5.8
Flame in the Streets is a 1961 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker. Racial tensions manifest themselves at home, work and on the streets during Bonfire Night in the burgeoning West Indian community of early 1960s Britain. Trades union leader (Mills) fights for the rights of a black worker but struggles with the news that his own daughter is planning to marry a West Indian, much against his own logic and the prejudice of his wife.
John Mills
Jacko Palmer
Sylvia Syms
Kathie Palmer
Brenda De Banzie
Nell Palmer
Earl Cameron
Gabriel Gomez
Johnny Sekka
Peter Lincoln
Meredith Edwards
Harry Mitchell
Ann Lynn
Judy Gomez
Wilfrid Brambell
Mr. Palmer senior
Corinne Skinner-Carter
Mrs. Jackson
Newton Blick
Visser
Glyn Houston
Hugh Davies
Michael Wynne
Les
Dan Jackson
Jubilee
Cyril Chamberlain
Dowell
Gretchen Franklin
Mrs. Bingham
Harry Baird
Billy
Irvin Allen
Christie
Larry Martyn
Corner Boy
Thomas Baptiste
Boyfriend
Barbara Windsor
Girlfriend
Director
Roy Ward Baker
Screenplay, Story
Ted Willis
January 24, 2025
7
It wasn't just in the USA that racial tension was rife in the 1960s, it was also pretty toxic for many living in urban Britain too. That's exemplified here by the young "Peter" (Johnny Sekka) who works at a factory where there's a sort of truce between the colours that's striven for by union man "Jacko" (John Mills) who just happens to be the father of "Kathie" (Sylvia Syms) who just happens to be the girlfriend of "Peter". Small world, but not an happy one. Her mother "Nell" (Brenda de Banzie) is more openly hostile to this pairing but dad isn't a great fan either. It's so much because they are racist in themselves, but more that they have a concern for their daughter in a big city where mixed-race relationships were distinctly frowned upon and "half-caste" babies even more so. These aren't just paper-based threats, we can see from the stirring that goes on at their workplace that the young locals are just as keen on causing trouble; making their lives awkward and even dangerous. It's all building to a Guy Fawkes night bonfire that's likely to burn more than old wood from bomb-damaged buildings. There's some good and poignant writing underpinning this drama and the solid efforts of Mills, Syms, Sekka and Earl Cameron help condense quite a lot that's visceral into this tautly directed feature. It's de Banzie, though, who stands out for me. The conflicted mother whose not just concerned about her daughter, but also about the state of a marriage that she feels has systematically neglected her at the expense of her husband's union career and her family. That all comes to a boil too, leaving us with quite a lively and thought-provoking series of conclusions. It's violent at times, but ultimately Roy Ward Baker has let the words and the imagery do most of the heavy lifting here, and I thought it a potent piece of British cinema.
Status:
Released
Original Language:
English
Budget:
$0.00
Revenue:
$0.00