Witness in the Dark
| Witness in the Dark | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Wolf Rilla |
| Screenplay by | Leigh Vance John Lemont |
| Based on | an original play by James Parish |
| Produced by | Norman Williams |
| Starring | Patricia Dainton Conrad Phillips Madge Ryan Nigel Green |
| Cinematography | Brendan J. Stafford |
| Edited by | Bernard Gribble |
| Music by | Philip Green |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Rank Film Distributors (UK) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 62 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Witness in the Dark is a 1959 British crime drama film directed by Wolf Rilla and starring Patricia Dainton, Conrad Phillips, Madge Ryan, and Nigel Green.[1][2]
Premise
Blind telephone operator Jane Pringle (Patricia Dainton) is present when her neighbour, elderly Mrs. Temple (Enid Lorimer), is murdered by an intruder (Nigel Green) searching for a jewelled brooch. On the staircase, Jane accidentally brushes against the killer. Later, when Jane inherits the valuable brooch from Mrs. Temple, she finds herself targeted by the intruder.
Cast
- Patricia Dainton as Jane Pringle
- Conrad Phillips as Inspector Coates
- Madge Ryan as Mrs. Finch
- Nigel Green as the Intruder
- Enid Lorimer as Mrs. Temple
- Richard O'Sullivan as Don Theobald
- Stuart Saunders as Mr. Finch
- Noel Trevarthen as Sergeant Jones
- Maureen O'Reilly as Sophie Trellan
- Ian Colin as Superintendent Thompson
- Larry Burns as Carter
- Ann Wrigg as Woman Neighbour
- Frazer Hines as Newsboy
Critical reception
The Radio Times wrote, "Coming between Bachelor of Hearts and Village of the Damned, this is one of Wolf Rilla's lesser efforts. However, he conjures up a pleasing sense of menace that anticipates Wait until Dark as he subjects blind telephonist Patricia Dainton to the murderous machinations of a prowler. As so often in thrillers of this kind, much depends on contrivance and the script might have concealed its hand with a little more artfulness. But Dainton's performance is superior to that seen in the majority of British Bs";[2] TV Guide on the other hand, found it "Standard and predictable," though agreed that "Dainton gives a nice performance";[3] while NoirWorthWatching described the film as "efficiently directed," and concluded that it "in many ways is more of a movie than its 62-minute length might suggest. Very much worth watching."[4]
References
- ^ "Witness in the Dark (1959) - Wolf Rilla - Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related - AllMovie". AllMovie.
- ^ a b "Witness in the Dark – review - cast and crew, movie star rating and where to watch film on TV and online". Radio Times.
- ^ "Witness In The Dark". TVGuide.com.
- ^ "WITNESS IN THE DARK (1959)". noirworthwatching.blogspot.co.uk.