This is my street, the film proclaimed

an RT bus, a dustcart, camera

above eye level with a railway bridge one end

and a row of uniform terraces.

 

The plot, a warp and weft

of flash harry on the prowl

steamy cafes,

sleazy nightclubs

cars swung into kerbs. 

 

Painted doxies and helpless wives

living tainted roles on London streets,

kiddies' dollys in the turbulent dust

blitz sites jagged against a numbing sky.

 

Ian Hendry with his piggy eyes

the one who Jack Carter killed,

younger in this role as Lothario

with pocket handkerchief and Italian suit

in an open topped car. 

 

John Hurt pre Rillington Place

deliciously naive in a minor role. 

Key on a string through a letterbox

for easy access: the key to the film.