Temptation Harbour

Temptation Harbour
Company type	Film
Industry	Film industry
Founded	1947
Founder	Lance Comfort (director)
Products	Crime drama film

Temptation Harbour is a 1947 British crime drama presented in black-and-white, directed by Lance Comfort and featuring performances by Robert Newton, Simone Simon, and William Hartnell. The screenplay, crafted by Rodney Ackland and Frederick Gotfurt, is an adaptation of Newhaven-Dieppe (also called L'Homme de Londres), a 1933 novella authored by Georges Simenon. The production budget was set at $1 million (around £133,174), with box office earnings reaching £132,235.

Plot

A signalman working on a dockside observes an altercation that results in a man being pushed into the water, where he drowns. The signalman then claims the man's suitcase, uncovering £5,000 in cash inside.

Cast

Robert Newton portraying Bert Mallinson
Simone Simon as Camelia
William Hartnell playing Jim Brown
Marcel Dalio in the role of Inspector Dupré
Margaret Barton as Betty Mallinson
Edward Rigby taking on Tatem
Joan Hopkins as Beryl Brown
Kathleen Harrison portraying Mabel
Leslie Dwyer as Reg
Charles Victor playing Gowshall
Irene Handl as Mrs Gowshall
Wylie Watson in the role of Fred
John Salew as CID Inspector
George Woodbridge portraying Mr Frost
Kathleen Boutall as Mrs Frost

Production

The narrative shifts the original novella’s location from France to England and modifies the storyline accordingly. Filming occurred at Welwyn Studios, with art director Cedric Dawe responsible for the set design.

Box office

The movie achieved commercial success, generating distributor gross receipts of £106,226 within the UK by 1 April 1950, from which £72,026 was allocated to the producer. Nevertheless, it ultimately recorded a financial loss amounting to £61,148.

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin commended the film for its compelling performances, particularly noting Robert Newton’s portrayal of a troubled signalman and Margaret Barton’s authentic representation of an exhausted daughter. Simone Simon’s role as the enigmatic "mermaid" was described as both clever and disquieting. The publication also praised the film’s accurate depiction of Southern Railway operations and its effective use of background music.

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959, David Quinlan rated the film as "average," characterizing it as a "slow-paced yet engaging drama featuring somewhat unsympathetic characters."

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