Circle of Danger

Director: Jacques Tourneur
Screenplay: Philip Macdonald
Based on the novel by: Philip Macdonald
Producers: Joan Harrison, David E. Rose, John R. Sloan
Starring: Ray Milland, Patricia Roc, Marius Goring, Hugh Sinclair
Year: 1951
Country: UK
BBFC Certification: U
Duration: 86 mins

Some films grab you instantly and you know you’re in for a good time from the opening scene. Other films creep up on you slowly, requiring time to establish their rhythms and reveal their methods. I can’t think of many better examples of the latter type of film, often the more satisfying type in the long term, than Jacques Tourneur’s unusual British Noir Mystery, Circle of Danger. It follows Ray Milland’s prickly American Clay Douglas as he travels around various locations in England, Scotland and Wales in an attempt to discover the truth behind his brother’s death in World War II, which he suspects may have been at the hands of his own comrades rather than the enemy. I’ve seen Circle of Danger described as a Thriller but its uniquely deliberate pace makes this seem something of a misnomer. Clay’s investigation is so devoid of dramatic flourishes and the information he seeks is so slowly drip-fed to him that after the first half hour I was bewildered by how little seemed to be happening. But the excruciating difficulty of getting at the truth gradually becomes the point, as the unwillingness of everyone Clay interrogates to talk about the subject drives him forward with even greater persistence.

Those who have a narrow perception of what constitutes Noir may disagree with Circle of Danger’s classification as such. Certainly, I once used to demand big cities and looming shadows before I would apply the term. But such a reductive definition excludes countless examples of Noir that make the genre more expansive and interesting. Circle of Danger boasts exceptional cinematography from Oswald Morris and Gilbert Taylor, the crispness of the black and white image enhancing the bucolic beauty of its attractive outdoor locations. This is a world of rolling hills, dry stones walls and striking, cloudy vistas. But there are ample Noirish shadows implied in the ominous secrets that hang over Clay’s every encounter. Only the intelligent young writer Elspeth Graham, with whom Clay is quickly enamoured, seems like safe company. Elspeth is an underwritten character in a film with not many female roles but she is saved from marginalisation by a charismatic performance from Gainsborough Pictures star Patricia Roc. The role Roc is asked to play here is an odd mix of romantic lead and comic relief, with her burgeoning relationship with Clay scuppered by his inability to keep their arranged dates due to breakthroughs in his investigation. These asides could be seen as disruptive but they are also delightful in the way they offset the grim details of the central mystery.

Milland is well cast as Clay, his natural abrasiveness befitting this fitfully unsympathetic protagonist. An early scene in which he lets his temper get the better of him when dealing with Colin Gordon, one of British cinemas great stuffed shirts, is nicely designed to set up Clay’s volatility while also establishing the muted parameters of Circle of Danger’s emotional register. There are no raised voices or threats made, just a casually flung accusation followed by a moment’s regrouping, an apology and an amicable resolution. The comparative gentility of it all is mildly comic but also fascinatingly realistic, setting the film apart from its more melodramatic equivalents. Tourneur’s direction is remarkable in its consistency, never giving way to the temptation to heighten the drama with a mood-breaking outburst. This approach feels entirely justified when the clever finale manages to wrap up the mystery in satisfying fashion while also experimenting with a certain level of anticlimax which, depending on preference, viewers will find either frustrating or hugely emotionally resonant. I was very much of the latter mind, with a shot of Milland’s quiet withdrawal serving as Circle of Danger’s low-key equivalent of an iconic image.

The fine supporting cast of Circle of Danger includes strong turns from Naunton Wayne, one half of the iconic British duo Charters and Caldicott, as an unscrupulous car salesman and Marius Goring as a soldier turned ballet instructor. Goring’s character is clearly coded as gay, with Clay’s immediate dislike of him seeming to stem at least partially from implied homophobia, but the fact that he is also an ex-commando seems designed to confuse both Clay and contemporary audiences. Goring’s performance gleefully plays with and subverts stereotypes, with his initial outward flamboyance and the perceived unmasculinity of his job clashing with traditional notions of war heroes. Goring also gets to deliver the key speech in the climactic scene, in which any notion of his character being a mere comic stereotype are completely dispelled.

Circle of Danger was not anything close to being the sort of film I thought it would be and it took some readjustment of expectations to settle into it at first. But once I did it was somewhat revelatory and another gem in the impressive filmography of the still comparatively underrated Tourneur. Fans of classic British cinema, of unconventional Noir, of slow-burning narratives or just of little-known gems are advised to take advantage of this splendid new release immediately.

Circle of Danger is released by Studiocanal on Blu-ray and DVD on 5 February 2024. The extras include three new interviews including an enthusiastic introduction by Jean-Baptiste Thoiret and a look at the work of producer Joan Harrison by Christina Lane. By far my favourite was Imogen Sara Smith’s half-hour deconstruction which highlights the film’s subtle excellence in incisive and intelligent fashion. The film list of special features is as follows:

-Introduction by Jean-Baptiste Thoiret

-Circle of Control: interview with Christina Lane

-Culture Clash: interview with Imogen Sara Smith

-Trailer

-Stills gallery