An Inspector Calls is a 1954 film directed by Guy Hamilton and written for the screen by Desmond Davis. It is based upon a play of the same name by J.B. Priestley. It stars Alastair Sim, Jane Wenham, and Brian Worth. Set in 1912, a dinner party held by the upper-class Birling family is interrupted by Police Inspector Poole, investigating the suicide of a lower class girl Eva Smith whose death is linked to each family member. In the original play, the Inspector's name was Inspector Goole. An Inspector Calls was filmed at Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, under the auspices of... the Watergate Productions Ltd. Although the play never shows Eva Smith, the film is opened up to show - in flashbacks - each member of the family's involvement in Smith's life. The relationships between Eva and Gerald, and later, Eric, are smoothed over in accordance to the censorship of the day. Still, enough elements are retained to give the viewer a good idea of the depth of involvements. In the play, Eva is first fired for being involved in a strike; in the film, she is simply fired for suggesting that the wages requested were necessary to live on.
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| Release date: | November 25, 1954 |
| Directed by: | Guy Hamilton |
| Runtime: | 80 Minutes |
| Producer: | A. D. Peters |
| Screenplay by: | Desmond Davis |
| Adapted from: | An Inspector Calls |