The League Of Gentlemen(1960)

The League Of Gentlemen makes it clear from its very first scene that this is to be a very unusual film. The opening sequence shows Jack Hawkins(looking dapper in a tuxedo) climbing up out of a manhole cover onto a deserted London street in the early hours of the morning. He narrowly avoids being drenched by an approaching road sweeper that is hosing down the gutters. He then replaces the lid and drives off. What is this all about? All will be revealed as this cracking British heist film unfolds. The League Of Gentlemen was directed by Basil Dearden(Pool Of London, Sapphire, Victim), and is based upon John Boland’s 1958 novel of the same name. The screenplay was written by actor and screenwriter Bryan Forbes, who was soon to become one of the finest British directors of the 1960’s with the likes of Whistle Down The Wind and Séance on a Wet Afternoon. Our first glimpse of Colonel Hyde(Jack Hawkins). Image source IMDb. Producer and screenwriter Carl Foreman had bought the rights to the…