No Time for Tears (film)
| Company type | Film |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film industry |
| Founded | 1957 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
| Products | Drama film |
No Time for Tears is a 1957 British drama directed by Cyril Frankel, filmed using CinemaScope and Eastman Color. The cast includes Anna Neagle, George Baker, Sylvia Syms, and Anthony Quayle. The screenplay, crafted by Anne Burnaby and Frederic Gotfurt, centers on the demanding environment faced by staff at a pediatric hospital.
Plot
The narrative explores the interconnected difficulties experienced by both patients and personnel at Mayfield Children's Hospital. Among the cases are a child threatened with blindness, twin boys who mislead doctors about having appendicitis, and nurse Margaret Collier, who struggles with unreciprocated feelings toward houseman Dr. Nigel Barnes.
Cast
- Anna Neagle as Matron Eleanor Hammond
- George Baker as Doctor Nigel Barnes
- Sylvia Syms as Nurse Margaret Collier
- Anthony Quayle as Doctor Graham Seagrave
- Flora Robson as Sister Birch
- Alan White as Doctor Hugh Storey
- Daphne Anderson as Doctor Marian Cornish
- Sophie Stewart as Sister Willis
- Patricia Marmont as Sister Davies
- Rosalie Crutchley as Theatre Sister
- Victor Brooks as Mr. Harris
- Angela Baddeley as Mrs. Harris
- Jessica Cairns as Lawrie
- Carla Challoner as Jenny
- Cyril Chamberlain as Hall Porter
- Christopher Frost as Peter
- Joan Hickson as Sister Duckworth
- Michael Hordern as the surgeon
- Viola Keats as Mrs. McKenna
- Linda Leo as sick child
- Jonathan Ley as Timmy Gardener
- Lucille Mapp as Maya
- Richard O'Sullivan as William Reynolds
- Gillian Owen as Night Nurse
- Loretta Parry as Jackie
- Adrienne Posta as Cathy Harris
- Christopher Witty as George Harris
- Marjorie Rhodes as Ethel
- George Rose as Dobbie
- Joan Sims as Sister O'Malley
- Hermione Harvey as hospital receptionist
Production
Although Herbert Wilcox intended to secure the story rights, they were ultimately obtained by Associated British, who cast Anna Neagle—Wilcox’s spouse—in the principal role. This film marked her first lead appearance in two decades that was not directed by Wilcox himself.
Box office
According to Kinematograph Weekly, the movie achieved financial success in the UK market during 1957.
Critical reception
The Monthly Film Bulletin highlighted that No Time for Tears incorporates familiar hospital drama tropes such as romantic entanglements between doctors and nurses, high-stakes surgeries, and miraculous recoveries. However, it criticized the film for its dependence on simplistic emotional appeals and a fragmented storyline, describing it essentially as a hospital soap opera. While well-produced and competently acted, the review suggested it evoked more of a cloying sweetness than genuine commitment.
The Observer characterized it as sentimental but rarely foolish, noting its gentle approach and upbeat mood. The Evening Sentinel remarked on its inclusion of nearly every medical cliché imaginable. Variety dismissed it as a conventional mix of comedy and melodrama.
Sky Movies assigned two out of five stars, labeling it routine medical melodrama akin to an extended episode of Casualty. In contrast, TV Guide awarded three out of four stars, commending Neagle’s portrayal of the head nurse alongside Syms’s supportive role as the newcomer nurse.
Filmink observed that the film would have benefited from fewer narrative threads and more soap opera elements, noting an unexpected dance sequence featuring Syms’s character near the conclusion. Leslie Halliwell described it as a "completely predictable British tearjerker with a happy resolution." Film critic David Quinlan rated it "good," regarding it as a hospital soap that mostly avoids excessive sentimentality in favor of warmth.
The Radio Times Guide to Films gave it 2 out of 5 stars, calling it a sentimental children’s hospital drama designed to provoke tears but praised for strong performances despite its clichés.
External links
- No Time for Tears on BFI