The Ringer.

All directors have to start somewhere and many honed their skills on British B-movies. This included Guy Hamilton who eventually became best known for helming four James Bond movies. He also directed the British cult movie The Party’s Over in 1962 and Len Deighton’s spy drama Funeral in Berlin (1966). Hamilton previously worked as an assistant director to Carol Reed on two films 1948’s Fallen Idol and 1949’s award winning The Third Man. It was Reed that got Hamilton his first directorial position on The Ringer (1952) a B-movie that did nothing to hide Reeds influence! 

 

Herbert Lom, Denholm Elliott and Mei Zetterling.

This classy adaptation of one of Edgar Wallace’s best-known stories is about an elusive international criminal known as the Ringer. Originally reported to have died in Australia he is now believed to be alive in London. Because of the mysterious drowning of his sister Gwenda, who was left in the care of the unscrupulous criminal lawyer Maurice Meister, Scotland Yard warn Meister that his life is in danger and mount a guard around his house. An alarm system is set up and steel bars fixed to all the downstairs windows. It is suspected that the Ringer, whose beautiful wife has turned up, must be one of the close circle around Meister as no one can get into the house. Or can they? 

 

The beautiful Greta Gynt with Donald Wolfit  

This excellent new transfer from Network does credit to both the look of the film and the great cast that appears in this B-movie. Herbert Lom as always plays the slimy villain in the guise of Maurice Meister with the style we have come to expect from this great actor, Lisa a houseguest of the lawyer is played by the Swedish born Mai Zetterling who appeared in Desperate Moments opposite Dirk Bogarde in 1953, the Ringer’s wife is Oslo born Greta Gynt, another international actress that made many British movies including Three Steps in the Dark (1953). Also on screen are other well known names including Donald Wolfit as a police doctor, William Hartnall as a small time crook, and Denholm Elliott and a 29 year old Dora Bryan. A unique example of the British B-movie at its best, and with its gradual build up of tension and its surprise ending would certainly pass muster as the main feature. 

Trailer.

The Party’s Over

Guy Hamilton, born in Paris to English parents, learnt his directorial trade working as an assistant to Carol Read on movies like The Third Man (1949) he went on to direct, amongst many other things, four James Bond movies between 1964 and 1974 and the more down to earth spy drama written by Len Deighton, which starred Michael Caine as Harry Palmer, the1966 classic Funeral in Berlin. In 1962 he directed the controversial cult movie The Party’s Over, which in fact was not released until 1965 and because of the mauling it got in the editing stage Hamilton withdrew his name from the film. The problem at the time was the inadvertent scenes of necrophilia that proved far to sensational for the Rank Organisations respectable image! Again thanks to BFI’s Flipside series (See Joanna (1968) and Lunch Hour (1963)) we have a chance to see this film in all its uncut spender!

In all honesty these days its content would not raise an eyebrow. The somewhat melodramatic story involves a group of intellectual dropouts known collectively as “beatniks”. These self-indulgent degenerates came from the middle classes and above and tended to live for the moment without giving a thought for anyone or anything (a bit like Thatcherism?) The rich, spoilt American Melina (Louise Sorel) is attracted to the life style, catching the attention of the group’s contemptuous and scornful leader Moise (the equally contemptuous and scornful Oliver Reed) which in turn invites jealousy from other members of the group both male and female: two tragic deaths result. On its release critics and audiences alike rejected it but now in hindsight it’s like other films of the sixties, fascinating with a certain period charm. The film also boasts a great John Barry soundtrack, which for Jazz lovers is a real bonus.