serling's Twilight Zone show that aired some 15 years later, so enjoy the fantasy and the mystery unfolding, The Halfway House is a lovely little picture. 8/10

LieutenantJohn

Surely someone here has a comment, good or bad ?

penfold

I think it's a fabulous film; a roll-call of the first-rate British (And French) character actors of the day. And I still haven't worked out how they got Glynis across the lawn without casting a shadow.....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

dpgmel

Yes, this is terribly underrated and IMHO is on a par with the far more widely known Dead of Night

Steve Crook

It was very cleverly done wasn't it

It's also the only time she worked on film with her Dad

Steve