i once have a conversation with my parent who tell me british cinema goer in the 1940s and 50 would check to see a film country of origin before go to see it . it do not matter what the plot be or who be in it and if it be an american movie people would want to see it and if it be british people wouldn not want to see it . this might sound like a ridiculous generalisation but after see the astonished heart i can understand why people in those day prefer american cinema to the home grown variety back in the 1940s british equity be devoid of work class member and it show in this movie . everyone speaks in an english lad dee daa upper class accent that make the british royal family sound like work class scum and what this do be alienate a large amount of a potential british audience who would no doubt prefer to be watch jimmy cagney in white heat because people would have and if not relate to then certainly empathise with a violent gangster in cinematic term more than some high class english shrink in 1949 . that entertainment and the reason people go to cinemas . even the character names seem bizarre leonora . how many british people be name leonora in 1949 . and the protagonist drink cocktail . and they use word like austere . you do get the feeling that this wasn not market for a 1949 mainstream british audience . but why should it if the majority of british cinema goer be queue up at cinema to watch far more entertaining american import . watch the atsonished heart in 2005 i be astonish how dated everything be and in fact it so date i think maybe it might be a spoof from the harry endfield show . what do not astonish me be the fact that these type of movie come close to sink the british film industry and an industry that do not pick up until american money invest in crowd pleaser like zulu and alfie and the james bond movie .