The Yellow Balloon (1953)
Directed by J. Lee Thompson
Genres - Drama, Crime |
Sub-Genres - Crime Thriller |
Release Date - Feb 10, 1953 (USA - Unknown), Oct 3, 1953 (USA) |
Run Time - 80 min. |
Countries - United Kingdom |
MPAA Rating - NR
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Synopsis by Michael P. Rogers
Twelve-year old Frankie (Andrew Ray) feels guilty after his best friend falls to his death when they are playing in a bombed-out London building. Len (Sylvester) is a petty thief who has just become a murderer by killing the pub owner in a botched robbery. Frankie and Len's paths cross, and Len learns Frankie's secret then poses as the boy's friend to blackmail the lad into stealing from his parents to finance Len's escape. When the crook suspects that Frankie knows enough to link him to the murder, he tries to silence the boy in a tense, "hide-and-seek" chase played out in a bomb- damaged, highly perilous underground station. The initial idea for this movie may well have been borrowed from The Window (1949), but several intriguing plot twists and effective use of the post-war London location make The Yellow Balloon a unique entertainment in itself.
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Keywords
accident, balloon, blackmail, boy, chase, child, criminal, death, decoy, exploitation, friendship, house, parent, plans, playmates, robbery, schoolboy, secrets, struggle, witness
