The Blue Lamp (DVD)

An immensely popular British crime film, Basil Dearden's The Blue Lamp was scripted by ex-policeman T.E.B Clark, the writer who arguably did most to define Ealing Studio's post-war identity. The film marked the first appearance of the character of Jack Warner later to be immortalized in Dixon Of Dock Green. The story follows two London policemen whose daily routine is interrupted by a botched robbery and subsequent murder hunt. Starring Dirk Bogarde it was originally released in 1950.