Circle of Danger (1951) User Reviews

At last Patricia Roc does not have to compete with Margaret Lockwood

[howardmorley · 7/10 · 5 January 2010]

Ray Milland (born in Neath, Glamorgan, Wales) keeps his transatlantic accent playing an American searching for the reason for his brother's death during a commando raid attached to the British army in 1940 (before America entered the war) in Brittany, France.Ray leaves his diving team searching for precious metal off the coast of Tampa, Florida, takes his share of the profits to date and travels to the UK in his aforementioned quest.Along the way he meets up with the few surviving members of the commando team travelling to Covent Garden, London; Teddington Lock on the Thames; Hammersmith west London; and up into the Scottish Highlands where he meets Patricia Roc a children's book authoress and illustrator.Her character seems to blow hot and cold with Ray but at least she does not have to compete for Ray's attention with Margaret Lockwood (who was busy filming elsewhere).Also there, is Hamish (Hugh Sinclar) who was the commanding officer in the raid and who loves Patricia Roc's character (although she only likes him).Ray even buys a used car off wide boy Naunton Wayne (who for once is without his screen companion Basil Radford) in return for information - at least it saves Ray having to "cadge" lifts.

Marius Goring plays a sinister character who since the war end has gone into producing ballet (and I am sure he got the role after playing the composer in Powell & Pressburger's acclaimed " The Red Shoes" (1948).The director, Jacques Tourneur is most notable in my collection for "Out of the Past"(1947) and "Experiment Perilous" (1944) and here directs an exciting "whodunnit" which takes Ray back & forth as he gradually unravels the truth.As another reviewer has stated we get to see some good locational shots which makes a change from hidebound studio interiors.Another curious thing is there is no noticeable mood music in the film.The final scene is unexpected and you are led down several blind alleys first.Enjoyable, I rated it 7/10.

A trip to Scotland to uncover the past

[IlyaMauter · 7/10 · 12 May 2003]

An American World War II veteran Clay Douglas (Ray Milland) comes to Scotland in order to conduct an investigation concerning death of his brother during a special mission in France during the war, the mission where he was the only casualty what appears to be very strange to Clay. Travelling through Scotland, one by one he meets former war mates of his brother and tries to inquire them as about circumstances surrounding his death. But everyone pretends to know nothing or very little about what happened back then, the fact that makes Clay Douglas more and more sure that it's in fact one of them, his former colleges, is guilty of his death. The question is: which one of them?

Circle of Danger marked Jacques Tourneur's return to Europe, namely Great Britain where he went in order to make this movie. Though the Circle of Danger doesn't belong to the Film-Noir genre it might be considered the bleak shadow of Jacques Tourneur's Film-Noir classic Out of the Past. Parallels can be drown especially in terms of the story, which in both cases concerns the main character's past, only in Out of the Past Robert Mitchum's character Jeff Bailey tries to forget it, to hide from it, which ultimately proves to be impossible and results in tragic ending, while in Circle of Danger Ray Milland's character Clay Douglas decides to travel back in time and uncover its mysteries related the unclear circumstances of his brother's death in world War II. Only in Circle of Danger everything is much more `primitive', much more simplistic in terms of the story and character's development and their interactions as well as in lacking of that great wittiness of dialogs which is one of the main masterpiece ingredients of the Out of the Past, and finally the film's ending, a time where a question might arise in our minds: Is it was worthy the time we invested in seeing it? 6/10

CIRCLE OF DANGER (Jacques Tourneur, 1951) ***

[Bunuel1976 · 7/10 · 7 February 2011]

Although I had not intended this current noir marathon to be a tribute to any one particular actor, this will be my fourth Ray Milland movie in a row! Originally hailing from Wales, this sees the Hollywood star making a welcome return to his homeland (and its environs) – albeit playing an American! – for a rather unusual Hitchcockian post-war thriller. The story deals with a salvage captain leaving Florida to go all over the United Kingdom (Wales, Scotland and London) – the roundabout nature of the route anticipating the Hitchcock classic NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) – to seek out the surviving members of a commando team who operated in France during WWII and unravel the mysterious events surrounding his younger brother's death.

This largely reticent and unhelpful bunch includes a wonderful turn by Marius Goring (who has now become a celebrated ballet choreographer), Hugh Sinclair (the former commando leader who is now a brooding baronet), Naunton Wayne (a clear nod toward Hitchcock right there, having acquired a reputation playing one of two cricket-crazy twits in THE LADY VANISHES [1938] – now a chatty, crooked car salesman) and Edward Rigby (playing a Welshman, thus obviously a miner!). Notable support, then, is provided by the lovely Patricia Roc (as Sinclair's intended, and whose 'meeting cute' with Milland precipitates a bumpy affair – again a' la NORTH BY NORTHWEST – but with the expected happy ending) as well as the ever-reliable Reginald Beckwith (from director Tourneur's later NIGHT OF THE DEMON [1957], as Goring's long-suffering partner).

Despite the rather glum aura of the proceedings, this is less a noir than a whodunnit and, as if to emphasize that very difference, we are regaled with celebrated cinematographer Oswald Morris (and equally notable camera operators Gilbert Taylor and Arthur Ibbetson)'s breathtaking location shooting – the downbeat revelation at the climax, taking place in an open field, is particularly masterfully handled – as opposed to the claustrophobic studio sets usually associated with the former genre. For the record, Milland himself had starred in Fritz Lang's superb wartime thriller MINISTRY OF FEAR (1944) boasting a famously inaccurate Hollywood rendition of London!

Another link to "The Master Of Suspense" is the presence of co-producer Joan Harrison (a longtime Hitchcock collaborator), even if the 'whistled tune' giveaway device immediately reminds one of Lang's child-murdering masterpiece M (1931)! In the end, one should be grateful Jacques Tourneur's first working trip to England here worked as well as it did – since, in six years' time, this would be followed by his last great (and one of his best-ever) film i.e. the afore-mentioned NIGHT OF THE DEMON.

Solid mystery movie

[Panamint · 7/10 · 14 June 2015]

Confidently directed by Jacques Tourneur and ably portrayed by a fine cast, "Circle of Danger" is a relatively unknown film that is worth finding if you can (maybe through CD purchase or on TV). You won't regret looking it up.

Ray Milland is the perfect choice as an American who efforts to discover exactly what happened to his brother in WWII. Not an easy task to discover details about a death during a commando raid, obviously a chaotic and deliberately secret event by nature. Although the American's motivations remain a bit fuzzy to everyone, he is doggedly determined. The result is an ending resolution that I found to be rewarding and finely done.

The radiant Patricia Roc portrays a young woman who tries to balance career and emotional involvements with as much wisdom as possible in view of fast-moving and evolving events. Marius Goring ("The Red Shoes") expertly essays a complex character with style and aplomb. Former movie "Saint" Hugh Sinclair is solid as a rock and excellent in his portrayal of a truly selfless aristocrat. All of the characters in this film are conveyed with some depth, surprisingly so for a modestly made sort of movie.

1950 Britain is really featured throughout the film and nostalgically captured in black and white which seems somehow appropriate for the date and era.

They just don't make them like this anymore- so you will feel lucky to have found "Circle of Danger".

Inside a small circle of soldiers.

[dbdumonteil · 6/10 · 28 August 2007]

Son of a French famous director (Maurice),but an American citizen since 1919 when his father came to Hollywood,Jack (Jacques) Tourneur began his career in the land of Victor Hugo with funny comedies such as "Toto". But he is best remembered for his thrillers ("out of the past"),his adventures films ("the flame and the arrow") and his fantasy and horror movies ("cat people" ,"curse of the demon",my J. T. favourites.

"Circle of danger" belongs to the "thriller" category although it's rather a whodunit detective story ;as it takes place in England ,it is closer to Agatha Christie's puzzles than to American film noir .A man (Ray Milland ) investigates his brother's death. In WW2,he joined the English army and was killed in a raid .But the bullet that went through his head was not German.

Jack Tourneur has a very special way of filming the places .It is obvious in "Curse of the demon" .Here too the places seem more important than the characters : the mines,the nice cottage in Scotland,the dancing school,the theater ,and above all,the sensational use of the Scottish country in the final sequence. He makes harmless elements very strange nay scary: the awful choir,the ballet,the commander's mom....

There is a slight sag in the texture and tension in the second part when Tourneur focuses on the female character played by decorative Patricia Roc. Besides,when Clay talks about his kid brother,it's not enough to make acquaintance with a character who does not appear in the movie,and it is important,when you know the ending of the film.

By the last thirty minutes,the movie becomes exciting again. The whistling tune is a very good trick,worthy of Alfred Hitchcock. And the final scene cannot be praised too highly:a very good suspense.

Ray Milland on a Quest for the Truth

[robert-temple-1 · 7/10 · 7 December 2008]

Jacques Tourneur directed this postwar British mystery film very well, and the cinematography by Ossie Morris and camera operating by Arthur Ibbetson were superior, and added to the film's atmosphere considerably. Ray Milland is the lead actor, playing an American who visits England and wants to find out how and why his younger brother had died during the War. The brother (not seen in the film) had joined up as a British commando in 1940 and was mysteriously killed on a commando raid 'with not a German in sight'. Was he murdered by a comrade? Milland sets about visiting in turn all of the 12 men of the commando unit, only to discover that many of them are dead and one died only two weeks before his arrival in England after suggesting that the brother had been a murder victim. One of the surviving men is an East End wide boy played by Naunton Wayne, who is usually a bumbling gent but on this occasion is a convincing used car salesman. His girl friend 'Bubbles' who even does a singing number is played by the ever-effervescent Dora Bryan. A deeply sinister performance is contributed by Marius Goring, as a gay ballet dancer who knows how to handle a gun and whose role in the story only becomes clear at the end. Patricia Roc is the love interest, who alternates between being bouncy and adorable and being the most horrible spoilt brat who pouts if kept waiting for a few minutes and accuses Milland of not being dressed properly when he is in a mere suit and tie (she snottily points out that he has 'ruined her evening' because he hasn't had time to change into black tie). She really needed several good spankings, but does not get one, unfortunately. Milland is very effective in this mysterious tale, exerting extraordinary self-control in the face of extreme provocation from the uncommunicative and rude former comrades of his brother. There are some fine shots of the Scottish highlands as Milland pursues the truth north of the border, where the whistling of a folk tune called 'White Heather' takes on significance in terms of identifying the killer. This is a fine film without pretensions, where the intrigue is unravelled like a thread and leads Milland to strange discoveries about what really happened.

Ray Milland as an American in England, Scotland, and Wales

[blanche-2 · 7/10 · 8 January 2022]

Ray Milland stars with Patricia Roc and Marius Goring in "Circle of Danger" from 1951.

Milland plays an American, Clay Douglas, who travels to England in the hopes of finding out what happened to his younger brother during World War II - his brother had gone to England when war broke out to get in on the action. Supposedly, he was killed in action, but during this particular offensive, he was the only one who died.

Clay tracks down the soldiers who are still alive, and as he does, his brother's death becomes more mysterious. There is a reluctance of people to talk. When he learns what he thinks is the truth, he's ready to take action.

Good movie with a nice performance by Patricia Roc as the love interest of one of the ex-soldiers, Hamish (Hugh Sinclair), whom Clay falls for. Excellent denoument. Recommended.

Be careful what you ask for.

[mamalv · 8/10 · 27 January 2014]

A tale of mystery and a quest for the truth make this quite the journey. An American (Ray Milland) sets out to find how his younger brother died in service. Along the way he meets a lovely Scottish lass (Patricia Roc) and falls for her. However his quest is so obsessive he may get the truth and lose the girl. This is a nice film with twists and turns that will make you want to go along for the ride. The last portion of the film is tense and we wonder if Douglas (Milland) will survive his walk with Hammish the man who killed his brother. Too bad that this film has such lousy transfer, the quality is very poor. However it is worth watching again, and again.

"Actually he's as smart as a weasel"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 7/10 · 21 December 2021]

A rather good mystery story which comes to an unexpected but satisfying conclusion. It is filmed very well with excellent location shooting, particularly the last scene on the moor with the bleak landscape mirroring the downbeat solution to the mystery. Some reviewers have called it slow but I was gripped all the way through. Ray Milland is adequate as the lead Clay Douglas, searching for information about his brother's death in wartime. More interesting are Marius Goring as the very theatrical Sholto Lewis, Naunton Wayne as the ex-intelligence office and current dodgy car salesman Reggie Sinclair and Patricia Roc as the vivacious Elspeth Graham. Dora Bryan gives another short and priceless appearance as she often did in British films. Based on his own novel Philip MacDonald provides a screenplay that has surprising depth. A good watch.

what circle,what danger?

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 11 April 2015]

During the 1950s a number of ilms were made where the plot centres around a wartime raid that went wrong and investigations as to who was the culprit.This is one of the lesser examples of this genre.It would be difficult to call this film a thriller since there is a distinct lack not only of tension but also danger.Ray Milland ,that well known Welshman,seems to have more problem in dealing with this country's old currency than actually uncovering what went wrong and how his brother died.Patricia roc seems to have been cast as the mandatory love interest.Rather a disappointment bearing in mind the cast.Some nice location work.

Who killed Hank?

[brogmiller · 8/10 · 9 December 2020]

Sandwiched between two Technicolour swashbucklers comes this modest, understated and absorbing black and white whodunnit from the stylish Jacques Tourneur, now working freelance.

In the course of trying to discover how his younger brother died during a commando raid in occupied France, the Clay Douglas of dapper Ray Milland travels the length and breadth of the British Isles and comes across a varied assortment of characters who supply him with snippets of information. He thinks he has pinpointed his brother's killer but he is in for a surprise..........

The casting here is spot on and there is a marvellous turn by Marius Goring as a 'camp' choreographer named Sholto whilst Naunton Wayne, this time without Basil Radford, is superlative as a car salesman named, naturally enough, Reggie Sinclair. The female interest here is supplied by the enchanting Patricia Roc whose chemistry with Milland is palpable. The only piece of bizarre casting is that of Dora Bryan as a cabaret artiste who sings with an obviously dubbed American accent the splendidly suggestive 'I've got a buttonhole for my baby'!

The cast is lucky enough to have the dialogue to speak of Philip MacDonald whilst the cinematography and editing are by two of the finest in their respective fields, Oswald Morris and Alan Osbiston.

The scene that lingers longest in the memory is that in which Milland confronts Goring and Hugh Sinclair in a bleak Scottish landscape and finally learns the truth. Masterful direction here by Tourneur.

I was gripped by this piece from the outset and what I was fully expecting to be a grevious disappointment turned out to be a jubilant surprise.

In case anyone's interested the fabulous motor that Milland gets to drive is a 1920 Mercedes Benz. They certainly don't make cars, or indeed films, like that any more.

Circle of Danger review

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 16 May 2020]

Low-key drama which seems to be going nowhere for much of its running time before pulling off an unexpected and intelligent resolve. Unfortunately, there's too much time devoted to Ray Milland's difficult wooing of Patricia Roc, who doesn't take kindly to being kept waiting.

Lightly-plotted mystery

[Leofwine_draca · 5/10 · 22 December 2018]

CIRCLE OF DANGER is a lightly-plotted mystery yarn from the great director Jacques Tourneur. The cast is a decent one but the material is very slight and probably would have worked better on the page rather than on the screen. Ray Milland plays an American who heads to Scotland to find out the mystery behind his brother's death during a raid in WW2. Various suspects he meets along the way include Marius Goring, Naunton Wayne and Hugh Sinclair. This is essentially a showcase for various character actors to strut their stuff, but the present-day plotting is very limited and simplistic and all the interesting stuff is merely discussed.

"I never saw a country like this!"

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 6 March 2019]

The plot to "Circle of Danger" and its casting decision for the lead made me chuckle. After all, the story is about an American who goes to Britain to try to track down folks from his brother's commando unit who can tell him how his brother died. And, again and again, folks keep remarking that it's 'nice to meet an American'....and the leading man even says 'I never saw a country like this'. The problem is that the leading man is Ray Milland....a Welshman who clearly has a British accent! Sure, he made a ton of American films....but he also made quite a few in his native land and no American would hear him talk and assume he's born in the States! I guess, however, that the British might not notice his accent so much...I don't know...though I am pretty sure they, too, knew he was one of their own!

Now back to the story. During the war, Clay Douglas was in the Pacific in the US Navy. Like some Americans, Clay's brother joined the British military before the US entered the war in late 1941. However, since then, Clay never saw his brother again....he was killed in the final days of the war while on a commando raid. Some of the details of his brother's death are confusing and vague...and Clay wants answers. Unfortunately, the old addage "be careful what you wish for, you might just get it" comes to mind!

Despite the silly casting, the film is enjoyable and well made....and worth seeing.

Surprisingly mature and interesitng film noir battling to overcome its structural issues

[oOgiandujaOo_and_Eddy_Merckx · 7/10 · 28 March 2024]

Milland stars as Clay Douglas, an American whose brother Hank enlisted in the British Army in World War II prior to the formal entering into the fray of his country. Clay wants to know what happened to his brother and so tracks down members of his unit. We sense that Clay is pulling on a thread and some unwanted unravelling is happening.

The first part of the movie is noticeable for some really interesting documentary style footage. It feels very sad when you see the jobs that some of the commandos have come back to. Imagine going on very risky missions behind enemy lines only to return to Blighty and be sent back down into the coalpits. Various of Clay's interviews take place at real workplaces of interest.

There's also a feeling of some emotional maturity. Soldiers aren't heroes or villains, there are in between characters, with their own complexities. We don't have a reductive band of brothers motif when we look at this motif, nor do we have a Quantrell's raiders style polar opposite motif. The dialogue between Clay and his love interest gets pretty sophisiticated (Patricia Roc does a fine job), and there is plenty of chemistry.

Marius Goring reprises somewhat his impresario type role from Red Shoes, and bolsters a fine supporting cast.

What everyone who watches the film notices is a really improbable aspect to the ending (alongside a clever twist it should be said). It's not the only structural issue. The film is set at the start of the 50s, but can provide no good reason why Clay waits so long after the war ends to come looking for his brother's story. He was working on a salvage operation with a target of securing twenty five thousand dollars, although no indication whatsoever is given about why he should need such a vast sum (for the time), to go and make inquiries in Britain.

It does help to watch this on a big screen with an audience so you can share in the ripples of laughter at the light relief dating strand in the movie, and to make the documentary type scenes impress all the more.

In its emotional timbre, occasionally the movie is really quite rousing, and it enabled this viewer to overlook some of the obvious structural issues. It was a pity they weren't ironed out pre-production and it feels like the studio felt like this was an assembly line piece, despite some great creatives and synergies being brought to bear on it.

Cryptic title, moderate movie

[wilvram · 6/10 · 10 May 2015]

Ray Milland is not entirely comfortable as a no-nonsense American who crosses the Atlantic to investigate the mysterious death of his brother, who'd served as a commando in the British army in World War 2. He eventually finds himself at the end of a rifle wielded by the man who fired the fatal shot, which presumably accounts for the title.

The credits, including a screen play by acclaimed detective author Philip MacDonald, lead you to expect rather more than is on offer here. A bit more of Britain is acknowledged than usual in films of this era, and Milland's enquiries take him to the Scottish Highlands (though actually filmed in Devon) and a brief visit to a Welsh mining community, though it's a pity they didn't use genuine Welsh actors. It's all a bit lethargic for the first fifty minutes or so as Director Jacques Tourneur concentrates on the various protagonists, including another ex-commando, now a ballet director, whom is clearly gay, played by Marius Goring. A major compensation for the duller moments is the glamorous Patricia Roc, as charming and lovely as ever.

Average post War British thriller

[russjones-80887 · 6/10 · 30 June 2020]

In World War 2 an American is the only soldier killed during a British commando operation in occupied France. After the war his brother travels to Britain to investigate the suspicious death and tracks down those involved in that operation.

Mystery thriller with Welsh actor Ray Milland as the American investigating the death, taking in Wales, Scotland and England on his travels. A natural performance by Milland, and a good cast backs him up, but a romance gets in the way of the suspense despite a twist at the end.

The problem of a war casualty that no one wants to speak about

[clanciai · 9/10 · 1 February 2020]

This is a tricky post war drama, when an American comes to England to investigate how his brother really died in the war, being a single casualty at an incident. His family has Scottish roots, his name being Douglas, so there is a great deal of Scotland in this, and although it's all about the second world war, the entire drama takes place in Britain, especially Scotland. The last scene on the Scottish moors is extremely sharp in its concentration on an extreme moral dilemma that the soldiers of the relevant company found themselves in and had to resolve in a painful way. The script is brilliant and extremely interesting, as the investigation goes on probing deeper and deeper into a mystery that refuses to be unfolded, until Marius Goring intervenes and provides the releasing contribution. It's actually a chamber drama, it's all dialogue and discussions, and the romance seems beside the point, although it is well captured and plays some important part, especially by constantly encountering new crises. Ray Milland is always good, Hugh Sinclair plays a difficult part but is the right man for the job, while Patricia Roc contrasts well to the austerity of the drama by her beauty and obstinacy to Ray Milland's devious manoeuvres. It's an unusual film more made for thought and consideration than for enjoyment.

Thin story makes this one less than it could have been

[michaelprescott-00547 · 4/10 · 22 May 2021]

With Ray Milland in the lead, Jacques Tourneur at the helm, and longtime Hitchcock collaborator Joan Harrison in the producer's chair, "Circle of Danger" has a lot going for it. What it lacks is enough story material to fill up its running time. As a 55-minute B-picture or an episode of an hourlong TV drama, it would have been great. Unfortunately, at 86 minutes long, the movie drags.

Too much time is spent on slow, talky scenes as Milland pursues an investigation that, for most of the film, seems to be headed nowhere. (Maybe they should have called it "Going in Circles.") Along the way there's an interesting take on a gay character - a ballet dancer who is also a highly decorated commando. This struck me as daring and well ahead of its time. There's also an amusing role for veteran character actor Naunton Wayne, whom Hitchcock fans will remember as one of the cricket enthusiasts in "The Lady Vanishes."

The ending is well done and offers an effective and plausible twist, but "Circle of Danger" just takes too long to get there.

suspenseful and entertaining

[myriamlenys · 8/10 · 2 September 2023]

During World War II a man learns of the death of his younger brother, who was killed in the course of a commando operation. Since he is busy fighting the enemy on another continent himself he is unable to look deeper into the circumstances of his brother's demise. After the war, however, he travels to Great-Britain in order to examine the facts and speak to witnesses...

"Circle of danger" is a well-made thriller about one man's quest for the truth. The movie successfully mixes suspense and romance. Much of the viewer's pleasure derives from meeting a wide variety of characters, such as a beautiful woman suffering from hay fever, a car dealer with unorthodox selling methods and an ex-commando turned ballet choreographer. (Regrettably, one only catches fleeting glimpses of the choreographer's work.)

Something struck me about the ending. Our protagonist gets offered an explanation about the death of his brother, and he immediately accepts that explanation a) as true and b) as definitive. Why ? Admittedly, the explanation sounds plausible, given all that we've learned about the brother, but it might still be a superior piece of collusion or fabrication. There's many a person who would not have rested before obtaining some kind of independent confirmation.

Tell, Don't Show

[JamesHitchcock · 4/10 · 12 September 2019]

Clay Douglas, an American, travels to Britain to discover the truth behind his brother's death during the Second World War. (The film was made in 1951, six years after the war ended). We learn that Douglas's brother, Hank, had joined the British Army in 1940, before America entered the war, and was killed during a commando raid against German positions in occupied France. Douglas, however, soon realises that getting at the truth will be difficult. Although Hank was the only casualty on that particular raid, several other members of his unit were killed in later operations and another has recently died in peacetime. The survivors either know little about the circumstances of Hank's death or refuse to talk about it.

Douglas's quest eventually takes him to the Scottish Highlands where he meets Hank's commanding officer, Major Hamish McArran. Although McArran greets him courteously, he is obviously unwilling to tell Douglas all he knows. While in Scotland Douglas meets, and falls in love with, an attractive young woman named Elspeth Graham, in whom McArran also seems to have a romantic interest. Returning to England, he eventually tracks down another witness who is prepared to tell him more. He begins to suspect that Hank was not killed by enemy action but was deliberately murdered by one of his comrades.

The above synopsis would suggest that this is a serious drama, but in fact it can never really make up its mind whether it wants to be a thriller or a romantic comedy. Too much attention is paid to the Elspeth subplot, especially during the middle part of the film when it comes close to eclipsing the main plot. The part where Douglas, forgetting that Elspeth suffers from hay fever, brings her a bouquet of flowers and sends her into a sneezing-fit is the sort of scene which would be more appropriate in a rom-com than in a thriller. Even those scenes which form part of the main plot can sometimes seem inappropriately comic. Two of Douglas's interviewees are a hilariously camp ballet dancer (whom we are supposed to accept as an ex-commando) and a dodgy car salesman who will not give Douglas the information he wants until he has agreed to buy an expensive car; the others all fit in with various British ethnic or regional stereotypes- garrulous Welshman, cheerful Cockney market porter, dour and taciturn Scot.

Were "Circle of Danger" being made today, it would probably be made in a very different way. Following the maxim "show, don't tell" the events of the commando raid would be shown in a series of flashbacks rather than simply being related to Douglas piecemeal by various witnesses, with the final flashback revealing the shocking truth about Hank. In 1951, however, the film-makers probably did not have a big enough budget to recreate scenes of wartime combat, so were forced to "tell, don't show". The final revelation, although I think we are supposed to accept it as the truth, is weakened by the fact that it is told to Douglas by a character who would have strong reasons to lie. The film-as-it-could-have-been might have ended up as a gripping mystery-thriller. The film-as-it-is takes what I would have thought was a naturally exciting subject, a World War II commando raid, and turns it into a rather dull, talky and passionless movie, largely free of excitement. 4/10

Run around in circles, nearly to his death - but instead, ....

[elcoat · 8/10 · 17 January 2024]

I've stayed up too late ... in the morning ... watching this here in Norway.

American Clay Douglas makes a lot of money and then goes to Britain to find out how his younger brother died on a commando mission.

He meets one person after another in various British locations - the barge lock was fascinating - but it always returns to Scotland, where the retired unit commander lives and a pretty young woman who lives nearby. The retired commander is in love with the girl, who is impressed by the brash American visiting.

Lots of details about the *Douglases* and Mary Queen of Scots makes the film actually educational.

Even in black & white the Scottish scenery looks beautiful. If it were colorized, it might not bring out the color, unless the filming location is re-visited.

The showdowns about the truth of the death of the brother and another for the girl are plausible.

Vivacious Patricia Roc was very pretty to the point of beautiful, especially in evening dress, even without being statuesque. She reminds me of a Rocky High cheerleader in my class equally so.

Too much smoking, but it was part of the culture back then.

Neat car at the end. :-)

White Heather

[boblipton · 5/10 · 15 December 2019]

Ray Milland builds up a stake and heads off to Britain. His younger brother had been shot dead on a commando raid, and he wants to find out what happened. There are only four survivors from the operations, and either they didn't see it, or they're giving him the runaround, from Wales, to Scotland, to London and back again.

It's a beautifully shot movie, with Oswald Morris running the cameras for handsome landscape photography, and views of Patricia Roc. There's also a first class supporting cast, including Marius Goring, Hugh Sinclair, Naunton Wayne and a final screen appearance by Edward Rigby. Unfortunately, director Jacques Tourneur doesn't seem terribly interested in the subject, and Milland has two modes: comic, which he displays for Miss Roc, and grouchy, which he displays for all the men. Milland also explores a Dem-deze-doze accent in his opening scenes to establish his American provenance, which he drops as soon as he hits Blighty.

The impression I get from this movie was that the British are snobby and uninterested in displaying proper gratitude for an American, part of the nation that saved their chestnuts. An odd attitude for the star, a former member of the Household Guard to take!

Well Done World War II Mystery Story Let Down By Inconclusive Ending

[gerrythree · 8/10 · 15 March 2024]

"Circle of danger" is a quality production all around. I watched the movie from the recent 2024 StudioCanal release of the movie on Blu-ray, where the cinematography glistens, especially the scenes of the salvage operation. Ray Milland's character heads to the United Kingdom after finally scoring a big salvage haul of tungsten from a cargo ship sunk off Tampa, Florida. With the $30,000 he makes from his quick sale to the boat captain of his salvage share, he travels from the lowlands of London to the Highlands of Scotland to discover how his brother died in a commando raid in occupied Europe WWII; his brother being the only casualty of the raid. This raid is is where I have a problem with the movie. The raid is never shown in flashback; other characters who were there describe what happened. But what really happened? The explanation at the end by the commander of the raid and another surviving witness (Marius Goring playing a former commando turned fey choreographer) seems contrived. The movie's screenplay was written by Philip MacDonald, who also wrote the novel "White Heather," the basis of the screenplay. That novel is MIA on the Internet, as far as my search went. In 1950 England, where the story takes place and when the film was made, WWII was a recent memory. Food rationing was still in force for meat and life was hard for many from the war's physical damage and damage to the British economy. For me, the movie's ending rings false. The ending of "Circle of Danger" smacks of self-censorship, to avoid showing stuff, even in a fictional incident, that possibly puts the British war effort in a bad light. Too bad the movie's budget apparently did not allow for filming that ill-fated commando raid, which could have better shown what happened.

Slow-paced with a silly love subplot

[Mbakkel2 · 3/10 · 6 April 2017]

This film is a rare opportunity to watch Ray Milland in a British film after he became a Hollywood star, although his character is American.

Clay Douglas wants to seek the truth about the death of his brother. He served in the British army and was shot to death during a raid into French territory during World War II. Douglas was not shot by the German enemy, but by a British soldier. Clay's inquiries bring him to Wales, Scotland and London.

A film directed by RKO horror director Jacques Tourneur and co-produced by Hitchcock associate Joan Harrison gave me lots of expectations. Unfortunately, the film is a prime example of how a good premise can be wasted. There are certain B films I wished were made as A films and vice versa. This A film would have been better if it has been made on a tighter budget. Recently I have watched several British B-crime films. They have never disappointed me. Their length (approx. 60 minutes) does not allow the inclusion of boring romantic subplots.

I am not really a fan of romantic films. The romantic subplot of this film seems tacked and slows down the progression of the story. Douglas' love interest is easily offended and shows a complete disinterest in his search for the truth about the death of his brother.

The final scene (involving Douglas and two of his brother's fellow soldiers in the Scottish highlands) is suspenseful. Great cinematography,