London Belongs to Me
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| London Belongs to Me | |
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| Directed by | Sidney Gilliat |
| Produced by | Sidney Gilliat Frank Launder J. Arthur Rank (Executive Producer) |
| Written by | Sidney Gilliat J. B. Williams Norman Collins (novel) |
| Starring | Richard Attenborough Alastair Sim Wylie Watson Joyce Carey Fay Compton Stephen Murray Susan Shaw Ivy St. Helier Maurice Denham Hugh Griffith |
| Music by | Benjamin Frankel |
| Cinematography | Wilkie Cooper |
| Release date(s) | 1948 |
| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
London Belongs to Me (also known as Dulcimer Street) is a 1948 British film directed by Sidney Gilliat and starring Richard Attenborough and Alastair Sim. It was based on the novel of the same name by Norman Collins. The same story was made into a seven-part series by Thames Television in 1977.
[edit] Plot
The story concerns the tenants of a large terraced house in pre-WWII London. Among them are the Jossers (mother and father Fay Compton and Wylie Watson, and teenage daughter Susan Shaw), landlady Mrs. Vizzard (Joyce Carey), the eccentric spiritualist medium Mr. Squales (Sim), the colourful Connie Coke (Ivy St. Helier), and the young Percy Boone (Attenborough) and his mother (Gladys Henson).
The misguided Percy is in love with the Jossers' daughter, and turns to crime to raise money to impress her. Unfortunately, he bungles a car theft and finds himself accused of murder. The ageing Mr. Josser (Wylie Watson) digs into his retirement fund to hire the boy a lawyer.
Mr. Squales testifies against Percy, but in the process exposes his fakery (his apparent abilities in contacting the dead and prophesying are bogus) to his now-fiancée Mrs. Vizzard.
Percy is found guilty, but his neighbours rally to his defence. With the assistance of the Jossers' staunchly socialist Uncle Henry (Stephen Murray), they gather thousands of signatures in a petition to gain him a reprieve. At the end of the film, Percy's supporters march through the rain to Parliament, only to find on their arrival that clemency has already been granted.
[edit] Production
The film was shot at Pinewood Studios. The main street was an interior set, but additional location filming took place around London and at Burnham Beeches in Buckinghamshire.
