Terence Rattigan’s play is brought to the screen adapted by the man himself (co-written with producer Anatole De Grunwald and director Anthony Asquith, directing a cast of the great and good of British acting of the time.When little Naval cadet Ronnie Winslow (Neil North) is sacked from the Academy accused of stealing a postal order, his stern but scrupulous father (Cedric Hardwicke) takes his word for it and insists on justice for his unfairly accused boy. Sister Margaret Leighton backs him to the hilt and the case goes to trial with barrister Robert Donat leading the defence. This finely calibrated argument about right and wrong, justice, guilt, innocence, decency and family is old-fashioned in the best sense of the term. And how nice it must be to come from a family who don’t hang you out to dry for the fun of it! Pleasing as well to see Basil Radford (without Naunton Wayne!) as former cricketer now family solicitor helping out. Everyone pays a high price to see the boy right. Rattigan is little appreciated now but there was a time when his name was a byword for great theatre. Superbly shot by Freddie Young and scored by William Alwyn, this is another wonderful London Films production. Decades later North would play First Lord of the Admiralty in a new interpretation by writer/director David Mamet!
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