British Noir & The Magic of Diana Dors

Recently I've rediscovered one of the best and most accessible sources for watching quality old films--YouTube. When I first became interested in classic cinema, it was before apps such as Criterion Channel and TCM OnDemand were available. I would have to catch films on cable through channels such as TCM, Cinemoi, or AMC. My other alternative was YouTube, where I discovered many classic films, directors, and actors. I remember I watched Hedy Lamarr sparkle in films like Dishonored Lady (1947) and Barbara Stanwyck stir up complex emotions in films like The Strange Loves of Martha Ivers (1946). Recently, I've been back in a noir mood (perhaps I always am) and have found the most obscure B-films on YouTube. So for this week's post, I will share some of my favorite British films I've seen on YouTube in the past few weeks. I will focus specifically on films starring the fabulous blonde bombshell, Diana Dors.

Passport to Shame (1958), also known as Room 43, is an unusual British crime drama that packs in a lot in 90 minutes. The film was directed by Alvin Rakoff and starred Diana Dors, Odile Versois, and Herbert Lom. Passport to Shame follows Odile Versois's character, Malou, who unknowingly becomes involved in a prostitution ring run by the unscrupulous Nick Biaggi (Herbert Lom). Nick recruits many women from other countries and finds them suitors who he pays to marry them and get their passports for citizenship. He pays one man, Johnny McVey (played by Eddie Constantine), to marry Malou, who is naive and genuinely believes Nick is trying to help her. 

Admittedly this movie has some eye-rolling moments. Of course, Malou and Nick genuinely fall in love with one another, and Malou's naivete and blinding trust in many of the characters who surround her can be frustrating to watch. But the movie is interesting in the ways that it investigates the lives of British sex workers in the 1950s. Diana Dors's character, Vicki, is a breath of fresh air. She sashays around the home in fabulous 1950s wiggle dresses and lace gowns with wit in an unapologetic manner. She is a woman of the world who is very different than Malou in that she knows what is happening around her at all times. She becomes sympathetic towards the unknowing Malou because she reminds her of her sister, who was once a part of Nick's prostitution ring.

This film showcases blackmail, sex work, manipulation, and desperation as several characters try to navigate the seedy world Nick Biaggi has dragged them all into. Herbert Lom does a fabulous job in this role as an unlikable character who will do anything to make money. I found the cinematography by Jack Asher particularly noteworthy in the surrealist dream sequence that showcases Malou in some compelling scenes that suggest the feeling of drowning and being used up by others. You can find the link to this film here.

2. Man Bait (1952) or The Last Page is a British film noir directed by Terence Fisher, starring George Brent, Diana Dors, and Marguerite Chapman. This film will definitely be a future rewatch for me. George Brent plays John Harman, a married man who runs a bookshop and spends much of his time managing and maintaining inventory in the store. Diana Dors plays the young and attractive Ruby Bruce, who is one of his employees in the bookstore and is always late to work. One day, she catches a crook named Jeff Hart (played by Peter Reynolds) attempting to steal a book, and the two end up going on several dates and begin plotting ways to blackmail the kind and somewhat naive bookshop manager, John Harman.

Ruby and Jeff nearly succeed in obtaining a massive amount of money from John Harman until things turn dark. This film works in the ways that it both frustrates and entices the viewer to keep watching. George Brent is always a reliable actor, and as the viewer, you cannot help but sympathize and root for his character. Diana Dors does an excellent job playing a character enticed by Jeff Hart's crooked antics and desperately wanting to impress him. Peter Reynolds is unrelenting as Jeff Hart. I enjoyed this film immensely and wished it was derived from a novel rather than a play. I would love to read this story in book form. At just under an hour and twenty minutes, I highly recommend this noir. You can watch the film here.

The Long Haul (1957), directed by Ken Hughes, and starring Victor Mature, Diana Dors, and Patrick Allen, is a British drama that deals with family issues, post-war traumas, criminal activity, and the longing for escape. Admittedly, I found this film to have a slow start, but I was surprised at its twists and turns, especially in its critique and investigation of 1950s families. Victor Mature plays a trucker Harry Miller, who leaves the U.S. Army during World War II and is persuaded by his wife, Connie (played by Gene Anderson), to move and settle in Liverpool to be closer to some of her family. The couple has a son, Butch, and they appear to have an everyday, happy domestic life. 

However, desperate for a job in a new country, Harry takes a job as a long-haul trucker and becomes involved with a corrupt smuggling operation run by Joe Easy (played by Patrick Allen). Harry doesn't approve of the job or his boss and begins to develop a relationship with Joe Easy's girlfriend, Lynn (Dors). Things take a left turn when family secrets are revealed, and Harry discovers just how messy things can get when dealing with criminals.

Victor Mature is perhaps best known for his roles in more mainstream films such as My Darling Clementine (1946) and Samson and Delilah (1949), but I've found his B-films to be some of his better roles in movies such as this one, I Wake Up Screaming (1941) and Kiss of Death (1947). I adored him and Diana Dors as a romantic pair. Although Diana Dors does not get much screen time in this film, her presence makes the film a more compelling watch. The final scene is one of Dors's best acting moments that I've seen in a movie of hers to date! The Long Haul is based on the novel of the same title written by Mervyn Mills and is on my To Reads List. You can watch this film here.

There are several other films that you can find on YouTube starring Diana Dors. So far, these are two of my favorites. Although Dors was billed as the "British Marilyn Monroe," her acting style and demeanor are nothing like Marilyn Monroe's. Monroe showcased naivete in a charming way that drew the viewer. Dors radiates as a blonde bombshell within these B-movies because she plays the opposite of that. Her characters are women who have been through the hardships of life. She plays the ultimate "bad girl" in these seedy films who means well but will do what she needs to for herself or those she cares about. In these films, her character uses her sex appeal to get what she wants, and 9 out of 10, it works. Dors can play the villain type (femme fatale) or the woman who appears to be a bad girl on the surface but, deep down, has a heart of gold.

I hope you enjoyed this post, and I will see you soon!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the photographs in this blog post.