An Inspector Calls (2015) watch online HD

I went into this with an open mind, as i knew it was a remake. Right from the start i was captivated by the enveloping period atmosphere and way the story weaved its story. The plot was simply superb, exposing the class divide and way that others can be mistreat their fellow man, without any conscious or care for the consequences. The lessons in humanity ring as true today as they did in that period so its still highly relevant and should provoke some internalising. However putting that all to one side the acting was simply top drawer and David Thewliss contribution was truly spellbinding. He was so commanding throughout and more than a match for the wealthy opposition he encountered that night. This was so good that i actually watched it three times back to back, as every scene was so immersive and tense. So if you like good drama you would be hard pressed to beat this and all the more amazing was the fact it was mostly delivered in a drawing room, so that speaks volumes for the way it was acted. So I hope you enjoy this period piece as much as i did

An absolutely gripping atmospheric huis-clos, this psychological period drama could remind of an English Zola novelette and it will make you take a good hard look at yourself.

Whatever it might be, you're not going to expect *this*. Make absolutely sure to avoid spoilers! All you must know is that it isn't a "detective" story. It's a whodunit of sorts but who did it isn't the point (while being the only point - it'll make sense after)

An inspector calls onto a wealthy family at dinner time in 1910 to impart some seemingly unrelated piece of bad news. Ensues a flawless story, stunning cinematography, perfect period atmosphere, and absolutely top drawer acting. English television at its very best. 10/10 and I'm ever so glad I happened onto this tonight.

Inspector Goole arrives unannounced at the home of the Birling family. The family had been celebrating the engagement of daughter Sheila, to Gerald Croft, a match that would unite two powerful businesses. The Inspector informs the family of his business, that of the death of a young woman, Eva Smith. It turns out each member of the family has encountered Eva, and each in turn damaged her life in some way.

I must admit I had my doubts beforehand about this, I tend to think sometimes if it ain't broke don't fix it, I love both the 1954 and 1982 versions respectively. This though had me utterly engrossed, it was an outstanding version. It looked superb, the factory scenes looked incredibly authentic, as did the scenes in the house.

I liked how it began too, not straight into the dinner setting, we were given a little bit of background. From then on it kept to the story beautifully, it must have been tempting to have tweaked it in some way. Definitely the most serious version of it, no softer humorous side, this was pretty bleak. I couldn't pick a standout performance as I thought every cast member was wonderful.

Truly captivating, 10/10

This television play, based on J.B. Priestley stage play, tells the story of a family gathering that in interrupted by the arrival of a police inspect who has some questions to ask the family. The Birling family are celebrating the engagement of their daughter to Gerald Croft. They are on their way up in the world Arthur Birling manages a local company and his expecting his knighthood to be announced at any time and the marriage of his daughter to the son of a lord will certainly help their standing… that is until the servant girl announces that a police inspector wants to talk to them. He tells them that a girl has been found dead in the town; it is a clear case of suicide but it soon becomes clear that each of the people at the dinner contributed to the girl being in such a desperate position. As each revelation comes out the family is forced to examine their actions; some clearly regret what they have done but others are more concerned about what it means for their own standing in society.

This new version of the classic play is taut and kept this viewer gripped. The revelations about the poor dead girl are nicely shown in a series of flashbacks as we see how each of the five people attending the dinner contributed to her destruction. Not much needs to be said about the story itself; it is a classic for good reason however it does contain twists that will surprise those new to the story… especially the final twist. The cast does a brilliant job; David Thewlis is great as The Inspector, he gives a subtle performance as the character who clearly has a low opinion of those he is dealing with. The rest of the cast which includes Ken Stott, Miranda Richardson, Lucy Chappell and Sophie Rundle, as the dead girl, are all on top form. The story is clearly a statement on social attitudes; both in 1912, when it is set, and in post war Britain were social changes were taking place. Overall this is well worth watching; it shows you don't need action to have a tense story if it is well told.

As an English student who recently read thoroughly the play this movie is based of, my main thoughts about this film is that it's a perfectly crafted piece that follows the plot of the play quite accurately, but I also consider myself quite "unexperienced" in the matter because I have only seen this adaptation and not the rest- so maybe by watching the rest of the movies my opinion on the quality of this movie may differ, but I hope that not drastically.

To be honest, right at the beginning when the characters were presenting themselves at the dinner table I found most of their portrayals quite bland and out of character in a sense- especially Eric and Sheila. I found them lacking that strength and uniqueness that had made me strive for them while reading the play, but then again it's true that at the beginning their personalities were much more superficial and that were mostly developed as the play progressed- something which was shown naturally in the film.

Nevertheless, as soon as the plot starting moving the skepticism faded away and I was left awestruck by the actors' outstanding performances; Mr and Mrs Birling were just how I pictured them throughout the story; Gerald was given much more emotional depth than what I had imagined and Eric even though it wasn't how I initially thought of him made me comprehend a completely different interpretation of his character. I am not quite sure of Sheila yet, but I do have to admit that Chloe Pirrie reflected her major character development, but I imagined Sheila as a more immature and naive girl in the beginning. Let's not forget about Sophie Rundell's breathtaking job as Eva: taking only brief descriptions from a dead girl and turning that into a round character with a profound, political and representative meaning behind it.

Even if the characters' portrayals is essential to the film, what really sticks to the audience are the audiovisuals, and I can assure you this film excelled in that job. The shots were beautiful and gave the story a deeper meaning for me as a viewer and indeed hinted many subtle messages that otherwise wouldn't have made much sense. Above all, what most impressed me was the score; from the beginning until the very end the score was used skilfully to match the characters' emotions in certain scenes, but the feeling of strings and a piano matched the main themes of the play, and probably may be the main reason for my passionate liking of this film.

Having seen the original movie and a rather strange stage version starring the late Barry Foster, I had no doubts about the content of this telemovie - but was curious about how this modern version would treat it. Brilliantly cast, it did not disappoint, although it did tend to drag at times. On the whole the suspense was well maintained and it stayed quite close to the original, although the later scenes after the Inspector left the house were new and added little to the overall story. In fact it would have been better without them. This is a story that has to be taken at face value (the mystical part aside) - it would be easy to question the possibility that all the persons gathered together in that household had the impact they are supposed to have had on one young woman. It was written as a morality play, very relevant to its times and even today relevance can be found in many of the disclosures made. It tells us to think before we act and to be less likely to prejudge and to take responsibility for our actions. An interesting story, that makes you think - what more can one ask for?

I loved the entire play. The thought of the play was amazing. I loved how the music blended so perfectly with the feelings of the characters and how the lighting always matched the mood. The producers kept you going with the entire thing and knew when to go to a another scene, which they executed it quite beautifully. The camera angles were great, the over the shoulder angles kept a kind of sense that this person was disgusted with them (mainly the Inspector). Also, the actors were a perfect fit. I adored Finn Cole, he was such a perfect fit to play Eric Birling. He provoked such feeling in the character and he just suited the role perfectly. But, all the actors were a perfect fit for their roles. Overall, thee play was phenomenal.

Aisling Walsh's telefilm of the Priestley classic, first performed at London's Old Vic Theatre in 1945, opens out the action somewhat. It begins with a shot of Eva Smith (Lucy Rundle) writing in her diary in a lonely room, followed by a shot of some wooden floorboards, and two or three establishing shots of the Birling factory with a 1912 car moving out of the gates. Through this brief sequence we are given a clear idea of the class-differences permeating the film between the haves and the have-nots, the exploiters and the exploited, that forms one of Priestley's major themes.

Eva Smith does not appear in the Priestley text; in this version she is transformed into a hard-working girl who is not backward about coming forward. Hence she becomes an object of affection for factory-owner Arthur Birling (Ken Stott), his son Eric (Finn Cole), and Gerald Croft (Kyle Soller), the son of a rival factory-owner who is due to be affianced to Arthur's daughter Sheila (Chloe Pirrie). Yet it soon becomes clear that all of them treat her as an object to be picked up and cast aside at will; it's a tribute to Eva's strength of character that she manages to sustain her integrity throughout, until she gives up the ghost and commits suicide.

At the end of the film the floorboards shot is explained, as Eva describes herself as "a crack in the floorboards" - a member of the underclass who is allowed to fall through in a crassly unequal society. No one, it seems, is willing to treat her on her own terms as a human being.

Walsh's version also represents the Inspector (David Thewlis) as a mysterious figure moving slowly in the darkness towards the Birling residence, walking along a narrow slum in shadow, his bowler hat and long coat silhouetted, and visiting the dying Eva in hospital. We are left unsure as to whether he exists at all - especially at the end when he mysteriously disappears. But the question of his being isn't really important: what matters more is his ability to uncover the truth about the Birling family through patient, insistent questioning. Thewlis's expression remains impassive throughout - even if he despises the Birlings' superciliousness, he will never let his emotions get the better of him.

In the central moments of the drama, as the truth about the family was gradually revealed, Walsh used repeated close-ups to focus on the protagonists' changing expressions: Arthur's look of quiet confidence was transformed into an expression of utter despair as he ran his hands through his hair; his wife Sheila (Miranda Richardson) tried her best to retain an impassive exterior, but the tell-tale movements of her cheek and neck-bones betrayed her emotions. Her stoicism in the face of the inevitable truth-revelation was contrasted with Eric's expressions - at first he looked guiltily at everyone in full knowledge that he had been in some way responsible for Eva's death, but as the drama unfolded he acquired a strength of character as he tried to come to terms with his past.

Brilliantly performed and suggestively directed; this was a thoroughly televisual version of the play that reminded us of the persistence of social inequalities today.

After watching this movie adaptation of An Inspector Calls, I felt that this remake turned into a great success. At first the characters weren't what I expected, most of them seemed quite simple and bland and thought that the actors weren't suited to to their roles. But as the film progressed my attitude towards the characters changes, Eric and Sheila aren't the spoiled brats I thought they were- they actually care about the death of this young woman. Gerald, I realized has more emotional depth Han I gave him credit for, but Mr and Mrs Birling we're exactly what I thought they'd be like and their attitudes towards Eva didn't really change. As for the Inspector I thought that David Thewlis did a great job being the Inspector and his character was also amazing but what I didn't like about the Inspector was that towards the end of the film, he starts time traveling (Priestly hinted that the Inspector was supernatural) but I started getting very confused and became unsure of if he was there before she died and it was a flash back or he is the reason she is dead... I have no idea. But overall this was an amazing movie and I really enjoyed it.

I'd recently seen a stage performance of this, it's one of those things I always feel works better on stage then in film, but my mind has been changed. The 1954 film version I had studied as part of my A-Levels so know it inside out more so then the book, this new version competes very well, the only area I felt it didn't was The Inspector himself, Sim brought something multi dimensional to the part, witty, intelligent with a darker undertone, David Thewlis I didn't think added such depth to the role, he was good but just lacked a bit of sparkle. What an acting combination in Ken Stott and Miranda Richardson, plain to see why they are both so much loved. A very dark, very well made production. Eva Smith was brought to life like never before.

Just a month ago I saw 'Maigret Sets a Trap', and this is another terrific BBC film. Based on the JB Priestley's play of the same name made for television. I never saw other versions nor I knew the story, so that's the reason I loved it. I don't know the difference, the changes between this and the original material, but I think a screenplay like this should have been a big screen product. Surely one of the best films of the year with a great suspense and twists.

I expected a crime solving drama, like a detective use his brainpower to nab a suspect in a style, but this was complete an unexpected narration with various angles of briefing involving a family and their individual link to a woman. This is a story about the chain of events that could happen for us in real life. But what this film's specialty is that makes realise for its characters that how their part influenced a woman's life.

It's the year 1912, during a wealthy Birling family celebrating their daughter's engagement, a mysterious inspector interrupts them to question on a woman who committed suicide on that evening. In the hours long interview, some unexpected truth comes out and corners the family from their celebration. With the outcome of a surprise encounter with the inspector, how the family outcome from it is what the rest of the film was focused on.

"We don't live alone upon this earth. We are responsible for each other."

I don't know the most of the actors, but their performances were simply outstanding. Not just leaned on one or two, but everyone had their turn fairly equal. The character played by David Thewlis as Goole was effortless, but very important among others in the film, so it is impossible moving away without praising his contribution. Among all, the young woman role as well very impressive. Alongside JB Priestley, this screenwriter, as well as the director must be appreciated for their incredible job.

The film was a one night based narration, but due to the quick flashbacks, the layers formed, hence creates a lot of curiosity for the viewers. Being a detective film, it had those special moments, but with its own style. It reminds me a couple of films, but I can't name them, because of the spoiler alert. Even though this is a very unique from its similar films.

Obviously it leaves many questions regarding the last 10-15 minutes of the film. But the reasons are very clear, and you might get it in the second viewing, or maybe from the discussion boards on the online platforms. I strongly suggest that you to learn more about it on its hidden stuffs rather simply finished watching it and forgetting it forever. Like always, the BBC did not disappoint me or maybe I always chose the better ones. Either way I benefited and I recommend this for those who are interested in murder mysteries, though it is not a homicide theme. I hope you will love it as I did.

8.5/10

This movie is strongly recommended for anyone who cares about other people, who stand for a Christian morality, who enjoy British acting, cares for an intelligent plot, and with more than one surprising twist. That was all I wanted to say, really, but the guidelines requires to write at least 10 lines. I felt strongly that this movie had a social message that was so beautifully intertwined with the story. The inspector asked all the right questions, and did so precisely in the order needed to make all of members of the family aware of they're part in the tragic demise of the low class girl. The suspense built up in one single table was remarkable - as well as the lingering question; who was really the inspector? I came to my conclusion, and I was glad that the movie let that part be decided by the viewer.

JB Priestley's play An Inspector Calls from 1946 is a celebrated theatrical play that depicts the Birling family cruel treatment of Eva Smith a former factory employee, shop girl and then a fallen woman. In each case contact with the Birlings piles on further misfortune.

The film is set in 1912, a time where social change is threatened and there are rumblings of war in Europe. The Birlings are a well to do provincial family in Yorkshire. Their daughter is due to marry a suitable suitor and Arthur Birling (Ken Stott) is looking forward to receive an offer of a knighthood.

However an Inspector Goole (David Thewlis) arrives to spoil the celebration that a young woman has tragically killed herself and each person in the room shares some responsibility.

This television film is a more sombre affair than the Alistair Sim version and maybe appears a tad heavy handed with its moralising which still has relevance today (Priestley was a socialist). I think the ending worked better in the Sim film but I felt this was the better film as some of the hard edged Birlings (Stott and Miranda Richardson) revert to type as soon as the Inspector leaves unaware that a counter punch is yet to be delivered.

This is a very interesting movie which leaves you with several questions at the end. First: who was the inspector? How did he know what will happen just some 15 minutes later? Did the girl explain in her diary what and when she will do? Maybe there are some more questions too.

I knew nothing about the movie before I started to watch. I did not know it was a play, but after watching it, I can imagine this being played in a theatre. 5 people in the room, plus the inspector. The girl does not have to be present on the stage as her story can be told from the confessions of the others ...

I liked the enterior of the dining room. I liked the colors in the movie. I liked the music. The movie's story is quite simple and I guess this is what makes the movie so great! The actors were all really into their roles. Really enjoyed it! I give it a ten.

Too predictable and followed an all-too-popular modern script of framing a historical story in modern terms. Very preachy and almost made you sympatic to the anti-heroes. Any number of better endings could have worked, but this failed. David Thewlis was the only redeeming actor in the film, and he tried hard to make his character believable, but I think he also felt the story lacked reality and it showed.

The film of the ground breaking novel, shattered the schemes of the thousands of readers when some key facts where discovered. "An inspector calls film" has perfectly suited the characters into the 1912 lifestyle, setting the scene in a single night in April, in the luxurious mansion of the Birling's high class family.

In my opinion, this film has plasm through the characters, all the feelings and thoughts that the characters in the play had, making the film be the live version of the play. Sybil Birling played by Miranda Richardson, perfectly acted a high class powerful lady which is cold, doesn't show any sign of empathy or even care about her sons, family, nor even any lower class person as Eva Simth ( Sophie Rundle ). Which seemed to be pregnant of Eric ( Finn Cole ), Mrs Birlings son.

Mr Birling ( Ken Scott), represents the wealthy powerful high class man which loves to control and have power as well as be respected by everyone. In the film his character reflects the power a business man like him has in society and shows that he is cold hearted as his wife, and the capacity he has for firing from his business any employee he wants, doesn't matter the reason he has.

Gerald, Sheila and Eric ( Kyle Soller, Chloe Pirrie & Finn Cole) give the appearance of the younger generation which is manly guided by stereotypes and influenced by the society and their high class parents. Eric, represents the 'black sheep' of the family, hiding all his feelings, thoughts and acts, making him be totally invisible and in a certain way mysterious until Inspector Goole (David Thewlis) appears in scene. In my opinion, David Thewlis has successfully acted Inspector Goole, showing how determine and cold minded he needs to be for the puzzling and enigmatic situation of Eva Smith's death. Sheila and Gerald show how joyful and cheerful their relationship seemed to be until they start discovering what has the other one done to Eva Smith/ Daisy Renton.

Their relationship compared to Mr. And Mrs Birling shows quite a lot of difference. Both relationships had gone through the hard process of realizing the dishonorable things they have both done to the poor girl, (Eva Smith) therefore, only Gerald and Sheila show vulnerability, and how this issue affected them. Mr and Mrs Birling stayed manly the same, showing to the audience that they have 0 cares about the rest of the people and the only thing they care about is his business (in Mr Birling point of view) and her social status ( in Mrs Birling point of view ).

Inma Sáez

Definitely a highlight of 2015 television, and has made me interested in checking out the earlier versions highly recommended by several viewers.

There's not much to add to what's already been said. A very well-made, brilliantly acted and gripping drama. Two of 'An Inspector Calls' strongest elements are the production values and the acting. It's filmed with class and atmosphere and the production and costume design are evocative and beautiful to look at.

Faring best of the cast are David Thewlis, Ken Stott and Miranda Richardson. Thewlis gives an understated but quite brilliant performance that tells so much in the facial expressions while doing little but still making it interesting, it enhances the character's ambiguity very well. Stott is commanding and suitably gruff, while Richardson portrays her character's coldness flawlessly. The rest of the cast also impress, if not quite up the level of Thewlis, Stott and Richardson.

Writing is similarly very strong and thought-provoking, a lot is covered and talked about but done in a way that never comes over as confusing. The emphasis on the psychological elements give a lot of complexity, help make the characters interesting and show their flaws without making us hate them.

'An Inspector Calls' storytelling is gripping from start to finish. While taking its time to tell the story it does not drag and the ending, while a bit confusing on first watch, is very clever and unexpected.

Overall, splendid stuff and a 2015 television highlight. 10/10 Bethany Cox

In my opinion, this movie adaptation of the famous play 'An Inspector Calls' clearly shows what the author (J.B Priestley) wanted to transmit to the audience: we are all a community and, therefore, we should all care about each other. I think, these values are still relevant for our modern society though this play was written before the Second World War. This lack of social responsibility is the cause of a lot of our actual problems. For example, the Syrian refuges crisis is a clear problem that could be solved, or less important if we were less selfish, and had a bigger community feeling.

These ideas are shown through the actors' performance. Ken Scott, for example, who played Mr Birling did a great job, he clearly showed how Priestley would have wanted the film to be. For instance, when there was a fight in power between Mr Birling and the Inspector, he stood up and had both fists on the table. In that moment, he showed that he was trying to seize the floor and by doing this action, he made himself look bigger and angrier. He was trying to intimidate the Inspector, and therefore gain control of the situation. The Inspector (David Thewlis), in the other hand was always firm, he didn't move much and he showed very little compassion with the other characters. In the scene I was talking about earlier, when there was a fight in power between Mr Birling and the Inspector, he uses a different tactic to show that he was the one controlling the situation. He took off his jacket, and sat down at Mr Birling's seat. By doing this, he showed that he was going to stay there for a long time, and taking Mr Birling's chair shows us that he has now gained the control of the situation.

Another thing that made this movie great was the flashbacks that showed who Eva Smith was. These were shown after each of the each of the characters told their connection with Eva. These flashbacks makes the film much easier for the audience to get as we understand what happened more clearly in all of the cases and therefore we understand the film/play more.

In conclusion, I think this film was very well produced and the hidden message in it is still important for our society.

Leftie socialist claptrap. All right, not in keeping with majority opinion, but that's always been my forte.

The story is set in 1912. Life was hard for unqualified working people, and a lot better for employers, especially owners of large and successful businesses. That's how it was, and always has been. If you don't like it, tough - leave, and someone will take your place.

The characters... tired cliches to a man and woman. So rich b*tches tended, and still tend, to look down on poor working girls. Not exactly a shattering revelation, is it? So rich young men tended, and still tend, to take advantage of pretty, vulnerable young women. YAWN.

And as for that ridiculous 'no man is an island' drivel at the end... do me a favour. The vast majority are concerned only with themselves, their families, and their own kind. In that order. Avoid this nonsense at all costs.

I could hardly believe that the original play was first performed in 1945 in MOSCOW! The fact this was allowed to happen just shows how many 'useful idiots' still infested the British Establishment back then. Plus the lingering euphoria of our very own Glorious Socialist Revolution the electorate had just ushered in, after apparently taking leave of its senses.

I was initially hesitant as the poster was not particularly attractive, but I am glad that I did not judge this book by it's cover.

It was quite obvious that this was a piece created for the theatre, and fortunately the actors managed to pull of this filmed version perfectly.

It's one of those pieces where each word has a sense, where each movement and each reaction has meaning.

JB Priestly understood how to portray society and it's problems down to a tee.

This piece/film/play is as pertinent today as it was in it's époque.

I thoroughly recommend this film as one of those that at first appears to be a slightly superficial but with some retrospection we are understand how deep it actually descends.

Definitely worth watching... I have never read any of JB Priestly works but this has given me the initiative to discover this playwright/author..

Nothing about this plot is reasonable or believable. A mystery inspector ("new in town") shows up at a wealthy family's dinner party to inform them of the suicide of an impoverished local girl. And then he proceeds to berate each individual family member for having been unkind to her at some point in the two years leading up to her suicide. For some unknown reason, he implies that they are all legally responsible for her death. It is certainly a sad story about class issues/ conflicts that can apply in 1912 as much as they apply now... But we pretty much sat through the entire movie wondering why this inspector thought it was ok to show up and accuse 5 people of "killing" a woman by being mean to her one time each over the course of 2 years. It seems like the ending attempts to bandaid the absurdity of the rest of the plot by throwing a poorly executed supernatural plot twist in the final minutes, with the biggest "twist" being that there was no twist at all. Overloaded with socialist innuendo, it's a long watch with your eyebrows raised wondering when they'll actually make some sort of point.

This film has nothing going for it. The performances from all of them were at the most average. They felt blunt and not human. Each scene seemed to drag on way too much,I found myself checking the time every 10 minutes. Not a single aspect of the film was above average. It was boring and didn't handle Eva Smiths death emotionally and seemed forced so I wasn't affected by it. There's no point trying to watch an hour and a half talking simulator.

The film is based around a play that unlike other reviewers here, I have not seen or read before. I found it thoroughly entertaining, but a little disappointing at the end. Some spoilers from here.

I know the final speech given by the inspector is from the original play, but it seems contrived and unlike the rest of the performance, a bit quirky and out of place. It's a shame the director did not extend changes or liberties to it, but the critics may have had a go at him/her if they had.

Some reviewers here did not like the time travel bit the inspector was doing at the end, but I understood a different sequence was occurring which was not time travel, but another chance for the family to do the right thing before the tragedy actually occurred. A chance which they squander while rebuilding their personal confidences and putting down or blaming the messenger of their personal inadequacies.

Overall, a marvelous tale shot and acted well. Would I watch it again, yes.

Improvements, maybe but things I would have liked to see, may not suit everyone. Maybe seeing the inspector in the background of some of the external scenes of the girl (that they have added as the original play doesn't have them). Like they do in the Murdock mysteries, but not as much in the forefront. At the end, you'd be really guessing about his capabilities then. Giving it a real hint of guardian angel for the girl.

I have for a long time enjoyed J B Priestley's famous "time-play" having read it and seen it performed in the theatre more than once. This BBC Drama version plays it relatively safe, staying true to the era and by and large to the text. It's very well acted by its ensemble cast with David Thewlis almost ghoulish as the soft-spoken, avenging "Inspector" Goole, Ken Stott as the self-important patriarch Mr, soon-to-be Sir Birling and especially Sophie Rundle as the spirited but doomed Eva/Daisy/Alice whose fate casts a long shadow over the whole Birling family, father, mother, son, newly engaged daughter and her well-to-do fiancé Mr Croft, assembled at the Birling mansion to celebrate the engagement.

The play is opened up just enough so as you'd notice with some external scenes but mostly, as you'd expect it's played indoors, intensifying the drama to a backdrop of hypnotic chamber music as the plot edges inevitably to its climaxes. I say climaxes because of the two big reveals that Priestley employs, firstly exposing the hypocrisy of the staid pre-Great War English society in their links to this young woman's demise and then the brilliant twist at the end just when it seems as if they've all gotten away with it.

Some of Priestley's wider themes seem to be just that, i.e. wide of the mark, like his prediction of a bloody uprising by the downtrodden working classes, although considering the social upheaval later in the depicted decade, obviously with events abroad in Russia, Ireland and Weimar Germany to name but three, never mind the General Strike and Red Clydeside disputes of the post-War era here in Britain maybe he wasn't so far out either. It's only in the words and actions of the two youngest members of the afflicted Birlings that we see any hope of societal change in the future as we observe their conscience-stricken reaction to events, neither tainted by the jaundiced, self-motivated experience of their elders.

The treatment of the Inspector I thought played up the fantastic element just a little too much with the extended epilogue showing him as a sort of omnipresent spirit surrounding Eva as she comes to her fateful end almost as if the director felt the need to explain his unexplained presence,which for me reduced the character's effectiveness as the pricked conscience of the group, his last appearance should really have been after he finished with the family at the house.

Nevertheless, any production like this which respects the context of the original play as this one undoubtedly does, even if at times it creaked rather than crept along, still managed to entertain me just as it always has, as a taut, cleverly written, psychological thriller with a moral in the tale.

A very preachy movie. If you want to attend commie church, watch this movie.