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The Next of Kin
Directed by	Thorold Dickinson
Produced by	Michael Balcon
Written by	Basil Bartlett Thorold Dickinson John Dighton Angus MacPhail
Starring	Mervyn Johns Nova Pilbeam John Chandos Stephen Murray Jack Hawkins
Distributed by	Ealing Studios
Release date(s)	1942
Running time	101 m
Language	English
Budget	£50,000
IMDb profile

The Next of Kin, also known as Next of Kin, is a 1942 World War II propaganda film produced by Ealing Studios.

The film was originally commissioned by the British War Office as a training film to promote the contemporary Government propaganda message that "Careless talk costs lives". After being taken on by Ealing Studios, the project was expanded and given a successful commercial release.

Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Additional information 3 Cast 4 Principal crew

The British army is preparing an attack on a German-held French port. German intelligence use agents in England to discover the intended target by piecing together information from different sources, including conversations overheard in pubs, railway stations, shops and other public places. When the attack takes place, the element of surprise has been lost and the British suffer heavy casualties.

• Originally, the commando raid depicted was intended to be a complete failure. However, the War Office were uncomfortable about a film showing such a defeat. In the final film, the raid is shown as being successful, albeit with heavy losses. Winston Churchill reportedly wanted the film banned as a threat to morale, but was eventually persuaded of the importance of its message.

• Basil Radford and Naunton Wayne appear in cameos as two "careless talkers" on a train at the end of the film. The two made many appearances together in British films of the 1940s, following their successful pairing as "Charters" and "Caldicott" in Hitchcock's The Lady Vanishes.

• Mervyn Johns .... No 23: Mr Davis
• John Chandos .... No 16: his contact
• Nova Pilbeam .... Beppie Leemans
• Reginald Tate .... Maj. Richards
• Stephen Murray .... Mr Barratt
• Jack Hawkins .... Major
• Geoffrey Hibbert .... Private John
• Philip Friend .... Lt. Cummins
• Phyllis Stanley .... Miss Clare
• Mary Clare .... Mrs. Webster
• Basil Sydney .... Naval captain
• Joss Ambler .... Mr Vemon
• Brefni O'Rorke .... Brigadier
• Alexander Field .... Pvt. Durnford
• David Hutcheson .... Intelligence officer
• Torin Thatcher .... German general
• Thora Hird .... ATS driver with puncture

• Cinematographer: Ernest Palmer
• Original music score: William Walton
• Editor: Ray Pitt
• Art direction: Thomas Morahan