The Rough and the Smooth
| The Rough and the Smooth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Robert Siodmak |
| Written by | Robin Maugham (novel) Audrey Erskine Lindop Dudley Leslie |
| Produced by | George Minter Robert Siodmak |
| Starring | Nadja Tiller Tony Britton William Bendix Natasha Parry |
| Cinematography | Otto Heller |
| Edited by | Gordon Pilkington |
| Music by | Douglas Gamley |
Production company | George Minter Productions |
| Distributed by | Renown Pictures |
Release date | October 1959 |
Running time | 96 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
The Rough and the Smooth (US-title: Portrait of a Sinner) is a 1959 British drama film directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Nadja Tiller, Tony Britton, William Bendix and Natasha Parry. The screenplay concerns an archaeologist who has an affair with a German woman, putting his engagement to another woman in jeopardy.[1]
The film was shot at the MGM-British Studios and on location around London.[2]
It was based on the 1951 novel by Robin Maugham. It was distributed in Germany by Gloria Film. In 1961 it was given an American release by American International Pictures.
Plot[edit]
In late 1950s London, an upper-class archaeologist, Mike Thompson, (Tony Britton), by chance meets a mysterious German woman, Ila Hansen, (Nadja Tiller) in a pub. Later they share a taxi and he's dropped off at the house where he lives with his parents. They embark on a torrid love affair during which she constantly lies and deceives him and threatens to ruin his long-term relationship with his fiancée, Margaret Goreham (Natasha Parry).
Cast[edit]
- Nadja Tiller as Ila Hansen
- Tony Britton as Mike Thompson
- William Bendix as Reg Barker
- Natasha Parry as Margaret Goreham
- Norman Wooland as David Fraser
- Donald Wolfit as Lord Drewell
- Tony Wright as Jack
- Adrienne Corri as Jane Buller
- Joyce Carey as Mrs. Thompson
- John Welsh as Dr. Thompson
- Martin Miller as Piggy
- Michael Ward as Headwaiter
- Edward Chapman as Willy Catch
- Norman Pierce as Barman
- Beatrice Varley as Hotel Manageress
- Myles Eason as Bobby Montagu-Jones
- Cyril Smith as Taxi Driver
- Geoffrey Bayldon as Ransom
Reception[edit]
According to Kinematograph Weekly the film performed "better than average" at the British box office in 1959.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ "The Rough and the Smooth (1959)". BFI | Film & TV Database. 16 April 2009. Archived from the original on 14 January 2009. Retrieved 4 February 2010.
- ^ Encounter with Siodmak Taylor, Russell. Sight and Sound; London Vol. 28, Iss. 3, (Summer 1959): 180.
- ^ Billings, Josh (17 December 1959). "Other better-than-average offerings". Kinematograph Weekly. p. 7.
External links[edit]
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