The Next of Kin

• Also known as Next of Kin
• Directed by Thorold Dickinson
• May 15, 1942 (UK) 102 min. / Maty 5, 1943 (US) 75 min.

A film showing how loose lips sink ships.

The first thing to note about The Next of Kin is there are two distinct versions of the film out. This was originally made for British audiences of World War II and the one shown over in England has additional footage. The one I watched was the American release and approximately 75 minutes Long.

The British footage was removed on the advice of David O. Selznick to avoid leaving American viewers with the impression that England was permeated with Nazi spies. As such there are some minor jumps here and there in the story with the narrative overall moving at a fast pace but not so much so that you get lost because you have no time to take anything in. That is a real credit to director Thorold Dickinson for being able to remove a significant amount of footage and still have a cohesive narrative.

The thing is The Next of Kin is not bad considering its purpose. I will not call it a great film, but the directing is good and the script is excellent for what it is. What we get here are good actors giving it their all. Admittedly, as an American, the British accent helps sell just about anything, but it goes beyond that. This was story first with message second allowing for quality overall.

The whole point of the story is how little things can mean a lot. And I’m not talking in the romantic sense. They do a good job of illustrating how bits of information that are meaningless or innocuous to the individual can actually be quite informative and enlightening to an enemy determined to learn secrets. An offhand comment by itself may be useless but when connected to something else it all means something.

They don’t hang a lantern at any particular moment on an event but rather it all occurs quietly. Conversations are had and events occur, but the mistakes made can only be picked up by the omniscient audience that sees all. It’s not just the average citizen that makes these mistakes but also seasoned soldiers who should know better. In that this film shows how even the best can make an error.

The weakest part of The Next of Kin is the element that was added for the American release. It highlights from the start this is a work of fiction. That bit lingers in your mind and hinders the suspension of disbelief necessary to involve you in a story.

Dickinson, who earned the praise of Martin Scorsese for his work, gave this a level of style and general quality otherwise not found in movies of this type. There are creative uses of the camera as well as great directing and mostly natural dialogue. Propaganda is generally unwatchable but not so here.

I won’t call The Next of Kin must see entertainment but if you wish to watch a quality propaganda film, then this is the one to see. It is an entertaining story that is also a look at a particular era. Did I just say something nice about a piece of propaganda?