The Net (1953 film) - Alchetron, The Free Social Encyclopedia

The net 1953 82 minutes british thriller phylllis calvert herbert lom james donald

The Net (U.S. Project M7) is a 1953 British film made by Two Cities Films, directed by Anthony Asquith and starring James Donald, Phyllis Calvert, Robert Beatty and Herbert Lom. The film is set in the world of aviation research and was based on the novel of the same name by John Pudney.

Plot

At a secret aviation research station in the English countryside, an international group of scientists are working on the prototype of a revolutionary new aircraft, known as the M7, capable of flying at up to 2,000 miles per hour. The atmosphere is competitive rather than co-operative, with fierce rivalry between the various scientists. The project leader Michael Heathley (Donald) is so wrapped up with the M7 that his wife Lydia (Calvert) feels neglected and that she is being sidelined in favour of her husband's work. At a social gathering she strikes up a conversation with Heathley's colleague Alex Leon (Lom), and the pair are soon circling one another. Meanwhile, Heathley is desperate to test the M7, but is continually stonewalled by facility director Carrington (Maurice Denham).

Matters take a sinister turn when Carrington is killed, and the project members realise there is a spy in their midst. The M7 is finally given its first tense test flight, and emerges intact. The group continue to work on modifications to iron out minor problems identified on the test flight. The finished version then takes to the sky, but this time the spy shows his hand and tries to hijack the aircraft.