Initially released to indifferent reviews, this has now reached the status of something of a classic of its kind. Watching it recently it was hard to credit it had been shot as long ago as the late summer of 1969 - it has the appearance of a much more recent production, albeit one from before the digital age. In particular, the appearance and behaviour of the two young women at the centre would be plausible today, apart from the absence of the now obligatory cell phones of course. The sense of isolation both spatially and from the language barrier is superbly achieved and the first hour or so is excellent. A pity that in the scenes leading to the shocking denouement the tension is somewhat dissipated, and they could have benefitted from more rigorous editing. Certainly a film not easily forgotten.
Reviews
234 Reviews
Circle of Deceit
(1993 TV Movie)
Undercover man
4 September 2023
The first of four TV movies starring Dennis Waterman as John Neil, an ex SAS man and Falklands veteran pressurised into work for the security services.
His first task is to infiltrate an IRA gang led by Godfather figure Liam McAuley (Peter Vaughan). Unbeknown to Neil it is the same man responsible for the murder of his wife and child in a terrorist bombing at a circus near an army camp in Germany.
Some good direction and performances and intelligent characterisation and plotting though, perhaps inevitably, that old chestnut of the gang member who takes a dislike to the hero and is suspicious of him, is not avoided. Just as reliable is the smooth-talking devious 'controller' he is responsible to (Derek Jacobi). And Waterman has not quite developed Neil into the distinctive character he would later become. So not a bad start but a couple of the others to follow are better, one considerably so.
His first task is to infiltrate an IRA gang led by Godfather figure Liam McAuley (Peter Vaughan). Unbeknown to Neil it is the same man responsible for the murder of his wife and child in a terrorist bombing at a circus near an army camp in Germany.
Some good direction and performances and intelligent characterisation and plotting though, perhaps inevitably, that old chestnut of the gang member who takes a dislike to the hero and is suspicious of him, is not avoided. Just as reliable is the smooth-talking devious 'controller' he is responsible to (Derek Jacobi). And Waterman has not quite developed Neil into the distinctive character he would later become. So not a bad start but a couple of the others to follow are better, one considerably so.
Circles of Deceit: Sleeping Dogs
(1996 TV Movie)
Taut Thriller
4 September 2023
This is the second of the quartet of TV movies starring Dennis Waterman as John Neil, a former veteran of the SAS, now doing highly dangerous work for the security services. It follows on from the first movie, with Neil living an isolated existence following his narrow escape from the clutches of the IRA only to reluctantly return to the shadowy world of secret intelligence at the behest of a new 'controller' - convincingly played by Susan Jameson. As she's already been seen in a couple of the earlier aired of the movies, I suspect transmission of this one was delayed due to political events of the time.
Neil has to liaise with a former KGB officer (Leo McKern) who as an 'introductory offer' gives the name of two 'sleepers' in the UK. What at first seems like a routine investigation into this pair soon has explosive repercussions with several murders culminating with an attempt to wreck an Irish peace conference, with Neil falling back into the hands of his IRA foes at one point. He also finds himself falling in love but could he settle down with the kind of existence he leads? A fast-moving thriller with a strong performance from the star.
Neil has to liaise with a former KGB officer (Leo McKern) who as an 'introductory offer' gives the name of two 'sleepers' in the UK. What at first seems like a routine investigation into this pair soon has explosive repercussions with several murders culminating with an attempt to wreck an Irish peace conference, with Neil falling back into the hands of his IRA foes at one point. He also finds himself falling in love but could he settle down with the kind of existence he leads? A fast-moving thriller with a strong performance from the star.
Circles of Deceit: Dark Secret
(1995 TV Movie)
More than one Dark Secret
4 September 2023
Another, and IMHO the best of the quartet of TV movies starring Dennis Waterman as former SAS man turned reluctant security agent, John Neil. Can't recall any comment about these at the time, and they've been curiously neglected ever since. Yet Dark Secrets is a cracking thriller, competently plotted with an abundance of twists and surprizes.
Neil has to make contact with Jim Caine (Sean McGinley) a former fellow soldier he fought alongside in the Falklands, now turned rogue and suspected of robbing deed boxes from a bank vault, the property of VIPs. Sure enough Caine is blackmailing Harry Summers (Corin Redgrave) a sinister and unscrupulous MP who indeed has plenty to hide. This leads to a series of murders with Neil's life constantly in danger - not least as his highly Machiavellian employers and the government have their own agenda regarding Summers.
Well played and gripping to the end.
Neil has to make contact with Jim Caine (Sean McGinley) a former fellow soldier he fought alongside in the Falklands, now turned rogue and suspected of robbing deed boxes from a bank vault, the property of VIPs. Sure enough Caine is blackmailing Harry Summers (Corin Redgrave) a sinister and unscrupulous MP who indeed has plenty to hide. This leads to a series of murders with Neil's life constantly in danger - not least as his highly Machiavellian employers and the government have their own agenda regarding Summers.
Well played and gripping to the end.
Circles of Deceit: Kalon
(1996 TV Movie)
Money laundering and murder
4 September 2023
Another of the four TV Movies starring Dennis Waterman as former SAS and Falklands veteran John Neil. He's now more resigned to his dangerous job working for a security service that regards him as expendable, as the only thing he is really suited to.
Kalon finds Neil's investigation into the murder of an army officer leading him into the activities of crooked merchant banker Rylands (Simon Cadell) and then a large international organisation involved in money laundering and drug smuggling. Rylands has discovered that his association with a Colombian crime boss was much easier to get into than out of with consequent - and constant - threat to his life, and it is poignant to see fine actor Cadell, probably aware he was himself terminally ill, in the role. Kalon is worth a watch but lacks some of the suspense and unexpected twists of a couple of others in the Circles quartet.
Kalon finds Neil's investigation into the murder of an army officer leading him into the activities of crooked merchant banker Rylands (Simon Cadell) and then a large international organisation involved in money laundering and drug smuggling. Rylands has discovered that his association with a Colombian crime boss was much easier to get into than out of with consequent - and constant - threat to his life, and it is poignant to see fine actor Cadell, probably aware he was himself terminally ill, in the role. Kalon is worth a watch but lacks some of the suspense and unexpected twists of a couple of others in the Circles quartet.
Scissors
(1991)
Stone sharpens Scissors
30 April 2023
Filmed in 1990 but looking somewhat older, Scissors emphasises its aura of weirdness and abnormality right from the opening scene with the creepy storekeeper and Angela's collection of damaged dolls. Sharon Stone might not appear obvious casting as a twenty-six year old virgin, frightened of men following a childhood trauma, given hindsight of some of her subsequent roles, but it's a convincing performance in the circumstances, engaging our sympathy for her somewhat kooky character from the off. Steve Railsback is good as the two brothers in the adjoining apartment, indeed I did not realise he was playing a dual role.
Bearing some resemblance to a giallo, with red herrings - and a villain that you could kick yourself for not tumbling to earlier - Scissors held my attention throughout. Wonder if the lengthy middle sequence, with the heroine trapped in a sealed, state-of-the-art show home was suggested by the Diana Rigg Avengers episode The House That Jack Built?
Bearing some resemblance to a giallo, with red herrings - and a villain that you could kick yourself for not tumbling to earlier - Scissors held my attention throughout. Wonder if the lengthy middle sequence, with the heroine trapped in a sealed, state-of-the-art show home was suggested by the Diana Rigg Avengers episode The House That Jack Built?
The Nightcomers
(1971)
Little Horrors
29 December 2022
What first engaged me about this, was the delightfully unlikely pairing of Hollywood legend Marlon Brando and our own Thora Hird. And the latter certainly holds her own in her scenes with the great star. Brando does well as the sadistic Irish layabout, Quint, though it's a part many competent characters actors could have played just as well, with Hird's housekeeper apparently something of a symbol of Victorian repression, though it's difficult to see anyone concerned with children's welfare being happy to see them associate with such an unsavoury character as Quint - she gives a nuanced performance. Stephanie Beacham's governess is an inadequately written part and Winner's treatment of her relationship with Quint is too perfunctory. She remains something of an enigma, and to what extent, if any, she is a willing party to Quint's violent attentions remain unclear. Perhaps only Ken Russell could have made it all work. He surely would have put the sado-masochistic liaison at the heart of the film, while not losing sight of the vital theme of the corruption of the children. Period details, photography, and Jerry Fielding's score are fine, but there's a failure to gather momentum, merely a plod through scenes of varying unpleasantness. As the BBFC since the 1930's have had a statutory duty to remove incidences of animal cruelty, it is surprizing they allowed the callous treatment of the toad, especially as Quint's indifference to animal suffering is underlined by a rambling story about the mistreatment of a horse he amuses himself and the children with.
The Deadly Females
(1976)
Brief and fatal encounters
9 December 2022
Britain 1975, with the news headlines dominated by violence including mass murders by the Provisional IRA and brutal bank robberies, but also by the struggle for women's equality, the subject of a major piece of legislation that year. Donovan Winter put the two together in this ironical story of an all-female murder-to-order squad. Headed by suburban mother Joan (Tracy Reed) who agrees terms with her clients over coffee and biscuits in an up-market venue, the victim, usually a partner who has become unbearable, will be taken out with the utmost efficiency, the surroundings always left spotless into the bargain. The film was criticized for being too long and slow, but I don't mind that if on board with the subject. Taking one example, the long conversation with the fussy housewife adds to the impact when she suddenly - and literally - gets the chop. The cynical flavour is summed up by neglected wife Heather Chasen reading Live and Let Die while awaiting the call that will confirm her despised husband has been terminated. The victims range from the slightly dislikeable to the downright repellent, with the middle-aged men looking seedy, though that might just be a reflection of the haircuts of the time. There's no faulting Winter's casting including a young Rula Lenska as a mysterious character turning up in the early stages and at the end. Tracy Reed, one of those actors who never quite got the breaks, is excellent, and would surely have made an ideal Avenger in the Honor Blackman mould.
Things Happen at Night
(1948)
The girl who was possessed
8 December 2022
The last and least of the screen comedies made together by Aldwych farce duo Alfred Drayton and Robertson Hare, this is mildly amusing in its quirky way, but should have been funnier. Hare in particular has little material to work with, slightly more humour emerging from Gordon Harker's dry exchanges with Wylie Watson's butler. Francis Searle's direction is pedestrian and the night-time confrontation with the poltergeist clumsily handled though ending in quite satisfying fashion. Searle told Brian McFarlane how Drayton suffered a heart attack in the ballroom scene - missing from some prints - where Harker is being sawed in half, and to complete it had to be brought back from hospital; he can be seen lying on the floor having supposedly fainted. Can't imagine they could get away with this today.
Corruption
(1968)
Trashy but compelling
7 December 2022
It must have run through Peter Cushing's mind what on earth was he doing in a film like this. If so, his thoughts must have paralleled those of his demented surgeon, Sir John Rowan, almost as uncomfortable and out of place at the gaudy, so-late-Sixties, party as he is slaughtering women for their pituitary glands, and all down to his infatuation with Sue Lloyd's model, Lynn. While she gradually transforms into a latter day Lady Macbeth, Rowan's murders, particularly of the woman on the train, are genuinely unsettling. From there the events become all the more ludicrous, the Grand Guignol finale adding substance to the notion that it was all a nightmare, reinforced by the concluding nod to Dead Of Night. Whatever else, it's never dull and always keeps you watching. And Cushing's performance is in fact excellent and Sue Lloyd and Kate O'Mara as Lynn's sister are very good too, while Vanessa Howard is amusing as an inane partygoer. Some found McGuffie's score inappropriate, but I thought it added to the general deranged atmosphere of the piece.
The Long Wait
(1954)
The Long Wait was worth it
7 December 2022
Sure had a long wait to see this having read the book. Its last showing on UK tv seems to have been well over half a century ago prior to it turning up on the indispensable Talking Pictures yesterday. So often a film you've long wanted to see turns out a disappointment, certainly not the case here.
In one sense almost a classic Noir of an amnesiac trying to piece together his past, menaced by criminals and the law and becoming involved with four glamorous women, with the requisite Noir atmosphere enhanced by the lighting and Franz Planer's superb photography. On the other hand it also falls into the category of a lone individual taking on the crime syndicate that holds sway over the town. At the centre is a convincing, well-judged performance from Anthony Quinn as McBride, bringing what could have been a stock character to life, his quick-temper cooling as he starts to figure out what is going on. The stunning Peggie Castle, so unforgettable in the previous year's Spillane, I The Jury, features prominently in the slightly sadistic but most memorable scene toward the end.
In one sense almost a classic Noir of an amnesiac trying to piece together his past, menaced by criminals and the law and becoming involved with four glamorous women, with the requisite Noir atmosphere enhanced by the lighting and Franz Planer's superb photography. On the other hand it also falls into the category of a lone individual taking on the crime syndicate that holds sway over the town. At the centre is a convincing, well-judged performance from Anthony Quinn as McBride, bringing what could have been a stock character to life, his quick-temper cooling as he starts to figure out what is going on. The stunning Peggie Castle, so unforgettable in the previous year's Spillane, I The Jury, features prominently in the slightly sadistic but most memorable scene toward the end.
Bad Teacher
(2011)
Amy Squirrel's rival
28 November 2022
A cheerfully outlandish, crude, and vulgar comedy without pretentions to being anything else. It's not sophisticated humour and certainly no satire on education systems, making it all the more surprizing that so many reviewers have taken it somewhat seriously. Though it does fill an amusing ninety minutes or so if you're in the mood, wondering what outrageous things Cameron Diaz's preposterously inappropriate teacher will say or do next. For a few moments toward the end, it looked as if steps were being taken to redeem the character - only a few steps thankfully. Diaz is enjoyable in the part, but I thought Lucy Punch's wonderfully named Amy Squirrel, Elizabeth's nice, annoying, rival the funniest character and that a bit more could have been made of their feud.
One man against the mob
21 November 2022
Jeff Ryder is contacted by a distraught Sue Pearson who has been excluded from her law studies on the grounds that her scientist father has become 'radioactive' following an experiment. The local community are up in arms, dreading that they too will be affected, although in fact the dose he received was far too small to be harmful. They descend on the house mob-handed, headed by estimable American born character actress Tucker McGuire and including a young Ollie Reed and Steven Berkoff. It is up to Jeff to attempt to pacify them and persuade them their concerns are based on 'fear and ignorance'. A rather obvious fable given that the producer and at least one of the writers were exiles from the blacklist, but one not entirely lacking in relevance today.
Crosstrap
(1962)
Holiday home shocks
23 October 2022
A young couple have a nasty surprize to find the isolated cottage they have rented to be occupied by a murdered man and a violent gang of jewel thieves led by woman chasing psycho Duke, ably played by talented actor and author Laurence Payne. His first critically acclaimed crime novel, The Nose On My Face was published in the same year as this film was made. Jill Adams, brunette rather than her usual blonde, is the hostage he lusts after, despite having a moll in the form of glamorous Zena Marshall. Crude though it is in both characterisation and direction, Crosstrap in some ways prefigures the kind of Brit gangster movie of later decades especially when a rival gang lays siege to the cottage with ensuing mass shootout.
Based on a novel by John Newton Chance a now forgotten author who churned out dozens of crime potboilers over decades, it is at least never dull. Enjoyed most of all the driving jazz score, which couldn't get out of my head, from Steve Race, a once familiar figure on BBC television and radio.
Based on a novel by John Newton Chance a now forgotten author who churned out dozens of crime potboilers over decades, it is at least never dull. Enjoyed most of all the driving jazz score, which couldn't get out of my head, from Steve Race, a once familiar figure on BBC television and radio.
Female Fiends
(1958)
Good cast but not enough tension.
2 October 2022
Recently read the book Puzzle For Fiends and was interested to see how this adaptation compared. The scene has been switched from southern California to the south of France, but the rich suffocating decor of the Friend's mansion is accurately conveyed and for a low-budget movie, veteran Wilfred Arnold's sets are notable. One of the characters describes the rest of the Friend family as fiends at one point, a play on words which accounts somewhat for the alternative title. Casting is excellent, but the script ignores the rivalry between the glamorous duo of Selena and Marnie and the question of who is the most devious, accounting for a considerable amount of tension in the book. And for such a wordy film the full significance of the importance of the poem reading before the hellfire cult leader for example, is not adequately put over. It's watchable, but the audience, the cast, and the art director deserved something amounting to more.
The Farmer's Wife
(1941)
Amusing rural romp
2 October 2022
Basil Sydney buys a farm but doesn't do any farming as he chases three women any one of whom he believes could make a suitable wife. The story is slight with an ending that's obvious within the first ten minutes but there's plenty of fun along the way assisted by some of those wonderful British character actors and a saucy script. Have to say I loved it, though it would perhaps not be on to many others' lists of top comedies. Three of the stars, the refined and sympathetic Nora Swinburne, Patricia Roc, and Sydney himself would all appear in the rural melodrama Jassy a few years later, with the latter playing a much more malevolent version of a landowner, though with the odd similarity to his character here. Not many laughs though when the set was machined gunned by enemy aircraft one day, though no-one thankfully was seriously hurt, while Patricia Roc's on-screen romance with Michael Wilding happened for real off the set.
All In
(1936)
Cast go all out in All In
15 September 2022
Very much in the style of the Aldwych farces though not by Ben Travers, All In is an exuberant comedy, with an amusing, excellently timed performance from Ralph Lynn. It's a prime example of what an excellent director of comedies Marcel Varnel was - not only does he keep the absurd plot constantly on the move, but gets some fine playing from the experienced cast. The result is a lot more than just the film of a play. Jack Barty, perhaps known best as Mae Busch's mad butler Jitters in Oliver The Eighth, is entertaining as a wrestler who starts fighting whenever he hears a bell. Also a chance to see the enjoyable Claude Dampier in more than a cameo role. All-in wrestling in 1930's England was unlicensed and unregulated and included some unscrupulous promoters who'd try anything to keep bloodthirsty spectators watching and the film provides a flavour of this. Ralph Lynn is thrown about the ring at one point, surely beyond the call of duty.
Amusing with congenial guest stars
6 September 2022
Thoroughly enjoyed seeing this again after many years. It's delightfully silly though Phillip Levene's plot has a certain quirky logic, despite one or two anomalies. Production standards appear on the low side with the exception of Brodny's sumptuous headquarters. Responses to comedy are usually subjective and not everyone appreciates Warren Mitchell's cowardly braggart of an ambassador, (nor his turns as cab driver Marco in The Saint - he rarely did subtlety) but I enjoy them, ditto Roy Kinnear's bumbling mad scientist. Always liked Moira Lister too, most agreeable as the attractive villainess Elena and it looks as if she's really being thrown around in the well-staged fight with Diana Rigg.
Voodoo Blood Death
(1965)
No voodoo in watchable British B film.
19 August 2022
Bryant Haliday is a world-weary professional hunter who kills a lion partially wounded by a member of his party. The rest of the film follows the effects of the curse put on him by the local tribe who worship lions. There is no voodoo as such and they should have kept to the original titles, The Lion Men, or Curse of Simba, but no doubt Mr Gordon reasoned these weren't strong enough for exploitation purposes. The tribesmen, presented as savages, do respect the lions which is more than the idiots today who pay huge sums of money to hunt these magnificent animals down. Somehow big-game hunting of the past doesn't seem so bad though.
The film moves at a leisurely pace when back in England and the attempts to emulate Lewton don't really come off. The original version under review runs for 82 minutes and it's understandable that some of the later footage of Haliday's inner torment was cut. Dennis Price is good but has to little to do and Beryl Cunningham's exotic dancing is certainly captivating. Brian Fahey provides a driving score even if it's used inappropriately in places.
The film moves at a leisurely pace when back in England and the attempts to emulate Lewton don't really come off. The original version under review runs for 82 minutes and it's understandable that some of the later footage of Haliday's inner torment was cut. Dennis Price is good but has to little to do and Beryl Cunningham's exotic dancing is certainly captivating. Brian Fahey provides a driving score even if it's used inappropriately in places.
The Calendar
(1948)
Excellent version of a successful play
1 July 2022
Racing was Edgar Wallace's first love and as an owner, tipster, gambler writer and journalist he mixed with everyone connected with the sport from the highest to the lowest. THE CALENDAR, referring to the Racing Calendar, was one of his most successful plays which even recently has been described as the best play about racing ever written.
Geoffrey Kerr's screenplay loses some of the tension but accentuates the more amusing side of the story to congenial effect. One or two references to coupons and rationing to reflect the austere world of 1948 can't really disguise the play's origins in the 1920's though. The casting is excellent with the glamorous Greta Gynt as the capricious Lady Wenda gaining a large share of the contemporary publicity arrayed in a number of exotic hats. Hard to understand why Sonia Holm did not become a star as she always impressed as intelligent and very attractive, yet her career ended abruptly a few tears later and she died aged only 52 in 1974. Leslie Dwyer makes the most of Hillcott, the rascally butler and the type of amiable, working-class minor crook that was another speciality of Wallace's. John McCallum is fine in the lead and the role of the blustering idiotic Willie could have been designed for Raymond Lovell. Altogether THE CALENDAR is a minor but most entertaining example of the flowering of British cinema in the Forties.
Geoffrey Kerr's screenplay loses some of the tension but accentuates the more amusing side of the story to congenial effect. One or two references to coupons and rationing to reflect the austere world of 1948 can't really disguise the play's origins in the 1920's though. The casting is excellent with the glamorous Greta Gynt as the capricious Lady Wenda gaining a large share of the contemporary publicity arrayed in a number of exotic hats. Hard to understand why Sonia Holm did not become a star as she always impressed as intelligent and very attractive, yet her career ended abruptly a few tears later and she died aged only 52 in 1974. Leslie Dwyer makes the most of Hillcott, the rascally butler and the type of amiable, working-class minor crook that was another speciality of Wallace's. John McCallum is fine in the lead and the role of the blustering idiotic Willie could have been designed for Raymond Lovell. Altogether THE CALENDAR is a minor but most entertaining example of the flowering of British cinema in the Forties.
Tara's Ordeal
1 July 2022
One of the first Linda Thorson episodes to be filmed under the temporary auspices of John Bryce and which has survived successfully, the amusing scenes of Tara practising unarmed combat with Steed, contributed later by Brian Clemens, adding to its charm.
Despite hostility toward it from some, I think it an enjoyable outing with some scenes such as Tara's abrupt confrontation with the man in the spacesuit, classic Avengers. While Linda Thorson may have reflected that Tara's ordeal in the tunnel mirrored some of her contemporary problems with the show, including being forced to dye her hair blonde resulting in it dropping out, and various difficulties with the suits at ABC whom by all accounts were not treating her very well. Tara always triumphs in the end though and with the support of Patrick Macnee, Linda did too.
Despite hostility toward it from some, I think it an enjoyable outing with some scenes such as Tara's abrupt confrontation with the man in the spacesuit, classic Avengers. While Linda Thorson may have reflected that Tara's ordeal in the tunnel mirrored some of her contemporary problems with the show, including being forced to dye her hair blonde resulting in it dropping out, and various difficulties with the suits at ABC whom by all accounts were not treating her very well. Tara always triumphs in the end though and with the support of Patrick Macnee, Linda did too.
The Gilded Cage
(1955)
Required a stronger script
1 July 2022
Here we are again in the Fifties' world of trench-coats and trilbies and another American with a brother gone astray in London. A situation shared by John Gilling's earlier and more successful THREE STEPS TO THE GALLOWS, but THE GILDED CAGE suffers from a contrived plot which is hard to follow in places, with inconsistences in the character of its chief villain. Much to enjoy however including Stanley Black's apposite and resonant score, and Monty Berman's photography including London locations. Also the polished performance from Clifford Evans who appears to be enjoying himself whatever he may have thought of the script, while Ursula Howells, sadly to disappear early on, suggests as usual someone made of flesh and blood beneath those severely tailored outfits.
Oh, Daddy!
(1935)
Amusing Gainsborough comedy
12 June 2022
A rare chance to see the almost forgotten Leslie Henson and why he was such a popular star of his day. He is funny throughout this typically frothy comedy of the time which also spotlights the kind of entertainment to be seen in contemporary West End nightclubs. Robertson Hare and the supremely bombastic Alfred Drayton are on good form too, though the latter has little to do, while Frances Day is effervescent and fun. In actuality England didn't go in much for the likes of Purity Leagues, which reflects the story's origins from a German play.
Murder on the Set
(1935)
Double Trouble
12 June 2022
All kinds of British films are erroneously designated as 'quota quickies' on IMDb and elsewhere but this is an example of the real thing. About the only inspired piece is the opening, where a risibly acted raid on a nightclub by American gangsters turns out to be just a scene in a bad film whose director, a nasty piece of work, just happens to have a double whom is wanted for murder in the US. Henry Kendall is not very convincing in either role and the plot strains credibility throughout. Almost ten minutes of footage were missing in the American release version under review, and though can't believe they would have made much difference, it would be interesting to see what was cut and why. Cast also includes Eve Gray, once dubbed 'the most beautiful girl in British films' as the director's lover who falls foul of his double and American actor Ben Welden who spent several years in the UK in the early Thirties.
Idol of Paris
(1948)
Whips and Wicked Ladies
1 June 2022
Actually there is only one wicked lady as Beryl Baxter's Therese is virtuous throughout, despite what is sometimes claimed.
How do you rate a film like The Idol Of Paris which received a welcome big-screen outing at the BFI Southbank yesterday, its first showing in decades? Much of the story is absurd and some of the situations and dialogue pure Ernie Wise, but is hugely entertaining despite or partially because of that.
This attempt by Leslie Arliss, Maurice Ostrer and co to replicate their former triumphs at Gainsborough is chiefly remembered for its whip fight or strictly speaking duel between Therese and Cora Pearl, a highlight which is certainly executed with aplomb. One would have thought the moral outrage affected by the press at this would have guaranteed the film's success, but it was not to be.
It seems unjust that Beryl Baxter's career was stopped in its tracks, as she does everything that is required of her and makes an effective heroine. Christine Norden was surely never better than as the glamorous bitchy Cora while Miles Malleson is atypically forceful as Offenbach. Mischa Spoliansky, whose music enlivened so many British films of the time, contributes a memorable score, primarily his 'Dedication'.
How do you rate a film like The Idol Of Paris which received a welcome big-screen outing at the BFI Southbank yesterday, its first showing in decades? Much of the story is absurd and some of the situations and dialogue pure Ernie Wise, but is hugely entertaining despite or partially because of that.
This attempt by Leslie Arliss, Maurice Ostrer and co to replicate their former triumphs at Gainsborough is chiefly remembered for its whip fight or strictly speaking duel between Therese and Cora Pearl, a highlight which is certainly executed with aplomb. One would have thought the moral outrage affected by the press at this would have guaranteed the film's success, but it was not to be.
It seems unjust that Beryl Baxter's career was stopped in its tracks, as she does everything that is required of her and makes an effective heroine. Christine Norden was surely never better than as the glamorous bitchy Cora while Miles Malleson is atypically forceful as Offenbach. Mischa Spoliansky, whose music enlivened so many British films of the time, contributes a memorable score, primarily his 'Dedication'.
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