The Dark Man (film)
| The Dark Man | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | Jeffrey Dell |
| Produced by | Julian Wintle |
| Written by | Jeffrey Dell |
| Starring |
Edward Underdown Maxwell Reed Natasha Parry William Hartnell Barbara Murray |
| Music by | Hubert Clifford |
| Cinematography | Eric Cross |
| Edited by | Geoffrey Muller |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | General Film Distributors |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 91 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Dark Man (AKA Man Detained) is a 1951 British black and white thriller film, written and directed by Jeffrey Dell, and starring Edward Underdown, Maxwell Reed and Natasha Parry.[1]
Plot
The film opens with ruthless killer The Dark Man (Maxwell Reed) murdering Mostyn, a petty criminal, at a farm house in a lonely wood. He shoots the taxi driver who drove him to Mostyn’s farm house, as he would be able to identify the Dark Man. But this murder is witnessed by a passerby: Molly (Natasha Parry), a young actress. The Dark Man now seeks to kill her as well. The police are called, and Inspector Viner (Edward Underdown) is put on the case. He soon develops romantic feelings for Molly. Meanwhile, the Dark Man continues to stalk his prey, and is foiled in an attempt to strangle Molly at her home, but for how much longer can he be outwitted? [2][3]
Cast
- Edward Underdown - Detective Inspector Jack Viner
- Maxwell Reed - The Dark Man
- Natasha Parry - Molly Lester
- William Hartnell - Superintendent Of Police
- Barbara Murray - Carol Burns
- Cyril Smith - Samuel Denny
- Leonard White - Detective Evans
- Johnny Singer - The Adjutant
- Geoffrey Sumner - Major
- Sam Kydd - Sergeant Major
- Geoffrey Bond - Walsham Police Sergeant
- Gerald Andersen - Walsham Police Inspector
- Betty Cooper - Carol's Mother
- Robert Long - Charles Burns
- Grace Denbeigh-russell - Hotel Proprietress
- Norman Claridge - Doctor
- John Hewer - Taxi Driver
Critical reception
The New York Times wrote, "this Julian Wintle production often stirs up a fair amount of suspense and absorption, chiefly because of the efficient direction of Jeffrey Dell, an excellent performance by Edward Underdown, as a detective, and a painless round-up of typical British "types" in minor roles. But the scenario is a meandering affair overbalanced with too many sneering close-ups of its culprits, and...anything but suggestive of the banner of the distributors, Fine Arts Films, Inc.";[4] while Allmovie noted, "the plot is nothing new, though the settings--a provincial repertory theatre, a military rifle range--are rather novel";[5] and Britmovie thought, "Edward Underdown is clearly too old to be the young policeman and love interest, but brooding Maxwell Reed is very effective as the shadowy ‘Dark Man’." [6]
References
- ↑ "The Dark Man". BFI. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ↑ "The Dark Man". Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ↑ "The Dark Man (1951) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ↑ http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9A06E3D7173AE23BBC4E51DFB3668389649EDE
- ↑ "The Dark Man (1951) - Trailers, Reviews, Synopsis, Showtimes and Cast - AllMovie". AllMovie. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
- ↑ "The Dark Man". Retrieved 17 October 2014.