Taking a look at UK DVD company Network during their Christmas sale for titles that I could watch with my dad over the X-Mas season,I spotted a Film Noir that I remembered reading a good review for in Empire magazine,which mentioned that this was the lone movie that British actor Ralph Richardson directed,which led to me setting my clock so I could get home and watch the title at 7.The plot:Returning home,banker David Preston starts talking to his wife Janet about how work went.Stopping David in the middle of his stories,Janet asks David where he has been,due to having been away from home (and at work) for an entire day.Telling Janet that he does not know what she is talking about,David picks up the newspaper,and is shocked to discover that he has missed an entire day.Trying to piece together what took place,David finds himself unable to remember anything that happened on his lost day.As he tries to make sense of what has taken place,the police discovery that a member of David's private members club has been found murdered,and that the entire savings of the club have mysteriously disappeared.View on the film:Before I get to the movie,I have to mention that Network have given the title a superb transfer,with the picture being pin-stripe sharp and every forgotten footstep from David being clear to hear. For his lone shot behind the camera, Ralph Richardson (joined by Assistant Director/future Bond director Guy Hamilton) keeps the movie close to its stage roots,as long,stilted takes peel away at David's anxiety over the events that took place.Whilst he does keep things grounded,Richardson boils up a classy Film Noir atmosphere,as elegant low-lighting brightens the fragments of David's memory.Taking R.C. Sheriff's play from the stage to the screen, Anatole de Grunwald gives David & Janet a perfect image,which gradually fractures as David tries to regain his memory.Calming opening up David's "perfect" image, Grunwald casts David off into a shattered post-war Film Noir world,with a wonderfully left-field twist allowing David's PTSD nightmare to be shown in raw daylight. Appearing prim and proper, Richardson gives a great performance as David,whose mild-manner behaviour is given a sharp sense of doubt by Richardson,as David fails to get home at 7.

Losing 24 hours of one's life can be quite frustrating, especially when the man you despise beyond words ends up dead during that time, the victim of obvious murder. For banker Ralph Richardson (who also directed this interesting sleeper), it's even more frustrating because he doesn't realize he's lost the whole day between his routine life thrown off by the incident. When he ends up being questioned for the murder, it seems hopeless and he makes preparations for the worst with his devoted wife (Margaret Leighton).This British play is well directed and acted in a stagy but enjoyable manner. At times, it seems like a light comedy, even though the situation is extremely serious. The murder plot concerns Richardson's club of which he is treasurer, and the theft of the club's funds, which Richardson had direct access to. A film like this can be messed up very easily by a silly conclusion, which this fortunately avoids.

I wonder how much dialogue you can squeeze into an 80 minute movie. "Home At Seven" tries its darnedest to break the record, in a film that is long on discussions but short on action.It starts with a great idea. A man comes home from work, to discover that he has missed an entire day, during which a murder has been committed. So far, so good. But I found out that it is almost possible to talk a good idea to death, as there follows an endless collection of discussions, confrontations, meetings and heart to heart talks. Now, I understand that in such a situation explanations must be in order, but the whole movie began to seem like a 3 hour ordeal.Ralph Richardson is the hapless husband and Margaret Leighton is wonderful as his devoted wife. Jack Hawkins is their doctor-friend and all three principals try their best to move things along. Granted, it is a clever concept and ultimately brought to a surprise ending, but it's not a good sign when you keep checking your watch throughout the picture.But it is well worth a look, especially if you have more patience than myself.

A long forgotten British film, that has David Preston ( Ralph Richardson) as a lowly bank clerk, who returns home, as usual, only to be told by his wife, that he has been missing for 24 hours.He slowly starts to come to terms with what has happened, only to find out that the steward of his local club has been murdered, and that he has been implicated. Margaret Leighton as his wife, and Campbell Singer,as the police inspector give good support. I find these films from 40's and 50's fascinating, as they show a way of life that has long since disappeared.