The Secret Place (1957) User Reviews

Overlooked gem, with a startlingly good child performance

[Tryavna · 7/10 · 2 August 2007]

I must confess I'm a little surprised by the lackluster rating of 5.1 that this film currently has on IMDb, because it's exactly the kind of movie that deserves reevaluation. Granted, it's no masterpiece. The plot isn't particularly innovative, and the dialog is clunky at times. Perhaps most disturbing of all, since director Clive Donner had been a top editor during the preceding decade, the pacing is too slow. (This kind of movie shouldn't run longer than 85 or 90 minutes.) But it's thoughtful and entertaining. And most importantly, it's an excellent example of the transition that the British film industry was undergoing in the late-1950s. On one hand, its characters are working-class types who feel entrapped by their environment, much like the "Kitchen Sink" dramas that began appearing the following year. Likewise, Donner's interest in youth culture and on-location photography mirrors that of the Free Cinema directors. On the other hand, the moral compass of "The Secret Place" is aligned with the moderate views of Ealing, and poor Belinda Lee is saddled with outdated lines like "you really *must* stop" and "I'd be ever so grateful." (By the way, the gorgeous Lee acquits herself nicely in this rare dramatic role. She was used rather poorly by the Rank Organization.)

What I especially like about "The Secret Place" is its blending of genres. At its most basic level, it's a heist picture. The plot centers around a daring diamond robbery. The second half of the film, however, runs more along the lines of a boys' adventure tale, with young Freddie trying to foil the gang's plans -- not unlike Ealing's "Hue and Cry" (though with far less comedy). Yet the movie also presents us with a vivid and dramatic portrayal of a bombed-out London neighborhood and the interconnected lives of its inhabitants -- much like "It Always Rains on Sunday" and "London Belongs to Me." At heart, this film wants to say something about the bleakness of war-scarred London and the need its younger inhabitants have of escape to a better life. A brief interlude that occurs when Molly and Gerry visit a modern flat they hope to buy with their share of the loot provides subtle but beautiful motivation for their actions.

As the other reviewer points out, most viewers will be interested to see a very young David McCallum in one of his earliest roles, and as I've already mentioned, this movie offers a rare glimpse of Belinda Lee tackling a role that wasn't beneath her. But the real eye-opener is Michael Brooke's superb performance as the adolescent Freddie, whose crush on Molly is exploited cruelly by the gang. Donner's skill with young actors is on full display here: Brooke's depiction of pubescent infatuation with a (slightly) older woman and the heartbreak and loss of innocence that that sort of infatuation can result in is spot-on. Freddie is both precocious and naive -- a combination that's extraordinarily difficult to recreate. It really is one of the best and most overlooked child performances of the decade. It's a shame that Brooke didn't have much of a career afterward. (By the way, IMDb's entry for Brooke apparently confuses him with a much older actor with the same name. Surely, he wasn't born in 1904! However, I know that I've glimpsed him in a couple of other British films from the same period -- "The Mudlark" and "The Long Arm," most notably.)

So if you get a chance to watch this on TV, it's worth your while. (It seems to come on TCM once every year or so.)

Belinda Lee is not just eye candy

[howardmorley · 7/10 · 29 May 2015]

Yes I too would like to see the rating higher as "Tryavna" above suggests such that I rated this film 7/10.I bought a job lot from a rare DVD dealer but somehow did not play this title until today.Being born in 1946 I can well remember building sites on which me and friends would play in our free time (very dangerous when I look back).England still had lots of bomb damage in 1957 and bomb site car parks were common.Us children traded objects out of school but I was never offered a real diamond!The afore-mentioned user has adequately commented on the plot and production values and I agree the film needed speeding up somewhat, although it kept my attention to the end.Of course the moral film code was much in evidence in 1957 so that any criminal caper had to show the perpetrators obtaining their just deserts in the end.

Belinda Lee. although mainly a glamour puss in British and continental films in the 1950s, here is given a real acting part which does not just trade on her outstanding physical looks as she has to play a friendly & sympathetic relationship with her young 14 year old co-star.It was sad her life had to end prematurely in a car accident in the USA in 1961.Curiously there was no film music heard in the chase scene on the building site between Lewis, Brookes & Lee.There has been a real life raid recently on a safe deposit in Hatton Garden,London which was in the papers and which makes this film quite topical.

"It's so easy to drift into things...it's so hard to get out again"

[hwg1957-102-265704 · 7/10 · 16 June 2017]

This thriller was the first film directed by Clive Donner and it is a very good start to his long career. A jewel robbery in Hatton Garden in London is planned and a policeman's uniform is required for the heist. The girlfriend of one of the gang persuades a teenage boy, Freddie, who is infatuated with her to borrow his own father's uniform. The robbery takes place but soon things start to unravel. The secret place of the title is an actual hiding place but it could refer to Freddie's heart and the turmoil that occurs in it.

Freddie is played really well by Michael Brooke, who captures the intensity and confusion of a teenager who doesn't quite understand the world but he is also caring and eventually quite heroic. The other main members of the cast are excellent too; Belinda Lee, Ronald Lewis, Michael Gwynn and George A. Cooper. A young David McCallum also appears in an unheroic part. There are also several child actors in brief moments who are just so right that one suspects they were just local kids recruited for the film.

Most of it is shot on location in London, still showing signs of the war with bombed out buildings and empty spaces. As a Londoner it is interesting to see familiar places filmed 60 years ago. There is no background music where you might expect some, such as the tense robbery scene and the chase at the end but both sequences work really well. The photography of the chase at the end around a half built building is very noir, great use of light and shadow.

An engrossing film, and as in the film a gem to be re-discovered.

The nature of pure cinema

[rockymark-30974 · 7/10 · 20 January 2021]

Despite its b-film status, this is really quite a good film. It works well as a traditional caper movie, with fine scenes of suspense, but it stands out especially for the cinematic tension created between Belinda Lee's character and the little boy, to me as fine an example of pure cinema as I've seen, the kind of thing one might otherwise find in an Ingmar Bergman movie. This is a paradigm example of suspense, as we wonder if the Lee's character can make psychological contact with the boy, as the boy moves further apart from her. The bland close-ups on the boy work for the film, since we can never read what is going on in his mind as we wait to see if he will reconcile with the woman or not. Also noteworthy is the ambivalent ending, when one might otherwise expect a more conventional reunion, as far as I can go without revealing a spoiler.

My Childood

[TondaCoolwal · 7/10 · 11 November 2020]

Robbery story aside, this film is wonderful in its portrayal of children's lives in the lost world of grimy post-war Britain. A place where 3 year-olds could be allowed to play, unsupervised on bomb-sites amid rusting abandoned cars and ruined buildings. Where "dens" and "camps" could be built and secret places discovered. One priceless scene in this environment is where Freddy's younger brother, having discovered a large diamond, immediately swaps it with another child for a penny. She in turn swaps it with another child and it goes on until it changes hands at the astronomical price of one shilling and three pence (seven and a half p) . Reminded me very much of my own childhood during this period, where swaps were the order of the day. The perceived value of an item often being greater or less than its actual value, depending upon the individuals involved in the deal. The follow up in the story is an amusing sequence where the Police have to backtrack the deals, questioning the tight-lipped kids, in order to find the diamonds's origin. Love watching these films. I am always puzzled by the apparent age of kids parents. Freddy is about fifteen. At his age my parents were 36, but his parents look ancient. Belinda Lee, who plays Molly, was 22 at the time, but her mother (Gretchen Franklin) has the appearance of an old age pensioner! Maybe its just their clothes? In American films of the era it's even worse. With grey-haired dowagers parenting 10 year-olds!

Diamonds are not forever.

[hitchcockthelegend · 6/10 · 18 November 2018]

The Secret Place is directed by Clive Donner and written by Linette Perry. It stars Belinda Lee, Ronald Lewis, Michael Brooke, Michael Gwynn, Geoffrey Keen and David McCallum. Music is by Clifton Parker and cinematography by Ernest Steward,

Little seen and heard of piece of British noir, The Secret Place sits somewhere in between good and frustrating. Plot involves London crooks enacting a gems robbery and finding themselves at the mercy of an adolescent boy and his secret place.

First and foremost the pluses here far outweigh the negatives. The cast list is a veritable roll call of British actors who need no introduction to fans of British film and TV. The cinematography on show is perpetually film noir in look, where cinematographer Steward (The 39 Steps/Payroll) fills 90% of the pic with monochrome menace and dark cloaked actions. The robbery at the center of the tale is suspenseful and has a cheeky glint in its eye, and with the cast on form - bolstered by an excellent child acting turn from Brooke, production value from London locales is bang on the money.

However, the pacing of the pic is an issue, where as much as you want some depth to characterisations, the back and forward expansion of the key players takes up the bulk of the running time. It's also sad to report that the finale just fizzles out as a damp squib, almost as if the Hays Code was still in force and thriving in Britain! Is there still enough to keep this above average? Yes, definitely, but it's not a hidden gem by any stretch of the imagination. 6/10

Good British crime movie, some excellent scenes.

[miked-26800 · 7/10 · 27 January 2021]

With British crime movies of this vintage it's often a case of the good, the bad and the awful. This is one of the good ones. The plot line is a diamond robbery where the stolen diamonds are hidden in a portable record player which comes into the possession of a young teenage boy, who happens to be the son of a police constable. The final part of the film is taken up with the efforts of the crooks to recover the diamonds. The film has moments of real tension, the diamond heist itself and the final chase scenes are excellently done. Good and convincing performances from all concerned.

Children and diamonds

[clanciai · 10/10 · 4 December 2019]

A splendid thriller, slow in the start, but eventually the build-up begins towards an impressing climax, both story-wise and above all cinematographically. The actors are all more than excellent, especially the boy - one of the greatest performances in films ever by a child. The plot is, to say the least, complicated: it starts simple enough, as plans are made for an infallible burglary into a jewellry boutique, but, as always, unexpected things happen, leading to an extensive mess of complications. Please be patient with this film. There are many dull moments in the beginning, but I promise you, eventually you will wake up.

Crime doesn't pay

[russjones-80887 · 6/10 · 10 June 2020]

In post-war London, a diamond raid is carried out by a gang of small-time crooks. A young boy becomes caught up in the crime when he discovers that the gang has hidden the jewels in his home. They want them back.

A standard British crime thriller interestingly set amongst the homes and ruins in 1950s London. Ronald Lewis is the charming gang leader who will go to any lengths to retrieve the diamonds. Good supporting cast.

This secret hardly worth keeping.

[eddie-83 · 4/10 · 19 July 2001]

`The Secret Place' is an average little caper film apart from a tense jewel robbery sequence. It begins with a wind-up gramophone (which becomes important to the plot) playing some dire English pop song of the day. The `day' is the mid-nineteenfifties and flattened bombsites are much in evidence in the back streets of London's East End.

Clive Donner made one of my favorite films, the biting black comedy about the English class system, `Nothing but the Best' but this, his directorial debut, is a much more pedestrian effort with plodding dialogue and a plot holding few surprises.

The one highlight, however, is the performance of David McCallum of `Man from Uncle' infamy. Wearing a leather jacket and obviously under the influence of Brando and Dean he tries to portray the classic `crazy, mixed-up kid' so common in the popular culture of the fifties. Attempting teenage angst, he only manages to display the symptoms of constipation. Another central character, Ronald Lewis wears a huge, Brylcreemed Elvis Presley-style quiff.

"The Window" lite

[ripplinbuckethead · 8/10 · 2 September 2019]

A beautiful young woman named Molly (Belinda Lee) begrudgingly gets involved with her brother Mike (David McCallum) in a diamond heist, meticulously planned by a small-time crook (Ronald Lewis). It's super risky, involving the impersonation of police, but amazingly, they get away with it. Sadly, a boy named Freddie (Michael Brooke), who has a crush on Molly, also becomes involved without his knowledge, and now he's in danger too.

This one features shades of The Window, which is a good thing. It's not on par with that one for various reasons, but still very enjoyable, with some good surprises. The story is engaging, adding layers that keep interest high, especially when Freddie's little brother finds something he shouldn't have, which sets off an entirely new, somewhat amusing chain of events.

All the performances were enjoyable, but Michael Brooke was the real revelation here. He did a fine job in the last of eight roles in his short career. (I also saw him in X the Unknown, but it wouldn't have been significant to me at the time)

I was very pleasantly surprised with this one. Recommended!

Top notch photography and an intense climactic sequence makes this a real sleeper.

[mark.waltz · 7/10 · 25 February 2019]

Part social commentary and part caper thriller, this is slow-moving for much of the first three quarters but then all of a sudden switches into high gear for a brilliant conclusion. It is obvious in the first real that something criminal is up and it takes a while to determine who was involved in the theft of uncut diamonds and who is simply a victim of circumstance. Michael Brooke is the teenager with the pointless crush on neighborhood sexxpot Belinda Lee, and when he realizes that she somehow involved in something criminal, not only are his feelings hurt by her polite rejection but by her immoral involvements as well. He gets his hands on the stolen diamonds and that puts his life in jeopardy which leads to a stunning conclusion among a structure under construction switch the camera moves in on in such ways that it increases the tension because of the dangerous planks and unsteady way it is kept together.

Part of the plot involves a record player that has a rock tune heard over and over which gives Brooke clues as to what is going on based upon what he heard at the time of the crime occurring. It's the little things like this that the script utilizes, but it takes a lot of patience to get into the film and for interest to remain sustained. When the audience realizes what is going on with the diamonds theft, there is so much to watch because of important detail in the background as well as what is going on with the man duct taped as a crime is committed.

There is something about the location photography in many of the British films of the 1950's and 60's that seemed grittier than American films which really didn't utilize the new wave all that much. For example, a shot of the poor neighborhood with the abandoned lot being utilized by children playing seems to have a unique perspective, and the camera shoots it at such an angle to where it seems to be enormous. The black and white photography is utilized in such a way that the intensity of the situation is accelerated, and that make certain scenes quite nail biting. Of the cast, David McCallum stands out as a rather quiet sociopath whom you can tell could turn psychopathic at any minute. These elements make films like "The Secret Place" often difficult to get into, but when you begin to think about them, they become better upon repeat viewing.

Too slow and derivative

[malcolmgsw · 5/10 · 7 May 2018]

Firstly I would mention that Michael Brooks became a barrister became a QC and eventually a judge.Sadly Belinda Lee died in a car crash and Ronald Lewis committ ed suicide.After a lovely start the film slows down to a crawl.The climax is reminiscent of the superior The Yellow Balloon.David Mccallum makes an impression only its of the wrong sort.The location shooting is of most interest.

You know what you're getting

[Leofwine_draca · 6/10 · 8 April 2020]

THE SECRET PLACE is a typical and very British-feeling thriller of the 1950s. That is, you know what you're going to get with this one: working class backdrops, a cosy pace, solid performances from a cast of familiar faces, and a good dollop of suspense and character-building. The late, lamented Belinda Lee has a fine femme fatale role playing an innocent woman drawn into a gang of diamond thieves; what follows is unpredictable and keeps the tension going nicely. Cast-wise, there's a slick and scary Ronald Lewis as the chief baddie, ably supported by a callow David McCallum among others. The latter half of the film moves into that 'child in peril' territory that British thrillers of the 1950s did so well.

The Secret Place

[CinemaSerf · 7/10 · 27 December 2022]

OK, so it does sag somewhat in the middle - but otherwise this is quite a well paced crime drama that sees "Molly" (Belinda Lee) caught up in a plan by her friend "Gerry" (Ronald Lewis) that ensnares her impressionable brother "Mike" (David McCallum) and her even more impressionable young fan "Freddie" (Michael Brooke) into a daring diamond robbery. Turns out the youngster's dad is a policeman, and when he procures - unwittingly - a police uniform to assist the gang with their robbery; things begin to close in on "Molly", "Gerry" and the honest young man who happens upon the stones... There's not a great deal of jeopardy here - we sort of know from the outset what is going to happen, but Lee and the young Brooke are on good form and it shows us quite an interesting perspective on a still recovering post-war London populated by petty gangs and small time thieves who could be pretty brutal as required. It's a bit long and wordy - it could do with a bit more action, but it's got a tight cast with a decent plot that kills 90 minutes easily enough.

The Boy Problem

[jcappy · 6/10 · 16 June 2017]

No murders. No corpse. Just a well thought out jewel hoist which will allow its gang members to live a life a bit above their working class status. All the adult characters and actors are human, remarkably absorbing, and given quite a lot of stature or presence.

The trouble is the boy. He seems to fit nicely enough into the scheme of the plot until he feels spurned by a young woman he's childishly in love with. He recognizes this rejection in several steps, but from the first disillusionment, he strikes a sudden self-righteous pose which makes him a very poor foil to the sympathetic jewel thieves.

Do we want this kid, the son of a cop, to be more cop than his father? Do we appreciate his detective-like qualities, and all his not credible luck in bringing down his adult antagonists? No matter how many bad traits the plot throws at the thieves, none of them really stick. What does hold, unfortunately, is the boy's rather sniveling, boy-scout alignment with both the jewelers and the police.

Hot Rocks

[richardchatten · 8/10 · 3 April 2020]

Nearly fifty years before four elderly criminals took on Hatton Garden a couple of young whippersnappers were attempting to loot the place to the tune of the potentially life-changing sum of £60,000; a tidy enough sum even today!

Clive Donner made an auspicious debut as a director with this meandering but gripping drama vividly shot against a backdrop of a postwar London of bombsites and building sites, both by day and night.

A Real Diamond of a Film

[dennisjones777 · 8/10 · 27 October 2021]

Classic Gem.

A band of criminals steal diamonds, they then try to hide the stash until they find a buyer. There's more to it than that, but this film has a cracking story and a great cast. (Brenda Lee, Ronald Lewis and Michael Brooke) Genre - Crime/Heist.