The film Sean Farrell Moran was referring to is, I think, _This happy
breed_ which was a propaganda film scripted by Noel Coward. Robert Newton
played the father of an East-end working class family. The film ended with
the two main characters walking past a ranting black shirt at speakers
corner. The film is very patronising but an interesting portrayal of the
1930s, a kind of early _Eastenders_.
I always thought that "Odd Man Out" deliberately avoided any reference to
the actual politics of the Republican movement in inter-war Ireland. The
republicans are never named and James Mason's group behaves like a simple
gang of bank-robbers. As the film progresses the generalised, universal
personal tragedy of Mason and his girlfriend eclipses the politics.
As an afterthought - Robert Newton appears again as a deranged painter.
Dr John Collick
School of literature
Waseda University
1-24-1 Toyama
Hinjuku ku
Tokyo
Japan 162
melmoth2@twics.com
schedoni@mn.waseda.ac.jp