Powell was dismissive of this stage adaptation, about a murder at a society party, which was foisted on him by Gaumont-British boss Michael Balcon. While it may betray its stage origins, it’s more fun than Powell suggested, with inventively staged scenes, and characterful performances from its fine ensemble cast – including repeat collaborators Leslie Banks and Ian Hunter, alongside the scene-stealing Ernest Thesiger.
Up Next in BFI Restorations
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Her Last Affaire
Powell’s adaptation of Walter Ellis’s successful play was the most prestigious production he had made to date. A ‘society drama’ involving suspicion, clandestine romance and presumed murder, its cast of accomplished stage actors are nonetheless entirely upstaged by the glorious comic doub...
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Children
The opening film in Terence Davies' powerful Liverpool-set Trilogy introduces Robert Tucker as a withdrawn young boy, bullied at school and terrorised by a violent father. His strict Catholic upbringing hinders his sexual awakening and as a young man he's still living at home with his mother. A v...
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Madonna and Child
The second instalment of Terence Davies' masterful Trilogy finds Robert Tucker in middle age, with the clash of religion and sexuality taking its toll. A depressed loner who takes the ferry across the Mersey to work as an office clerk, Robert is haunted by nightmares of his own death and tormente...
