Appearance

  • light/dark mode
powered by
moviedb

Flame in the Streets

"Emotional Dynamite!"

1961-06-19 Drama 1hr 33m

Flame in the Streets is a 1961 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker. Racial tensions manifest themselves at home, work and on the streets during Bonfire Night in the burgeoning West Indian community of early 1960s Britain. Trades union leader (Mills) fights for the rights of a black worker but struggles with the news that his own daughter is planning to marry a West Indian, much against his own logic and the prejudice of his wife.

More
Amazon Prime Video

Watch on Amazon Prime Video

Flame in the Streets
Amazon Prime Video

Watch on Amazon Prime Video

Storyline

Flame in the Streets is a 1961 British drama film directed by Roy Ward Baker. Racial tensions manifest themselves at home, work and on the streets during Bonfire Night in the burgeoning West Indian community of early 1960s Britain. Trades union leader (Mills) fights for the rights of a black worker but struggles with the news that his own daughter is planning to marry a West Indian, much against his own logic and the prejudice of his wife.

  • Released
    1961-06-19
  • Revenue
    n/a
  • Budget
    n/a
  • Runtime
    1hr 33m
  • Genre
    Drama
  • Status
    Released
  • Language
    English
  • imdb-logo
    0
  • Production
    The Rank Organisation, Somerset Films

Crew

Roy Ward Baker
Director
Ted Willis
Screenplay
Roy Ward Baker
Producer

Stream and watch Flame in the Streets

similar movies

Wall Street

Wall Street

Last Exit to Brooklyn

Last Exit to Brooklyn

Blue Collar

Blue Collar

Tap Roots

Tap Roots

Act of Vengeance

Act of Vengeance

On the Waterfront

On the Waterfront

Time for Revenge

Time for Revenge

Norma Rae

Norma Rae

Pirú

Pirú

The Conspirator

The Conspirator

Never/Always

Never/Always

Before the Corpse of a Leader

Before the Corpse of a Leader

Nice

Nice

Black Fury

Black Fury

Another Dawn

Another Dawn

A Flame at the Pier

A Flame at the Pier

A Time Out of War

A Time Out of War

How I Killed My Brother

How I Killed My Brother

Grosse Pointe Blank

Grosse Pointe Blank

Hard Target

Hard Target

Cast

Videos and Photos

Flame in the Streets
Flame in the Streets
Flame in the Streets
Flame in the Streets
Flame in the Streets
Flame in the Streets

Movie Reviews

Reviews for Flame in the Streets
reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2025-01-24

It wasn't just in the USA that racial tension was rife in the 1960s, it was also pretty toxic for many living in urban Britain too. That's e... read more

It wasn't just in the USA that racial tension was rife in the 1960s, it was also pretty toxic for many living in urban Britain too. That's exemplified here by the young "Peter" (Johnny Sekka) who works at a factory where there's a sort of truce between the colours that's striven for by union man "Jacko" (John Mills) who just happens to be the father of "Kathie" (Sylvia Syms) who just happens to be the girlfriend of "Peter". Small world, but not an happy one. Her mother "Nell" (Brenda de Banzie) is more openly hostile to this pairing but dad isn't a great fan either. It's so much because they are racist in themselves, but more that they have a concern for their daughter in a big city where mixed-race relationships were distinctly frowned upon and "half-caste" babies even more so. These aren't just paper-based threats, we can see from the stirring that goes on at their workplace that the young locals are just as keen on causing trouble; making their lives awkward and even dangerous. It's all building to a Guy Fawkes night bonfire that's likely to burn more than old wood from bomb-damaged buildings. There's some good and poignant writing underpinning this drama and the solid efforts of Mills, Syms, Sekka and Earl Cameron help condense quite a lot that's visceral into this tautly directed feature. It's de Banzie, though, who stands out for me. The conflicted mother whose not just concerned about her daughter, but also about the state of a marriage that she feels has systematically neglected her at the expense of her husband's union career and her family. That all comes to a boil too, leaving us with quite a lively and thought-provoking series of conclusions. It's violent at times, but ultimately Roy Ward Baker has let the words and the imagery do most of the heavy lifting here, and I thought it a potent piece of British cinema.

Read Full Review (The thoughts and opinions expressed here are solely those of the reviewer.)
A Review by CinemaSerf

It wasn't just in the USA that racial tension was rife in the 1960s, it was also pretty toxic for many living in urban Britain too. That's exemplified here by the young "Peter" (Johnny Sekka) who works at a factory where there's a sort of t...

reviewer avatar

A Review by Geronimo1967 7

Written by Geronimo1967 on 2025-01-24

It wasn't just in the USA that racial tension was rife in the 1960s, it was also pretty toxic for many living in urban Britain too. That's exemplified here by the young "Peter" (Johnny Sekka) who work...

read more