The Birthday Present

Tony Britton stars as a toy salesman who while on business abroad in Germany foolishly hides a gift (a watch for his wife played by sylvia syms) in a toy to avoid paying the duty. His workmate Jack Watling gives him a name of a barrister who in turn introduces him to a jobbing solicitor (played by Howard Marion-Crawford). The confident bluster of Marion-Crawford is a total contrast to his ineptitude which results in Tony Britton being imprisoned for 3 months. As a result of this he loses his job and the second half of the film deals with his efforts to rebuild his working life. Great cast includes the gorgeous Sylvia Syms, the excellent Geoffrey Keen as well as the superb Marion Crawford. This thoughtful drama is more wordy than action but remains a well made piece of British cinema.

THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT is a very interesting British crime drama of 1957 that plays out as a morality tale. Tony Britton plays a sales rep for a toy company whose job sees him travelling abroad to bring in new business. Unfortunately, he decides to smuggle back a diamond watch through customs to give to his wife as a birthday present, but he's caught by the customs officer. This seemingly insignificant crime spells disaster and the story goes from there. Although this is a slow-moving character drama I found it completely gripping. You really invest in Britton's character and the events that play out have a kind of documentary realism to them. The supporting cast is very fine and includes Sylvia Syms as Britton's wife and Geoffrey Keen as his sympathetic employer, plus more minor parts for Ian Bannen, Thorley Walters, and Harry Fowler. It's a downbeat tale for sure, but never depressing; it's too engaging for that.