Lance Comfort

Temptation Harbour (1947)

Posted on by Kent Film Office
Illustrated image of a US movie poster. The top half of the image is a harbour and the ocean at night. On the top right is a black-and-white image of Simone Siman looking mischievously over her shoulder. On the bottom left is an image of a man violently grabbing hold of a woman’s arms. On the bottom right is an image of a man in a trench coat and bowler hat pinning another man to the floor. In the middle in orange text is written Temptation Harbor.

Temptation Harbour (1947) © ABPC

Director: Lance Comfort
Starring: Robert Newton, William Hartnell, Simone Simon, Marcel Dalio
Production Company: Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC)
Kent Locations Used: Folkestone Harbour, St Margaret’s Bay

Temptation Harbour (1947) is a British crime drama film following a signalman who witnesses a murder and, upon finding the dead man’s suitcase which contains £5,000, is torn between right and wrong whilst being hunted by the killer and the police.

Directed by Lance Comfort (Escape to Danger, Pit of Darkness), the film stars Robert Newton (Around the World in 80 Days, Jamaica Inn) as Bert Mallison, William Hartnell (Doctor Who – The Dalek Invasion of Earth (1964), Carry On Sergeant) as Jim Brown, Simone Simon (Cat People, La Bête Humaine) as Camelia and Marcel Dalio (Sabrina, The Rules of the Game) as Inspector Dupree.

The film is set at a harbourside train station called Newhaven Harbour; these scenes were filmed at Folkestone Harbour. Locations featured include the signal box (which has recently been restored and now houses a café), the old Folkestone Harbour train station and the arches along The Stade. Filming also took place on St Margaret’s Bay in Dover, which is the location of Bert Mallison’s shed where he traps the murderer.

Formerly a ferry port connecting the town to various destinations in France and Belgium, Folkestone Harbour Arm and the now non-operational train station have been recently restored and is now home to a growing collection of vibrant independent businesses. Other productions to have filmed there include Moon and Son (1992), I Want You (1998) and The Darling Buds of May (1991-1993).

St Margaret’s Bay is a small shingle beach bay backed by the famous white chalk cliffs of Dover. It is a popular filming location, having played host to a variety of productions including Poirot – The Kidnapped Prime Minister (1990), Missing (2009-2010) and Rogue Agent (2022).

Temptation Harbour (1947) was released in UK cinemas on Thursday 27th February 1947 and is currently available to stream on BFI Player.

For more information about Kent’s Filming History please visit our Movie Map.