Yet again Network do movie buffs a favour with the re release of what was, at the time, a main feature and the fact that it came and went without causing a stir says much about the early fifties and I think the farm is safe when I bet it that dozens of movies released around the same time to acres of newsprint are unwatchable today whilst Home At Seven proves very durable. It's a great pity that Ralph Richardson didn't direct himself more on film as he shows the vastly overrated Laurence Olivier how it should be done. With a sound basis in the theatre this engaging 'well-made play' by R.C. Sheriff is an excellent vehicle for Richardson who never puts a foot wrong as a victim of temporary amnesia who 'loses' a full twenty-four hours of his hum-drum life completely unaware - and very plausibly. In real life of course this would be distressing at worst but because this is real life heightened by a dramatist a certain spin is applied via the coincidental murder of a man openly despised by Richardson plus the theft of money for which Richardson, as Treasurer of a local club, has responsibility. Needless to say the matter is resolved happily but not before offering a time-capsule of a way of life now as remote as Atlantis.

Ralph Richardson arrives home from work at seven as he does every day, where he finds his wife Margaret Leighton sobbing. When she shows him the newspaper, it hits him: it's not Monday evening but Tuesday evening! He's been missing for an entire day, and he has no recollection of where he's been. While trying to figure out what happened with family doctor Jack Hawkins, they get news that the safe of Richardson's social club has been robbed, and a steward at the club murdered. Inspector Campbell Singer is investigating and all clues seem to lead to Richardson...Based on a play by R.C. Sheriff (and inspired by personal experiences) that also starred Richardson ('The Fallen Idol'), this is the sole movie that he directed. Which is quite a remarkable feat as he's in almost every scene. He does a very nice job tho, both in front of and behind the camera. He gives a great restrained performance and Leighton ('The Good Die Young') is perfectly cast as his wife. Together they make one of the sweetest couples I've seen lately, with some very touching scenes (esp the one where he tries to prepare her for life without him, while having tea and toast). The resolution of Richardson's predicament is quite satisfying and also adds depth to the movie and Richardson's psyche. It also shows how an innocent little white lie between husband and wife (and this one really is innocent), can have grave consequences... Richardson's directing and the camera work by Jack Hilyard ('The Bridge On The River Kwai') and Edward Scaife ('Night of The Demon') is straight-forward and devoid of flourishes but efficient and solid. It's not the most exciting movie ever made as it is primarily dialogue-driven, but it's a good uber-British stiff upper lip take on an amnesia noir thriller, with excellent and touching performances by Richardson and Leighton. Recommended. 7/10

Taking a look at UK DVD company Network during their Christmas sale for titles that I could watch with my dad over the X-Mas season,I spotted a Film Noir that I remembered reading a good review for in Empire magazine,which mentioned that this was the lone movie that British actor Ralph Richardson directed,which led to me setting my clock so I could get home and watch the title at 7.The plot:Returning home,banker David Preston starts talking to his wife Janet about how work went.Stopping David in the middle of his stories,Janet asks David where he has been,due to having been away from home (and at work) for an entire day.Telling Janet that he does not know what she is talking about,David picks up the newspaper,and is shocked to discover that he has missed an entire day.Trying to piece together what took place,David finds himself unable to remember anything that happened on his lost day.As he tries to make sense of what has taken place,the police discovery that a member of David's private members club has been found murdered,and that the entire savings of the club have mysteriously disappeared.View on the film:Before I get to the movie,I have to mention that Network have given the title a superb transfer,with the picture being pin-stripe sharp and every forgotten footstep from David being clear to hear. For his lone shot behind the camera, Ralph Richardson (joined by Assistant Director/future Bond director Guy Hamilton) keeps the movie close to its stage roots,as long,stilted takes peel away at David's anxiety over the events that took place.Whilst he does keep things grounded,Richardson boils up a classy Film Noir atmosphere,as elegant low-lighting brightens the fragments of David's memory.Taking R.C. Sheriff's play from the stage to the screen, Anatole de Grunwald gives David & Janet a perfect image,which gradually fractures as David tries to regain his memory.Calming opening up David's "perfect" image, Grunwald casts David off into a shattered post-war Film Noir world,with a wonderfully left-field twist allowing David's PTSD nightmare to be shown in raw daylight. Appearing prim and proper, Richardson gives a great performance as David,whose mild-manner behaviour is given a sharp sense of doubt by Richardson,as David fails to get home at 7.

Ralph Richardson, who both directs and acts in this film, has taken a simple story that depicts a short period in the life of a middle-class couple in post-war England whose routine is suddenly disrupted by the memory lapse of the husband. The story is brought to life by the acting of the three main actors - Richarson and Margaret Leighton as the couple and the medical doctor, Jack Hawkins.A veteran of World War II (1939-45), the dutiful husband is stricken with an anxiety attack that causes him to relive his days in battle. When this mental episode is over, he cannot remember what happened for a full 24-hour period. Husband and wife are perplexed and anxious by this sudden turn of events. They turn to their understanding family doctor for an explanation. The doctor, Jack Hawkins, is sympathetic and not overly worried but eager to find out the source of the problem.As it turns out, a theft and murder occurred that seem to implicate the husband or so the couple fears. Lies and cover-ups complicate the matter and the couple become so upset that they make things worse for themselves. The couple are so used to their routine that a sudden and unexplained twist becomes exaggerated. The story presents us with a puzzle and the reaction of two decent but somewhat docile human beings, who feel they will be unfairly targeted by the authorities. However, the police go about their work very calmly and before long everything is explained.The movie is a throwback to a time when ordinary people enjoyed simple pleasures like going to their club, or taking in the "pictures" and growing their chrysanthemums in the adjoining greenhouse garden...so very British. It is these very ordinary people that I have a great sympathy and admiration for in our often self-serving world. Nothing extraordinary about the movie or the couple but almost 60 years on, the acting still makes it a delight to watch.