The Small Back Room

The Small Back Room, released in the United States as Hour of Glory, is a 1949 film by the British producer-writer-director team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger starring David Farrar and Kathleen Byron and featuring Jack Hawkins and Cyril Cusack. It was based on the 1943 novel of the same name by Nigel Balchin. The theme is the unsung heroes of the last war, the 'backroom boys', gradually coming into their own. Plot Sammy Rice (David Farrar) is a British scientist in a "back room" team evaluating new weapons in London during the Second World War. Their work is constantly frustrated by bureaucrats and poor management. He is drowning in self-pity: he feels unworthy of his girlfriend Susan (Kathleen Byron) because he is disabled, and he is in constant pain due to his prosthetic leg. He drinks too much whisky to ease his depression and pain. Susan, who is a secretary in the department, puts up with his temper and self-destructive behaviour until their Minister is forced to resign. Susan knows that if non-scientists take over, the section will become useless and Rice will be even more difficult to live with. She urges him to take action. When she realises Rice refuses to do anything to stand up for himself, she leaves him. Earlier, Rice had been asked by Captain Stuart (Michael Gough) to help investigate mysterious booby-trapped devices (mines) being dropped by Nazi bombers. They received some useful information from a critically wounded soldier (Bryan Forbes in his debut). While Rice is getting drunk in his flat after Susan's departure, Stuart calls him: two further devices have been found at Chesil Beach. They look like common thermos flasks. While Rice makes his way to the location, Stuart dies attempting to defuse the first device. Stuart gave a running commentary during the process by radio, recorded by ATS corporal (Renée Asherson). Rice listens to the transcript before attempting to defuse the second device. He discovers that the mine has in fact two booby traps, not one, and manages to defuse them both. When Rice returns to London, his reputation and his own self-esteem restored by his success, he is offered an officer commission as head of the Army's new scientific research unit. He accepts. Susan returns to him and they go back to his flat to find she has repaired and reinstated everything he damaged while drunk.