Next to No Time Reviews

Released in the US two years after it was completed, NEXT TO NO TIME is a delightful comedy featuring More as an engineer who must sail to America on the Queen Elizabeth in pursuit of a prospective client for his employer. More's firm wants to sell an automation system to the wealthy Culver, and More is assigned the unwanted task of closing the sale. More has limited skills in human relations, but Drake, an American actress on board the ship, and Welsh, the ship's bartender, help him overcome his fears, with an assist from some powerful drinks. More makes the sale and becomes the life of the party in the process. The leads and supporting players are uniformly good, and the story flows smoothly from start to finish. Cornelius, who had begun his directorial career with PASSPORT TO PIMLICO (1949), died before the picture's American release. Though he made only five films during his brief career as a director, he was highly regarded for his deft handling of comedy. His film I AM A CAMERA (1955) served as the basis for the stage musical "Cabaret," which was turned into a film in 1972. He died while working on LAW AND DISORDER (1958), with Charles Crichton finishing the project. This was also the last film for Harry Green, who died shortly after its completion. His acting career started in 1929 with CLOSE HARMONY and included appearances in more than two dozen films.