Behind the Mask

This potboiling hospital drama suffers from the fact that much of its incident and nearly all its characters have now become over familiar thanks to endless TV programmes about feuding surgeons, put-upon housemen and devoted nurses. As much of the story is taken up with a dispute between Michael Redgrave and Niall MacGinnis over the management of their hospital, there is as much boardroom chat as there is action in the wards. Director Brian Desmond Hurst seems unable to choose between realism and melodrama, leaving his actors unsure how to pitch their performances.