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Views on Trial
Views on Trial
	Frame from the film
Directed by	Richard Warren
Screenplay by	Leo Jolley; Dennis Clarke
Produced by	Ralph May
Starring	Jimmy Hanley; Robin Bailey; John Glen
Cinematography	Denny Densham
Edited by	Bill Freeman
Production; company	Anvil Films
Release date	1954;
Running time	25 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English

Views on Trial (also known as There's Always a Better Way: Views on Trial) is a 1954 British short black and white film directed by Richard Warren and starring Jimmy Hanley, Robin Bailey and John Glen.^[1]^[2] It was written by Leo Jolley and Dennis Clarke, and produced by Ralph May for the British Productivity Council, a government body that aimed to increase Britain's industrial efficiency, as part of the film series There's Always a Better Way.

Plot

The setting is a courtroom, with the film's audience invited to act as the jury. Nicholas Diabolus is on trial accused of inciting unrest. He dislikes work and change. He fears that the use of automation and machinery to improve productivity will lead to mass unemployment. The court is shown examples of the positive effects of progress. The prosecution argues that progress is good for society; the defence argues that progress will lead to unemployment and damage to society. The audience is invited to weigh the evidence and make their own conclusions.

Cast

Jimmy Hanley as Nicholas Diabolus alias Garble, Budgenot, a foreman, a machinist
Robin Bailey as the judge
John Glen as prosecuting counsel
Frank Tickle as defending counsel
Ewan Roberts as Victor Skyway
Harry Herbert as Ephraim Oldman
Erik Chitty as Sterling Silver
Leslie Weston as works manager
Bunny May as Nicholas Junior
Edward Lexy as Clootie
Jim Watts as Doug

Home media

The film was released as part of The Renown Crime Collection Volume 9.^[3]

References

^ "Views on Trial". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
^ "Boom Britain: We Can Work It Out". British Film Institute. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
^ "The Renown Crime Collection Volume 9". Renown Pictures Ltd. Retrieved 6 February 2024.