The underrated Hy Hazell on the left. |
This whodunit murder mystery is
reputed to be one of Corsair Pictures finest B-movies. When a beautiful young
artists model Stella Smith is found strangled in her bed, Scotland Yard find
themselves with three suspects. Firstly there's her ex-husband Martin Soames
played by the sinister Elwyn Brook-Jones, secondly we have a sexually disturbed
artist (Ballard Berkeley) and finally her violent new boyfriend Clayton Hawkes
(character actor John Bailey) who because of service in WW2 is prone to
blackouts. The only way that Scotland Yard is going to catch the killer is to
set a trap with the help of Theodore Castle played by Hy Hazell an actress that
was almost never asked to extend her obvious acting talent beyond some quite
mediocre parts (see also Yellow
Balloon 1953).
Based on an original story by
Roger Burford and adapted for the screen by Corsair Pictures in house
screenwriter Brock Williams The Night Won't Talk (1952) was
directed by Daniel Birt who was best known for his very first feature film The Three Weird Sisters made in 1948. He
was originally a respected editor in pre WW2 British films before he became a
documentary maker for Sydney Box's Verity Films prior to making feature films.
Reverting to B-movies before his early death in 1955 at the age of 48. The DOP
was Brendon Stafford who had a busy if not an especially distinguished career
spending most of his post war livelihood shooting B-movie’s and TV series
including Danger Man and The Prisoner. Gilbert Vinter composed
music for the film.
Filmed
at the Viking Studio 1-5 St Mary Abbots Place Kensington London and on location
in and around Kensington and Chelsea its certainly a film of its time with
lines like 'the girl asked for it'
when the police are discussing the murder of Stella Smith and the modelling
work she was involved in, not politely correct by today's standards that's for
sure! But harmless pulp fiction all the same with a typical woman scorned
narrative.
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