Review of Dance Hall

Four girls visit the local "palais" or dance hall, and find romance. Even though some of the working class characters are surprisingly well spoken, the story is quite gritty for the time. One of the girls has an affair with a local lothario before she marries the Right Man who later yells at her "He didn't have to marry you, did he!" Meaning that she slept with the other man without thought of marriage - supposedly unheard of in 1950. Everyone is excellent: the young bride, Eve; her friend Mary who yearns for Eve's husband; Petula Clark as the teenage dance wannabe; Diana Dors who's always swearing off men is lovely (though her voice is dubbed). Bonar Colleano gives his no-good character depth (I thought I was clever, not caring for anybody - then I realised nobody cared for me). What a good actor he was. This film is more than just a bit of fluff.