Murder Without Crime: Difference between revisions
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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Following a bitter row, writer Stephen Holt ([[Derek Farr]]) walks out on his wife Jan ([[Patricia Plunkett]]) and goes to drown his sorrows at a nightclub. A drunken Steve ends up returning home with the club's wily hostess, Grena ([[Joan Dowling]]). Just then Jan calls, and announces she's returning that night to the flat. Steve attempts to get rid of Grena, but a fight ensues and he believes he's killed her. He quickly hides the body in an ottoman. Downstairs, the suave and sinister [[landlord]] Matthew ([[Dennis Price]]) hears the disturbance and goes to investigate. Matthew suspects the edgy Steve is hiding something, and during the night continually taunts his tenant. Stephen eventually confesses, but rather than calling for the police the landlord blackmails his tenant for an extortionate rent, and reveals his long-held affection for his tenant's wife.<ref name="britmovie1">{{cite web|url=http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Murder-Without-Crime_1950/ |title=Murder Without Crime 1950 | Britmovie | Home of British Films |publisher=Britmovie |date= |accessdate=2014-04-04}}</ref> |
Following a bitter row, writer Stephen Holt ([[Derek Farr]]) walks out on his wife Jan ([[Patricia Plunkett]]) and goes to drown his sorrows at a nightclub. A drunken Steve ends up returning home with the club's wily hostess, Grena ([[Joan Dowling]]). Just then Jan calls, and announces she's returning that night to the flat. Steve attempts to get rid of Grena, but a fight ensues and he believes he's killed her. He quickly hides the body in an ottoman. Downstairs, the suave and sinister [[landlord]] Matthew ([[Dennis Price]]) hears the disturbance and goes to investigate. |
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Matthew suspects the edgy Steve is hiding something, and during the night continually taunts his tenant. Stephen eventually confesses, but rather than calling for the police the landlord blackmails his tenant for an extortionate rent, and reveals his long-held affection for his tenant's wife.<ref name="britmovie1">{{cite web|url=http://www.britmovie.co.uk/films/Murder-Without-Crime_1950/ |title=Murder Without Crime 1950 | Britmovie | Home of British Films |publisher=Britmovie |date= |accessdate=2014-04-04}}</ref><ref>MURDER WITHOUT CRIME |
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Picture Show; London Vol. 56, Iss. 1454, (Feb 10, 1951): 12.</ref> |
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==Cast== |
==Cast== |
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Author: C. H. Date: Tuesday, May 21, 1935 |
Author: C. H. Date: Tuesday, May 21, 1935 |
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Publication: Daily Mail p 6</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141763575 |title=LITERARY NOTES |newspaper=[[The Australasian]] |volume=CXXXIX, |issue=4,526 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=5 October 1935 |accessdate=22 August 2020 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref> |
Publication: Daily Mail p 6</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article141763575 |title=LITERARY NOTES |newspaper=[[The Australasian]] |volume=CXXXIX, |issue=4,526 |location=Victoria, Australia |date=5 October 1935 |accessdate=22 August 2020 |page=6 |via=National Library of Australia}} </ref> |
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''Murder without Crime'' played in London in 1942. The ''New York Time'' said "the play's quality consists not in its crude and obvous plot but in the character drawing of the sadistic neighbour."<ref>LONDON LETTER: Eight New Theatrical Productions Are Opening Within Nine Days |
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Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES New York Times 9 Aug 1942: X1.</ref> The play was very successful in there was interest in other productions, in part because the play only required four actors and one set. In November 1942 it was optoined by an American producer.<ref>GOSSIP OF THE RIALTO: Twentieth Century-Fox Considers a Stock Company as a By-Product GOSSIP OF THE RIALTO |
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New York Times (1923-Current file); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]22 Nov 1942: X1. </ref> |
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The play had a production in the US 1945 as ''Murder without Crime'' starring [[John Carradine]]. It did not reach New York.<ref>CLASSIC READINGS BEGIN TOMORROW New York Times 15 Dec 1945: 23</ref> |
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=Production== |
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Thompson laucher his career as director with th movie.<ref>Obituary of J Lee Thompson Director of Guns of Navarone and other films of derring-do |
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The Daily Telegraph; 3 Sep 2002: 25. </ref> |
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==Critical reception== |
==Critical reception== |
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''Variety'' said it was "not a potential for the US market."<ref>[https://archive.org/details/variety181-1951-02/page/n76/mode/1up?q=%22lee+thompson%22 Review of film] at Variety</ref> |
''Variety'' said it was "not a potential for the US market."<ref>[https://archive.org/details/variety181-1951-02/page/n76/mode/1up?q=%22lee+thompson%22 Review of film] at Variety</ref> |
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The ''Los Angeles Times'' praised its "gripping, dark mood."<ref>BRASH, SUBTLE CRIME STORIES NOW SHOWING |
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Los Angeles Times (1923-1995); Los Angeles, Calif. [Los Angeles, Calif]05 July 1951: B8. </ref> |
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*Britmovie noted a "slick noirish thriller atmospherically directed by J. Lee Thompson."<ref name="britmovie1"/> |
*Britmovie noted a "slick noirish thriller atmospherically directed by J. Lee Thompson."<ref name="britmovie1"/> |
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*''[[TV Guide]]'' wrote the film "suffers from a stagy presentation that never lets the celluloid medium take over...Thompson is content to present only a visually simplistic recording of the play. The dialog doesn't work well on screen, often drawing unintentional laughs. Despite the film's overriding weaknesses, it was an enormous hit in London's West End."<ref name="tvguide1"/> |
*''[[TV Guide]]'' wrote the film "suffers from a stagy presentation that never lets the celluloid medium take over...Thompson is content to present only a visually simplistic recording of the play. The dialog doesn't work well on screen, often drawing unintentional laughs. Despite the film's overriding weaknesses, it was an enormous hit in London's West End."<ref name="tvguide1"/> |
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Revision as of 07:23, 29 October 2020
| Murder Without Crime | |
|---|---|
.jpg) UK theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | J. Lee Thompson |
| Written by | J. Lee Thompson (play and screenplay) |
| Produced by | Victor Skutezky |
| Starring | Dennis Price Derek Farr Patricia Plunkett Joan Dowling |
| Cinematography | William McLeod |
| Edited by | Edward B. Jarvis |
| Music by | Philip Green |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Associated British-Pathé |
Release date | October 1950 (UK) |
Running time | 80 min. |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | £83,825 (UK)[1] |
Murder Without Crime is a 1950 British crime film directed by J. Lee Thompson (his first film) and starring Dennis Price, Derek Farr and Patricia Plunkett.[2] J. Lee Thompson also wrote the screenplay adapted from Double Error, his own successful West End play.[3]
Plot
Following a bitter row, writer Stephen Holt (Derek Farr) walks out on his wife Jan (Patricia Plunkett) and goes to drown his sorrows at a nightclub. A drunken Steve ends up returning home with the club's wily hostess, Grena (Joan Dowling). Just then Jan calls, and announces she's returning that night to the flat. Steve attempts to get rid of Grena, but a fight ensues and he believes he's killed her. He quickly hides the body in an ottoman. Downstairs, the suave and sinister landlord Matthew (Dennis Price) hears the disturbance and goes to investigate.
Matthew suspects the edgy Steve is hiding something, and during the night continually taunts his tenant. Stephen eventually confesses, but rather than calling for the police the landlord blackmails his tenant for an extortionate rent, and reveals his long-held affection for his tenant's wife.[4][5]
Cast
- Matthew – Dennis Price
- Stephen – Derek Farr
- Jan – Patricia Plunkett
- Grena – Joan Dowling
Double Error
Double Error is a 1935 British play by J. Lee Thompson. It had a run in the West End when Thompson was only 18 years old.An article from this time about the play said he had written 40 plays already, including four in between his first two staged plays. The play led to a job offer for Thompson to write scripts, launching his career.[6] The Daily Mail called it "a gripping thriller".[7][8]
Murder without Crime played in London in 1942. The New York Time said "the play's quality consists not in its crude and obvous plot but in the character drawing of the sadistic neighbour."[9] The play was very successful in there was interest in other productions, in part because the play only required four actors and one set. In November 1942 it was optoined by an American producer.[10]
The play had a production in the US 1945 as Murder without Crime starring John Carradine. It did not reach New York.[11]
Production=
Thompson laucher his career as director with th movie.[12]
Critical reception
Variety said it was "not a potential for the US market."[13]
The Los Angeles Times praised its "gripping, dark mood."[14]
- Britmovie noted a "slick noirish thriller atmospherically directed by J. Lee Thompson."[4]
- TV Guide wrote the film "suffers from a stagy presentation that never lets the celluloid medium take over...Thompson is content to present only a visually simplistic recording of the play. The dialog doesn't work well on screen, often drawing unintentional laughs. Despite the film's overriding weaknesses, it was an enormous hit in London's West End."[3]
- In The New York Times Bosley Crowther noted "a harmless, and, for the most part, pleasurable, addition to the horror-with-a-twist genre."[15]
References
- ^ Vincent Porter, 'The Robert Clark Account', Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television, Vol 20 No 4, 2000 p493
- ^ "Murder without Crime | BFI | BFI". Explore.bfi.org.uk. Archived from the original on 12 July 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Murder Without Crime Review". Movies.tvguide.com. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ a b "Murder Without Crime 1950 | Britmovie | Home of British Films". Britmovie. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
- ^ MURDER WITHOUT CRIME Picture Show; London Vol. 56, Iss. 1454, (Feb 10, 1951): 12.
- ^ Picture Gallery Date: Wednesday, May 22, 1935 Publication: Daily Mail p 19
- ^ Author of 40 Plays at 19 Author: C. H. Date: Tuesday, May 21, 1935 Publication: Daily Mail p 6
- ^ "LITERARY NOTES". The Australasian. Vol. CXXXIX, , no. 4, 526. Victoria, Australia. 5 October 1935. p. 6. Retrieved 22 August 2020 – via National Library of Australia.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) - ^ LONDON LETTER: Eight New Theatrical Productions Are Opening Within Nine Days Wireless to THE NEW YORK TIMES New York Times 9 Aug 1942: X1.
- ^ GOSSIP OF THE RIALTO: Twentieth Century-Fox Considers a Stock Company as a By-Product GOSSIP OF THE RIALTO New York Times (1923-Current file); New York, N.Y. [New York, N.Y]22 Nov 1942: X1.
- ^ CLASSIC READINGS BEGIN TOMORROW New York Times 15 Dec 1945: 23
- ^ Obituary of J Lee Thompson Director of Guns of Navarone and other films of derring-do The Daily Telegraph; 3 Sep 2002: 25.
- ^ Review of film at Variety
- ^ BRASH, SUBTLE CRIME STORIES NOW SHOWING Los Angeles Times (1923-1995); Los Angeles, Calif. [Los Angeles, Calif]05 July 1951: B8.
- ^ Crowther, Bosley (26 December 1951). "Movie Review – Distant Drums – THE SCREEN: SIX NEWCOMERS ON HOLIDAY FARE; 'Distant Drums,' Starring Gary Cooper, at the Warner- Hope Film at Globe". NYTimes.com. Retrieved 4 April 2014.
External links
- Murder Without Crime at IMDb
- Double Error at Reel Streets
- Murder without crime at Letterbox DVD
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