Pool of London is a 1951 British noir crime film directed by Basil Dearden. It stars Bonar Colleano, Earl Cameron and Susan Shaw.
Merchant sailor Dan MacDonald has a lucrative sideline in smuggling black market goods ashore. While docked in London, MacDonald and his best friend, Johnny Lambert, get mixed up with a gang of ruthless jewel thieves, who hire MacDonald to smuggle their loot out of the country. Complications arise when Johnny, who is black, falls for a charming young white woman named Pat, and risks being arrested for a murder he did not commit.
Tropes:
- Acting Unnatural: George—one of the sailors on the Dunbar—attempts to smuggle an absurd amount of watches into London: loading down all the pockets on his suit and even stuffing them down his trousers. He is immediately busted by Customs when he loudly states he has nothing to declare before the officers have even asked him, having spent time practicing the most natural way of delivering it (and ten completely failing to do so).
- Cat Fight: Maisie gets into a catfight with her sister Pamela when she finds Pamela wearing her dress and using her perfume.
- Climbing Climax: The acrobat Vernon tries to escape from the police by clambering up the inside of the tower above the tunnel. Surrounded on three sides, he attempts to escape by leaping across the centre of the tower, catching hold of pipe in the middle, and swinging to the door on the other side. He almost makes it.
- Coat Full of Contraband: George, one of the sailors on the Dunbar, attempts to smuggle an absurd amount of watches into London: loading down all the pockets on his suit and even stuffing them down his trousers. He is immediately busted by Customs when he loudly states he has nothing to declare before the officers have even asked him.
- Cruel to Be Kind: Near the end of the film, Dan abruptly brushes off his loyal sidekick Johnny. Johnny assumes it is for racial reasons but actually Dan realizes that he (Dan) is likely to be arrested and wants to distance Johnny from his problems.
- Death by Falling Over: Having already sapped the watchman with a blackjack, Vernon shoves him out of the way when he revives and tries to stop him escaping. The watchman falls down the marble stairs, hitting his head again. He later dies of his injuries.
- The Drunken Sailor: Engine Room Officer Trotter who, according to Dan, has not been ashore in 20 years except to change ships. He spends the three days the Dunbar is in port locked in his cabin, drinking three bottles of brandy, reading poetry and becoming maudlin.
- Drunk Rolling: The man who takes Johnny to the illegal drinking club steals his cash while Johnny is passing out drunk.
- Extremely Short Timespan: Three days. The film opens with the Dunbar docking in the eponymous Pool of London on Friday afternoon, and ends with her sailing on the morning tide on Monday.
- Horny Sailors: Harry, one of the sailors on the Dunbar, is juggling two girlfriends in London, and is implied to have 'a girl in every port'.
- Le Parkour: Vernon is an acrobat who scales a bombed out building and then leaps across the street on to the domed roof of the building opposite in order to break into it.
- The Place: The Pool of London is a stretch of the River Thames from London Bridge to below Limehouse. This is where Dan and Johnny's ship is docked.
- Staircase Tumble: Having already sapped the watchman with a blackjack, Vernon shoves him out of the way when he revives and tries to stop him escaping. The watchman falls down the marble stairs, hitting his head again. He later dies of his injuries.
- Tap on the Head: Averted. Vernon saps the watchman with a blackjack, which drops him and leaves him concussed, but does not actually knock him out. Staggering groggily to his feet, he grapples Vernon in an attempt to stop him escaping. Vernon shoves him down the marble staircase and the watchman subsequently dies of his injuries.
- Trouser Space: While attempting to smuggle an absurd amount of watches into London, George not only fills every pocket on his suit, but also stuffs them down his trousers.
- White Gal on Black Guy Drama: The chaste romance between Johnny (black) and Pat (white) is fraught with tension and attracts more than a few racist comments on the streets of 1951 London.note
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