| Views on Trial | |
| Director: | Richard Warren |
| Producer: | Ralph May |
| Screenplay: | Leo Jolley Dennis Clarke |
| Editing: | Bill Freeman |
| Starring: | Jimmy Hanley Robin Bailey John Glen |
| Cinematography: | Denny Densham |
| Studio: | Anvil Films |
| Runtime: | 25 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
Views on Trial (also known as There's Always a Better Way: Views on Trial) is a 1954 British short black and white film directed by Richard Warren and starring Jimmy Hanley, Robin Bailey and John Glen.[1] [2] It was written by Leo Jolley and Dennis Clarke, and produced by Ralph May for the British Productivity Council, a government body that aimed to increase Britain's industrial efficiency, as part of the film series There's Always a Better Way.
The setting is a courtroom, with the film's audience invited to act as the jury. Nicholas Diabolus is on trial accused of inciting unrest. He dislikes work and change. He fears that the use of automation and machinery to improve productivity will lead to mass unemployment. The court is shown examples of the positive effects of progress. The prosecution argues that progress is good for society; the defence argues that progress will lead to unemployment and damage to society. The audience is invited to weigh the evidence and make their own conclusions.
The film was released as part of The Renown Crime Collection Volume 9.[3]