THE NEXT OF KIN (1942) Mervyn Johns, John Chandos & Nova Pilbeam | Drama, Mystery | B&W

Please visit our streaming service at https://lostnfoundfilms.uscreen.io/

The Next of Kin, also known as Next of Kin, is a 1942 Second World War propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios. The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the government message that "Careless talk costs lives". After being taken on by Ealing Studios, the project was expanded and given a successful commercial release. After the war and up until at least the mid 1960s, services in British Commonwealth countries continued to use The Next of Kin as part of security training. The film's title is derived from the phrase "the next of kin have been informed" as used by radio announcers when reporting on the loss of personnel in action.

Synopsis

In preparing for a secret raid on a German-held French coastal village, a British security officer is chosen to monitor activities in England among army personnel of the 95th Infantry as well as civilians with whom they mingle. At the same time, German intelligence send Agents 23 and 16 to England to obtain information from sources including conversations overheard in pubs, railway stations, shops and other public places. Agent 16 is caught, but 23 reaches his contact, Mr Barratt, a bookseller at Westport, who assigns him the job of infiltrating an ordnance depot. After he helps an ATS driver with a punctured tyre, she invites him to a dance. There, he learns the unit has top priority for special equipment. Agent 23 makes it his task to find out why.

In the meantime, Barratt forces his employee, Dutch refugee Beppie Leemans, to discover the activities of the 95th. She informs him that the 95th Unit is expecting to receive aerial photographs. Barratt sends Agent 23 to London to obtain the photographs. When Leemans realises the seriousness of what she has done, she stabs Barratt to death, but 23 returns unexpectedly and knocks her out. He then turns on the gas and makes it look like a murder–suicide. An agent manages to steal the briefcase containing an aerial negative, carelessly left unattended at a cafe by a wing commander. The officer believes his briefcase was taken by mistake and is relieved when it is returned to the cafe (after a photograph is developed). The photograph is smuggled to German intelligence and used to identify the 95th's objective. As a result, the Germans mobilize to ambush the 95th's commando raid on the French coast.

The raid is carried out and deemed successful, albeit with heavy losses. The film concludes back in England, as we observe two careless talkers on a train, as they are monitored by Agent 23, who is seen taking notes.

Cast & Crew

Guy Guy-Mas as The Frenchman (billed as Quartier-Maitre Guy Guy-Mas)
Basil Sydney as Naval Captain
Frederick Leister as Colonel
Reginald Tate as Major Richards (billed as Sqn. Ldr. Reginald Tate)
Johnnie Schofield as Lance-Corporal
Alexander Field as Private Durnford
Jack Hawkins as Brigade Major (billed as 2nd Lt. Jack Hawkins)
David Hutcheson as Intelligence Officer (billed as Fl. Lt. David Hutcheson)
Brefni O'Rorke as The Brigadier
Phyllis Stanley as Miss Clare
Richard Norris as Pte. Jimmy (billed as 2nd Lt. Richard Norris)
Geoffrey Hibbert as Pte. John
Philip Friend as Lieut. Cummins
Mary Clare as Mrs. "Ma" Webster
Torin Thatcher as a German General (billed as Lt. Torin Thatcher)
Mervyn Johns as No. 23/Mr. Davis (billed as Ft. Lt. Mervyn Johns)
John Chandos as No. 16
Nova Pilbeam as Beppie Leemans
Stephen Murray as Mr. Barratt (billed as L/C Stephen Murray)
Thora Hird as The ATS Girl
Frank Allenby as Wing-Comdr. Kenton
Joss Ambler as Mr. Vernon
Charles Victor as Neutral Seaman

Director: Thorold Dickinson
Writers: Basil Bartlett, Thorold Dickinson, John Dighton, Angus MacPhail
Producer: Michael Balcon
Cinematography: Ernest Palmer
Editor: Ray Pitt
Music: William Walton
Distributor: Ealing Studios
Release Date: 15 May 1942
Running Time: 102 minutes
Country: UK
Language: English
Budget: £50,000
Box Office: £119,129