British realism in the sixties was also a uniquely stylish affair. In 1965, Anthony Simmons' independently-produced Four in the Morning was one of the most striking films of the decade; critically acclaimed, still it somehow fell through the cracks, having "arrived too late to feel the benefit of the Woodfall (Productions) bandwagon, and (being) too much at odds with the image of 'Swinging London' which had by then set in to receive the recognition it deserved" (Clive Hodgson, National Film Theatre, London). It is a gem worth rediscovering, both for Simmons' command of mood and location, and for an equally moody jazz score by John Barry. The film began as a documentary on life (and death) by the Thames and developed into a dramatic feature linking two love stories to that of an anonymous suicide being dragged from the river. It is four in the morning; on the riverbank, a rootless young man and a night-club singer spend their first date, circling each other, unable to commit even to desire, let alone love. Simultaneously, a young couple quarrel over the husband's drunken insensitivity to life with baby. Simmons' portrait of a kind of explosive emotional sterility is given fullness by some extraordinary performances, in particular by Judi Dench as the wife, jaded yet still poignantly disposed toward love, and Norman Rodway as the husband looking for a way out of feelings he has, but doesn't want.