Investigating a murder in a small English town, a brusque Police Inspector (John Mills) discovers that virtually everyone he encounters has something to hide. Setting the template for British crime thrillers for decades to come (including recent TV hit, Broadchurch), director John Guillermin's audacious, often salacious, drama is untypical of mainstream British cinema of its time. An intelligent and gripping police-procedural thriller and macabre melodrama, 'Town on Trial' is a rare treat which is ripe for rediscovery.
The John Player Lecture with John Mills (1972, 96 mins): archival audio recording of an interview conducted by Margaret Hinxman at London's National Film Theatre
Barry Forshaw on 'Town on Trial' (2018, 20 mins): an appreciation by the author of British Crime Film: Subverting the Social Order and Brit Noir
Adventure in the Hopfields (1954, 59 mins): director John Guillermin's Children's Film Foundation drama starring Mandy Miller (The Snorkel)
Shooting Hops (2018, 7 mins): focus puller Alec Burridge discusses working with John Guillermin and the production of Adventure in the Hopfields
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