Chapter 4 of 27 · 4'22"
Leonard Vole explains how he became a suspect: he read about Mrs French's murder, went to the police, and made a statement before anyone warned him properly. He insists that in England innocence protects you; the lawyer's dry reply, "We try not to make a habit of it," tells him exactly how much trouble he is in.
❝ Monologue · 9 lines Leonard Describes His Life
Leonard Vole comes to Sir Wilfrid with his story. He read in the paper that Mrs French had been murdered, went to the police because he had visited her that evening, and gave a statement. Sir Wilfrid warns him he is the principal suspect and will likely be arrested, but Leonard insists an innocent man cannot be convicted in England.
Leonard's version of events is exactly what an innocent man would say, which is also what makes it so dangerous. He trusts the system — "This is England! You don't get arrested or convicted for crimes you haven't done" — and Sir Wilfrid's answer, "We try not to make a habit of it," is the film's first warning that good intentions and good law are not the same thing. The Beck case they discuss is there to prove the lawyer's point: courts do convict the innocent, and a pardon does not undo a hanging. Leonard's later account of himself — drifting through jobs, inventing an eggbeater, hoping a rich acquaintance would fund it — makes him both sympathetic and plausible as a suspect. The scene turns into a character study of a man who may be telling the whole truth and still lose.
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
“This is England! You don't get arrested or convicted for crimes you haven't done.”
It voices complete faith in the law, which makes the next dry reply land so hard.
Neutral
“We try not to make a habit of it.”
A dry understatement that concedes everything and rebuts the naive faith at once.
Neutral
“Relax. You're in the hands of the finest, most experienced barrister in London.”
The reassurance doubles as self-praise, spoken so flatly that both meanings survive.
Neutral
“This morning I had no lawyers at all and now suddenly I have three.”
A comic contrast in numbers sums up an absurd situation in one dry sentence.
Informal
I worked in a department store, in toys, demonstrating children's building sets. Of course, it lasted only during Christmas. Before that I tested electric blankets. - Electric blankets? - I suppose you think I'm a bit of a drifter. It's true, in a way, but I'm really not like that. My army service unsettled me. That and living abroad. I was stationed in Germany. It was fine there, though. That's where I met my wife. She was an actress, and a good one. She's a wonderful wife to me, too. But I haven't been much of a provider, I'm afraid. Somehow, I just don't seem able to settle down now I've come back to this country.
Up next · 05not cricketThe scene: How Vole Met Mrs FrenchHe was seen visiting her the evening she was killed, and he had told people he hoped she would fund his invention. The police find him the obvious person to question.
He says they asked if he wanted to make a statement and warned it might be used against him, but he is not sure that counted as a proper caution.
To show that English courts do sometimes convict the innocent, and that a pardon after the fact cannot undo a death sentence.
No. He is still recovering and his doctors have forbidden criminal work, so he recommends Brogan-Moore instead, even though he clearly finds the case hard to resist.
An eggbeater that also separates the yolk from the white, along with small items like pocket pencil sharpeners and key-chain flashlights.
