Eyewitness (1956 film)
| Eyewitness | |
|---|---|
.jpg) British 1-sheet poster | |
| Directed by | Muriel Box |
| Written by | Janet Green |
| Produced by | Sydney Box |
| Starring | Donald Sinden Muriel Pavlow Belinda Lee Michael Craig |
| Distributed by | Rank Organisation |
Release date | 14 August 1956 |
Running time | 82 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Eyewitness is a 1956 British thriller film directed by Muriel Box and starring Donald Sinden, Muriel Pavlow, Belinda Lee, Michael Craig, Nigel Stock and Richard Wattis. It was made by the Rank Organisation.[1][2] [3]
Plot
After an argument with her husband, Lucy Church storms out of her house and goes to see a film at the local cinema. While coming back from making a phone call, she stumbles across the office where she witnesses the murder of the cinema manager by two criminals Wade and Barney who are in the process of robbing the cinema's safe. When they pursue her, she is struck by a bus and is taken to hospital. Unable to leave the town until they know what has happened to her, the two robbers head to the hospital to observe her. Meanwhile her husband Jay Church has grown concerned and scours the town searching for her.
At the hospital the medical staff attend to Lucy and place her in a quiet ward although she has yet to regain consciousness. Wade, watching from the nearby shrubbery realises that if she lives she would be able to identify him and he would be hanged for murder and he decides to murder her in spite of the protests of his partner, Barney, who has grown disillusioned with his sinister intent. Wade is uninterested and beats him. He several times tries to enter the hospital to suffocate her but is repeatedly foiled, by the watchfulness of an elderly patient and a series of interruptions by the nurse's boyfriend, an expectant father and the watchman and dog on their rounds.
Eventually, Wade assumes the disguise of a hospital orderly and takes Lucy to the operating theatre where he plans to murder her – only to be prevented by the sudden reappearance of Barney, his associate.
Cast
- Donald Sinden – Wade
- Muriel Pavlow – Lucy Church
- Belinda Lee – Nurse Penny Marston
- Michael Craig – Jay Church
- Nigel Stock – Barney
- Susan Beaumont – Probationary Nurse
- David Knight – Mike
- Ada Reeve – Mrs Hudson
- Avice Landone – Night sister
- Richard Wattis – Anesthetist
- George Woodbridge – Hospital securityman
- Gillian Harrison – Molly
- Nicholas Parsons – House Surgeon
- Leslie Dwyer – Henry Cannon, expectant father
- Anna Turner – Mrs. Hays
- Anthony Oliver – Podge
Production
The lead role of a murderer was a change of pace for actor Donald Sinden, who did extensive research for the part, modelling his performance on Neville Heath.[4]
Critical reception
TV Guide gave the film two out of five stars, noting "a nice little thriller by the Sydney and Muriel Box team" ;[5] while Britmovie wrote, "the minor suspenser has several threads but unfurls with a good sense of timing and provides both excitement and light-hearted moments of humour. Donald Sinden, a rather bland leading man, successfully attempts a very different character role, conveying all the ruthlessness of the cold-blooded killer. There’s also a fine supporting role from Nigel Stock as a deaf safe-breaker." [2]
References
- ^ sol- (8 March 1957). "Eyewitness (1956)". IMDb.
- ^ a b "Eyewitness". britmovie.co.uk.
- ^ "Eyewitness (1956)". BFI.
- ^ "NEW DEAL FOR STAR". The Australian Women's Weekly. National Library of Australia. 4 April 1956. p. 52. Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- ^ "Eyewitness". TVGuide.com.
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