The White Trap (1959)

The Worst Film Ever

Good movie but grossly overrated

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

Paul Langley (Lee Patterson) has made several unsuccessful escape attempts from prison. When he learns that his wife, Joan (Felicity Young), is pregnant he is determined to make one last attempt in order to be with her. In view of his repeated escape attempts, the prison governor decides to transfer him to Dartmoor prison. Langley manages to prise a nail out of a bench and uses it to pick the lock on his handcuffs. He overpowers his guards and escapes from the prison van. However, the police, Inspector Walters (Michael Goodliffe) and Sgt Marsden (Conrad Philips) have his flat and the hospital where Joan has been admitted surrounded by cops. With the help of fellow crook, Harry (uncredited), he secures access to into the hospital and makes plans to flee the country taking both Joan and her newborn child with him. But, it turns out that she requires an operation in order for her baby to be born and her chances of survival are slim...A minor but extremely likable second feature drama, which is an early film for director Sidney Hayers (Circus of Horrors and Night Of The Eagle). It features a better performance from Lee Patterson - an imported American leading man and a veteran of many a British 'B' - as Langley; a young man convicted for smuggling on circumstantial evidence but, who, ultimately does himself no favours by his repeated attempts at busting out of jail which he does out of the need for excitement comparing it to an addiction to alcohol and drugs. He convincingly brings out the tough nature of his part and his scenes with Felicity Young have genuine emotional impact upon the audience in a tragic climax. There is some good suspense as Langley plays hide and seek with the cops and he finds a friend in a young nurse who agrees to hide him from the police and get him into the ward so he can visit Joan. In conclusion, this happens to be one of those films that ends just when it could have got better. I was hoping that the friendship between Paul and the nurse would have been developed upon as to make it a 90 minute feature as opposed to a 60 minute quickie.

'The White Trap' is a cheap, second-feature production that runs under an hour but it gets you in a real grip, you find yourself caring about the characters and their situation.The situation is that a man awaiting trial for smuggling (he insists he is innocent) persistently tries to escape to be with his ill, pregnant wife. The first shot of the film grabs you as we see him swim across a lake, fully-clothed, in daylight. The man may, or may not, be innocent but his objective is so honourable you cannot help willing him on to achieve it. Of course, the police are on his trail - will he be able to give them the slip? Fortunately he has friends and meets people along the way willing to give him the benefit of the doubt and help him along. We learn he escaped from prison camps three times during the war. He is resourceful and a bit of a hero, whatever trouble he ended up in.This could have been a clichéd tale with a happy ending, the man proved innocent and reunited with wife and new child. Thankfully, the film acknowledges real-life is not a movie and there are enough unresolved issues to make this quite thought-provoking. The wife dies (in a truly moving scene) and the man is recaptured after a fairly vicious fight (reflected in the reactions of a nurse who had helped him). Our protagonist *may* be innocent and a war hero but he is not reluctant to use violence. As he is led away and the words 'The End' appear you have to wonder what happens next: is he found innocent or guilty, will the baby ever know his father? There are two really good performances here from Lee Patterson as the desperate Langley, and Michael Goodliffe as a thoughtful Inspector who knows people, has a grudging respect for Langley, and feels a sense of anticlimax when he gets his man.One last point worth noting is the very evocative music score by Franz Reizenstein. As the opening scenes unfolded I could not help being reminded of some of the work of Ralph Vaughan Williams. Imagine my smug satisfaction when I found on IMDb he had been VW's pupil in the 1930's. Damn, I'm good!

This is another surprise packet dragged from the obscurity barrel. The mainly unknown actors are excellent, the camera work is exceptionally good and the direction is tight and effective.It's a real pity that there is not more substance to the plot, which has a convict escape prison to be by the side of his wife when she gives birth to their first child. There are complications with the birth from which the wife dies just as the husband manages to get to her.While this could be turned into a melodramatic tear jerker, that doesn't happen here due to the fast pace of the movie and the inevitable recapture of the husband after the mandatory chase through the hospital.Certainly this will not make any 'Top 10' list but is well worth watching for the bit under an hour run time. 3.5 / 5