An Inspector Calls (1954 film) An Inspector Calls (1954 film) An Inspector Calls is a British 1954 film directed by Guy Hamilton and written for the screen by Desmond Davis. It is based upon the play "An Inspector Calls" by J.B. Priestley. It stars Alastair Sim. Set in 1912, a dinner party held by the upper class Birling family is interrupted by a man calling himself Inspector Poole, investigating the suicide of a lower class girl Eva Smith whose death is linked to each family member. "An Inspector Calls" was filmed at Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, under the auspices of the Watergate Productions Ltd.
The Good Companions there has been a reappraisal of this and other Priestley works: a new edition of "The Good Companions" appeared in October 2007 with a foreword by Dame Judi Dench, accompanying a reappraisal of the various versions by Ronald Harwood, André Previn and Alan Plater amongst others. Priestley collaborated with Edward Knoblock on a stage version of his novel, which opened at His Majesty's Theatre, London on 14 May 1931. It ran for nine months, with Edward Chapman, Edith Sharpe and John Gielgud in the cast. The first film version appeared hard on the heels of the play. Produced by Gaumont,