The League of Gentlemen (film)

Allied Film Makers

Industry	Film production
Founded	1959
Founders	Michael Relph, Basil Dearden, Jack Hawkins, Bryan Forbes, Richard Attenborough
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Products	Films

The League of Gentlemen is a 1960 British heist action comedy film directed by Basil Dearden, featuring performances by Jack Hawkins, Nigel Patrick, Roger Livesey, and Richard Attenborough. The film adapts John Boland's 1958 novel, with a screenplay penned by Bryan Forbes, who also appears in the cast.

The narrative centers on a group of former British Army officers who devise a plan to rob a bank located in the City of London. To procure weapons, they conduct a raid on a military training facility in Dorset and deliberately implicate the Irish Republican Army (IRA) for the crime.

Plot

Lieutenant-Colonel Norman Hyde (Jack Hawkins) assembles seven ex-army officers, each facing personal or professional difficulties, by sending them envelopes containing a crime novel, half of a £5 note, and an invitation to meet for lunch. The recruited men are:

• Major Peter Race (Nigel Patrick), dismissed due to allegations of involvement in black-market activities.
• Major Rupert Rutland-Smith (Terence Alexander), financially reliant on his affluent spouse.
• Captain "Padre" Mycroft (Roger Livesey), a former chaplain removed from service over charges of indecency.
• Lieutenant Edward Lexy (Richard Attenborough), terminated for leaking confidential information.
• Captain Martin Porthill (Bryan Forbes), discharged following incidents involving shooting suspects in Cyprus.
• Captain Stevens (Kieron Moore), expelled for inappropriate behavior, now working as a physiotherapist.
• Captain Frank Weaver (Norman Bird), who resigned after a fatal accident during bomb disposal.

Hyde, harboring resentment after being made redundant, proposes the bank robbery with promises of payouts exceeding £100,000 per participant. The group meets under the pretense of rehearsing Journey’s End, agreeing to adopt Hyde’s scheme and maintain strict military discipline, including financial penalties for breaches.

Hyde has collected detailed information on a City of London bank that regularly handles around one million pounds in circulated notes. To equip themselves, the group raids an army camp in Dorset, staging the operation to mislead authorities into blaming the IRA.

Preparations take place meticulously in Hyde's basement and at a rented warehouse where vehicles are altered with counterfeit license plates. A local police officer monitors the warehouse without suspecting illicit activity.

The robbery unfolds with precision near St Paul's Cathedral, employing smoke bombs, submachine guns, and radio interference. After successfully securing the cash, the gang celebrates until Hyde’s former commanding officer arrives. Each member departs separately with their share.

Nevertheless, Superintendent Wheatlock contacts Hyde after a boy provides a list of vehicle registrations observed near both the bank and warehouse, linking them to the crime. Surrounded by police at his residence, Hyde surrenders while his associates have already been apprehended.

Development

In November 1958, producer Carl Foreman acquired the film rights to John Boland's novel, intending to cast five prominent actors including possible leads such as Cary Grant, James Mason, and Jack Hawkins. Bryan Forbes was tasked with writing the screenplay and delivered three versions. Both Cary Grant and David Niven declined offers for lead roles. Forbes remarked that Foreman took credit on the script to increase its marketability.

Eventually, Foreman transferred the script rights to producers Michael Relph and Basil Dearden, who established Allied Film Makers (AFM), a production cooperative including partners Jack Hawkins, his brother, Bryan Forbes, and Richard Attenborough. This film marked AFM's inaugural project, financed partly by National Provincial Bank and backed by the Rank Organisation. The National Film Finance Corporation provided a completion guarantee while Rank secured distribution rights for AFM's following five films with a 27.5% fee.

Shooting

Production commenced in November 1959. In his memoirs, Forbes later reflected on the filming experience as relaxed, with the cast treated with considerable respect. However, Jack Hawkins was already exhibiting early symptoms of throat cancer during the shoot, a condition that ultimately caused him to lose his voice and led to his passing.

The depiction of Hyde's wife bears a strong resemblance to Deborah Kerr’s character in The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp (1943), creating a connection to Roger Livesey, who portrays Mycroft in The League. Forbes points out that, unlike many films from that period, Hyde’s wife is portrayed as still living rather than deceased.

Two scripted scenes were removed: one involving Weaver drinking brandy despite being a teetotaler, and another where Hyde visits a teenage girl suggested to be his daughter. The location for Lexy's repair shop was Queens Gate Place Mews, SW7.

The erotic magazines displayed in Mycroft's suitcase were props borrowed from the set of Peeping Tom (1960), which was being filmed simultaneously at Pinewood Studios.

The League of Gentlemen received a nod in the 1963 movie The Wrong Arm of the Law, where it was mentioned as part of a training program for criminals.

Box office

Financially, the film performed well, securing the sixth position at the UK box office in 1960 and generating a profit of £250,000 by 1971. Bryan Forbes later approximated the total earnings to be between £300,000 and £400,000.

Critical

Variety described it as a "smooth piece of teamwork."

The Monthly Film Bulletin commented:

Had this film taken an alternative route, it might have examined the post-war decline of the officer class, reflecting societal changes in Britain after the war. Instead, it prioritizes suspense over character exploration, providing only brief introductions to each Gentleman without delving into their unique traits, rendering them mostly shadowy figures. Bryan Forbes delivers lively dialogue but occasionally overindulges in witty exchanges and character eccentricities. As a social commentary, the film lacks a cohesive focus and clear perspective, particularly regarding its morally ambiguous conclusion. As a thriller, however, it works effectively: both the army camp heist and subsequent raid are well staged, though the former is marred by clichéd military humor. Basil Dearden’s direction is technically proficient and vibrant, with less mechanical editing than usual. The cast is somewhat constrained by the script—Jack Hawkins appears overly polished and heavy; Nigel Patrick offers little novelty; Roger Livesey provides dry humor; Robert Coote enlivens the finale.

Upon its U.S. release, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times praised it as "cleverly written and skillfully performed," emphasizing Forbes’ "devilishly clever and amusing screenplay" alongside Dearden’s sharp direction.

The Daily Telegraph hailed it as "a masterpiece of British cinema." Dennis Schwartz regarded it as "an excellent example of traditional English humor: witty and polite." Time Out called it "a superb caper film featuring outstanding performances from an endearing group of seasoned characters."

The Radio Times Guide to Films awarded it 4 out of 5 stars, highlighting that this was Allied Film Makers' debut feature with foundational contributors—producer Michael Relph, director Basil Dearden, screenwriter Bryan Forbes, and actors Jack Hawkins and Richard Attenborough—delivering a compelling crime thriller. While initially slow-paced, once Hawkins gathers his team and their scheme unfolds, the tension escalates.

Leslie Halliwell referred to it as a "charmingly executed comedy adventure," suggesting that a lighter conclusion might have elevated it to classic status.

Alexander Walker viewed the film as a wryly disillusioned comedy in line with Ealing Studios’ tradition—underdogs outsmarting authorities—reflecting Britain’s acquisitive culture in the 1960s under Jack Hawkins’ lead.

Filmink described it as solid entertainment—a kind of Ealing-style movie infused with added cynicism and sensuality (notably featuring Forbes’ wife Nanette Newman in a bathing scene)—yet still retaining some Ealing-esque smugness and respect for lawfulness.

Home media

The League of Gentlemen was featured alongside three additional Dearden-directed films in the 2010 Eclipse Series collection by The Criterion Collection, titled "Basil Dearden’s London Underground."

A specially restored edition on DVD was issued in the UK in 2006, including bonus content such as a South Bank Show documentary focusing on Attenborough and a PDF containing Forbes' original screenplay. The DVD also contains audio commentary from Forbes and his spouse, Nanette Newman, who has a role in the movie.

External links

• A Very English Caper