The Man in Black (1949) Directed by Francis Searle
Crime / Thriller
Film Review
Appointment with Fear was one
of the most successful radio series made by the BBC. It ran from
1943 to 1955 and at the height of its popularity it spawned this
somewhat pedestrian thriller made by the minor (at the time)
British film company Hammer in 1949. The film's title is taken
from the character that would ominously introduce each episode, the Man
in Black, memorably voiced by Valentine Dyall. It's a pretty
feeble device for what is a laughably drab thriller but it has a few
saving graces, most notably Dyall's habitually sinister introduction and Sid James faring
admirably in a straight dramatic role, long before he became one of the
UK's best loved comic actors (most famous now
for his Carry On films of
the 1960s and '70s). The incomparable James aside, the performances are
pretty mediocre and some incredibly poor diction (the effort of
speaking appears too much for some members of the cast) renders large
chunks of the dialogue pretty well unintelligible. Francis Searle
makes a decent stab at directing this forgettable Hammer offering, but
hampered by an idiotic plot and a conspicuously tight budget, his
efforts are largely wasted.
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Film Synopsis
Henry Clavering is a rich and successful businessman who has become obsessed
with his own mortality. During a Yoga demonstration, he manages to
send his mind momentarily out of his body, but in doing so he dies, leaving
his entire estate to his daughter Joan. His greedy wife Bertha is of
the opinion that the money is rightfully hers and so she conspires with her
own daughter Janice to drive her stepdaughter insane, thereby causing her
to breach the terms of her inheritance. The plan starts to come unravelled
when Janice's opportunistic fiancé Victor Harrington begins pursuing
Joan, with the intention of persuading her to marry him...
Script: John Dickson Carr, John Gilling, Francis Searle (story)
Cinematographer: Cedric Williams
Music: Rupert Grayson, Frank Spencer
Cast: Betty Ann Davies (Bertha Clavering),
Sheila Burrell (Janice),
Sid James (Henry Clavering),
Anthony Forwood (Victor Harrington),
Hazel Penwarden (Joan),
Valentine Dyall (Story-Teller),
Courtney Hope (Mrs. Carter),
Mollie Palmer (Elsie),
Laurence Baskcomb (Sandford),
Gerald Case (Doctor)
Country: UK
Language: English
Support: Black and White
Runtime: 80 min
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