The Small Back Room (1949)

A rare black and white film for this late in the Powell/Pressburger cycle, The Small Back Room is based on Nigel Balchin’s well regarded, and obviously rather internal novel. The story concerns Sammy Rice (David Farrar in a deceptively well balanced performance), an explosives expert working in one of those “small back room” scientist outfits in World War II. Suffering from immense pain as the result of an artificial tin foot he forces himself to wear, Sammy is working to suppress a latent alcoholism with the support of his apparently live-in girlfriend Susan (played by the elegantly beautiful Kathleen Byron). The film is so intriguing as a character study that you hardly feel it needs the lose plot about booby trapped Nazi bombs until the end of the film, when the need to defuse one serves as the catalyst for Sammy dealing with a lot of self confidence issues. I love the lighting in the film its beautiful, the visuals a match for The Archers better known Technicolor films. The sense of place is also remarkable, as is often the case in Powell/Pressberger films England herself is a character of sorts. The movie is also quite dark and racy for the time, giveb issues of alcoholism, psychological fetishes (Sammy insisting on keeping his painful artificial foot on, even when alone with his girlfriend), and the sexuality of Sammy’s relationship with Susan, telegraphed rather boldly for the time. I’ve watched this movie three times already and it just gets better with each viewing, simply more first rate work from Britons fabled Archers. Thumbs Up.