STREAMING SATURDAYS! Noir Drops the Hammer in HELL IS A CITY
Welcome to another edition of Streaming Saturdays, where we embed a free, fun movie for you to watch right here!
From 1960, it’s HELL IS A CITY, directed by Val Guest, who also adapted the screenplay from Maurice Procter’s novel of the same name. Blurring the line between noir and the burgeoning British New Wave, the fast-paced crime drama was shot entirely in working-class Manchester, lending it a grittiness that sets it apart from the sleeker, more stylized detective films that would come to mark the decade.
At its center is Stanley Baker (Inspector Harry Martineau), in his second and last film for Hammer before his fame outpaced their budgets. If you want to see what a superstar on the verge looks like, just spend a quick ninety minutes with him here. (Bonus points for the fact that he’s always reminded me of my movie husband, Rod Taylor.)
The supporting cast isn’t too shabby either, with Donald Pleasence as a mousy, bespectacled accountant who is somehow married to Billie Whitelaw, a mystery that could take up a whole nother film. Also fun is Vanda Godsell as a blowsy barmaid who harbors a hankering for Harry—well not so much harbors as lets it loose all over town.
The plot is fairly typical—an especially nasty crook has been sprung from prison, with scores to settle and loot to recover. But everything about the film feels vibrant. Click below and enjoy!
STREAMING SATURDAYS is a semi-regular feature on Sister Celluloid. You can catch up on movies you may have missed by clicking here! And why not bookmark the page to make sure you never miss another?
- Posted in: classic film ♦ Streaming Saturdays!
- Tagged: billie qwhitelaw, british new wave, donald pleasence, film noir, hell is a city, stanley baker, val guest
Sister Celluloid 
Great to see you writing again, Janet. Hope all good with you.
This is one of my favourite films. Delighted to see it chosen for this.
Maddy
Thank you so much for your encouragement, Maddy! One of the things that motivated me out of my funk was being back in touch with my movie kindred spirits, you among them. I hope you are well!
It’s so good to have you back! I miss being on Twitter and chatting with you and others, but I couldn’t stand what the place was turning into any longer.
Maddy
The only reason I’m still there is for my animal rescue work, and I occasitonally drop in movie posts just to keep it from being too one-note. I would love to stay in touch; if you want to email me it’s sistercelluloidwebsite@gmail.com.