The History of British Cinema: 1950

Basil Dearden’s The Blue Lamp, starring Dirk Bogarde and Jack Warner, is released.   Despite being killed in the film, Warner’s character, PC Dixon, is later resurrected for a long-running BBC series called Dixon of Dock Green. [ADD]

Jules Dassin’s Night and the City is released.   Dassin’s first film in Britain since being hounded out of Hollywood by the anti-communism brigade exposes the seamy underbelly of London – a world of back-street drinking clubs, con men, prostitutes and killers.   Americans Richard Widmark and Gene Tierney lead an otherwise British cast. [ADD]

Dinner Date with Death, the first British film made for TV, is screened by the BBC. [ADD]

 – The Wheare Committee’s report finds little evidence to support the theory that films are linked to immoral or anti-social behaviour by British youth.   Nevertheless, the report recommends the introduction of a new ‘X’ certificate to replace the existing ‘H’ certificate. [ADD]

– Group 3 Film Productions is formed at Southall Studios with John Grierson as Executive Producer.  [ADD]

– Cinema attendance for the year is 1,396 million. [ADD]