Review by Dennis Marcus
Stars Michael Denison, Patricia Plunkett, Kathleen Harrison, David Tomlinson | Written by Gilbert Gunn & Talbot Jennings
UK certification U | UK RRP £15.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 86 minutes | Directed by Ken Annakin
To put this review into some context, I usually struggle with black and white films. I don't know what it is - maybe the fast-moving pace of modern life or the regularly hammy dialogue and film-making. So as I settled down to watch Landfall I did not have particularly high expectations. However, I am delighted to be able to say that this quaint film set in the early part of World War II is an absolute joy from start to finish.
Landfall, based on the book by Nevil Shute, tells the story of Rick Chambers (Michael Denison), an RAF pilot patrolling the English Channel. Shortly after he meets his girlfriend-to-be, a local barmaid called Mona (Patricia Plunkett), he sinks what he believes to be a German submarine. On his return to base, he discovers that from Naval Command that the sunken submarine was actually a British vessel. While he escapes punishment and isn't officially culpable for the misidentification, he nonetheless requests reassignment, which eventually sees him twenty miles down the road from his original base in Portsmouth.
While embarking on his new mission, Rick gets to know Mona better. However, unbeknown to him, mostly because he lives up to the un-listening male stereotype beautifully, Mona is actually picking up bits and pieces of information that she hopes can prove that it was a German U-Boat he sank.
This is a film of its time in every single way. I think the word nostalgic describes it aptly from beginning to end. The flirtatious banter between the leads is funny and realistic, the way the men of the RAF relate to each other is of its age (not sure I could imagine bursting out into song with my friends now!) and you get to hear great phrases like "What the blazes?", which amused a word geek like me no end. The sinking of the submarine is also ingenious, reminding me very much of when I was five years old and had a toy submarine that I sank in the bath. The only thing missing were the hands pulling the thing underwater.
I also enjoyed recognising David Tomlinson - of Mary Poppins Mr Banks fame - as the musical aviator 'Binks'.
I imagine the film was at the time also quite brave in taking on, not in a particularly substantial way to be fair, the problems of class in society. Can Mona, a working class girl, really have a future with an officer of the RAF? It is dealt with in quite a straightforward manner with no room for subtlety, but at least it is dealt with.
Overall - I can genuinely say this film is such a joy it has definitely made me far more open to black and white films. And that is saying something.
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