No Trees in the Street (1959)
Synopsis
No Trees in the Street is a British crime drama by J. Lee Thompson, adapted from Ted Willis’ stage play. Poor slums in the East End of London during the days just before World War II provide the backdrop to a film that speaks of poverty, crime and social decay. The plot centers around Hetty, a teenager that is eager to seek opportunities beyond the ghetto in which she is raised.
Hetty finds herself in a family situation marred with clashing interests as her teenage brother Tommy is pursued and entrapped by gang member Wilkie. In searching to redeem her younger brother who seems to be fixated with crime, the sister Hetty finds herself embroiled in all sorts of moral dilemmas.
Awards & Wins
Although No Trees in the Street did not achieve acclaim for major awards, it received compliments as a result of its realism in addressing social issues and strong acting from the cast since they were the main leads of the narrative.
Cast & Crew
- Director: J. Lee Thompson
- Writer: Ted Willis (based on his own play)
- Cast:
- Sylvia Syms as Hetty, who plays a woman who is both a daughter and a widow.
- Herbert Lom as Wilkie, the local gangster and ‘pug’ in the area.
- Melvyn Hayes as Tommy, an impressionable younger brother to Hetty.
- Ronald Howard as Frank, a Constable who gives Hetty a glimpse of hope.
IMDb Ratings
It possesses an IMDb rating of 6.6/10, named as a good actor’s designed drama film.
Personal Insights
And by this I mean the society depicted by No Trees in the Street pre war London working class community abounds with moral and social contradictions and hardship of its time, thanks to the skill of the direction as well as the camera work – the film artfully presents the shrinking and bare conditions of the East End of London. In other words, Sylvia Syms is superb. She carries the film and her performance allows her to make us empathize with the hard inner workings of a widow’s perspective of the world.
There is plenty to love about No Trees in the Street even today, it may be set in a different timeline but poverty, crime, and family values are still ever-present struggles so one cannot help but be interested in the struggles that the characters go through.
Cultural Significance
There are elements of British ‘kitchen sink’ drama in the film which attempted to portray the real issues facing the working class. The emphasis of the film on social deprivation and the limited possibilities for the underprivileged working class is clearly that of audiences who appreciate social realist films.