It's the off-season at the lonely Beauregard Hotel in Bournemoth, and only the long-term tenants are still in residence. Life is stirred up, however, when the beautiful Ann Shankland arrives to see her alcoholic ex-husband, John Malcolm, who is secretly engaged to Pat Cooper, the woman who runs the hotel. Meanwhile, snobbish Mrs Railton-Bell discovers that the kindly if rather doddering Major Pollock, played by David Niven, who won an Oscar for his performance, a retired officer who likes to find out more...

Film Noir from the Ealing funny man! Mackendrick's US debut is a rat-trap of a movie in which a vile NY gossip hustler (Tony Curtis) grovels for his 'Mr Big' (Burt Lancaster). Lancaster plays JJ Hunsecker, a monstrous, amoral and incestuous news columnist obsessed with wrecking his kid sister's romance. The dark streets stink of corruption and fear. Amoral and awesome with a great jazz soundtrack. find out more...