Pink String and Sealing Wax

Gordon Jackson stars in a seething tale of family conflict, murder and blackmail in Victorian Brighton.

Two worlds collide in this melodrama set in Victorian Brighton: a repressive household, run by a tyrannical chemist, and a sleazy tavern, presided over by a passionate landlady. The chemist’s son (Gordon Jackson) finds himself, understandably enough, in thrall to the landlady (Googie Withers). His naïve passion and rebellious feelings against his father lead him into a sordid murder plot.

This unusual, fascinating slice of Ealing melodrama takes great pleasure in its stark juxtapositions of contrasting milieux, which are cleverly weaved together by director Robert Hamer, who progressed to further Ealing greats with It Always Rains on Sunday (1947, again with Withers) and Kind Hearts and Coronets (1949).