Neutral Port

Marcel Varnel, a talented director of pure comedies (he directed quite a few Will Hay and Arthur Askey films) unevenly mixes comedy with drama here, and the results are somewhat messy. It is however the screenplay more so than Varnel's directing that is the film's main problem. The plot develops in quite a haphazard fashion, boasting two loosely connected story lines, each with useless charismatic supporting characters. With a few amusing scenes in the mix, this is not a complete disaster, but it is not a very good film either, nor anything even near the level of Marcel Varnel's weakest pure comedy work, let alone his masterpieces, such as 'Oh, Mr. Porter!' and 'Ask a Policeman'. It is strange to think that he directed this film after, and not before, those two gems.