Pool of London (film)


Pool of London is a 1951 British noir crime film directed by Basil Dearden.

Synopsis

The story centres on the crew of the merchant ship Dunbar, which docks in the Pool of London. The crew members are given shore leave, and soon become involved in smuggling and petty crime in post-war London. The film is mainly known for portraying the first interracial relationship in a British film.
Johnny Lambert, the black man in question, takes his white girlfriend to the National Maritime Museum and the Greenwich Observatory, showing her culture she has previously missed.
Rooftop views of the couple on the dome of St Paul's Cathedral feature the bombed areas around the cathedral prior to the building of Paternoster Square.
Meanwhile, Dan robs jewellers and accidentally kills the night watchman. His girlfriend is happy with diamonds he brings until she realises where they are from.

Main cast

“Pool of London” premiered at the Odeon Leicester Square in London on the 22 February 1951.

Critical reception

In The New York Times, Bosley Crowther wrote, "there is excitement and suspense in the gritty and grimy melodramatics," and concluded that the film, "though not distinguished, is entertaining and has the flavor of a great shipping port."