First thread: Very good film. And it's 'THE Next of Kin.'
This is the first posting on the site for this WWII Britsh propaganda film, which I'd long heard of but never expected to see. But it's available on DVD from IHF, and while the print does show some signs of age, this all-star and surprisingly sturdy film -- about the dangers of loose talk, which in this case allows a Nazi spy ring operating in England to learn of an impending British attack in France, giving the Germans the opportunity to take the invading British by surprise -- is extremely effective. Even though many of its plot points are really a bit far-fetched, the film is so unsensationalistic and sober in its treatment of the subject that you readily accept some fairly incredible things. (It's doubtful the Germans had anything near the number or capability of spies seen in this film.)
[Possible SPOILERS in this paragraph!] Originally intended as a government-made film for military audiences, it was taken over by Ealing and redone as a vehicle for civilian audiences as well. Apparently Winston Churchill objected to the initial ending, where the British force is wiped out in its attack, as too demoralizing, so the scene was reshot as a limited British victory but at a very heavy cost in lives. It scarcely seems to make any difference, and the so-called "victory" is so minor that one is left mainly with the sight of scores of soldiers ambushed and massacred by a fierce German counter-attack -- all the result of the Nazis' having been tipped off due to their ruthless and efficient spy network and the carelessness of some British soldiers and civilians.
[No more spoilers!] All in all, a very well made film, with lots of faces who would later become familiar to movie goers in the 40s, 50s and beyond (Jack Hawkins, Torin Thatcher, etc.), and a surprisingly (and, odd as it sounds, refreshingly) downbeat film that eschews wartime rah-rah to show the vulnerabilities and errors of the British, and makes the Germans something more than cardboard bad guys -- sinister and scheming, but you see them as real people too. Good show, in this rare film. If you ever see this post, get the movie.
Oh, and the real title turns out to be THE NEXT OF KIN -- not, as every other source has always had it (IMDb included), just plain, old, definite-article-less NEXT OF KIN. Just for the record.