“Nuclear Nightmare”

By Raymond Benson

It was a surprise to discover this engaging, tightly-written and directed thriller—released in 1950!—about a possible nuclear nightmare taking place in London. In fact, the film was awarded the Oscar for Best Story (back when that category still existed). The writers were Paul Dehn and James Bernard.

The Boulting Brothers (identical twins!) were a sort of British Coen Brothers at the time, having made numerous quality movies from the late 1930s to the 1970s, usually directing separately. Seven Days to Noon is the only picture on which both brothers are credited as directors.

While the tale is fiction (and based on a novel), it plays as if it’s a true story. A brilliant nuclear physicist, Professor Willingdon (Barry Jones) has written a letter to the Prime Minister, saying that he’s stolen one of the suitcase-sized nuclear bombs from the British weapons development facility,...