A Matter of Murder
| A Matter of Murder | |
|---|---|
.jpg) | |
| Directed by | John Gilling |
| Written by | John Gilling |
| Produced by | Sam Lee Roger Proudlock |
| Starring | Maureen Riscoe John Barry Charles Clapham Ivan Craig |
| Cinematography | S.D. Onions |
| Music by | George Melachrino |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Grand National Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 59 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
A Matter of Murder is a 1949 British second feature ('B')[1] crime film directed and written by John Gilling and starring Maureen Riscoe, John Barry, Charles Clapham, Ian Fleming and John Le Mesurier.[2][3]
Plot
[edit]Mild-mannered bank clerk Geoffrey Dent is persuaded by his nagging, gold-digging girlfriend, Laura, to embezzle money. When an attempt is made on Laura's life, Geoffrey runs away with the cash to avoid being blamed. With the killer and a detective hot on his heels, Geoffrey hides out in a Cheltenham boarding house, where he becomes the murderer's next intended victim.
Cast
[edit]- John Barry as Geoffrey Dent
- Maureen Riscoe as Julie McKelvin
- Charles Clapham as Col Peabody
- Ivan Craig as Tony
- Ian Fleming as Det Sgt McKelvin
- Sonya O'Shea as Laura Wilson
- Peter Madren as Sgt Bex
- John Le Mesurier as Ginter
- Sam Lee as Cullen
- Blanche Fothergill as Miss Budge
Production
[edit]The film was made by Vandyke Productions at Viking Studios, and on location at a former girls' school in Kensington dressed as a boarding house, and Paddington Station.[1]
Reception
[edit]Kine Weekly wrote: "Stilted acting and dialogue remove the edge from many intended thrills. Very moderate quota offering."[4]
Picturegoer wrote: "Characters are drawn from stock, with a provincial boarding house setting, and the drama as a whole is most ingenuous. Maureen Riscoe is quite good as the heroine, but the rest of the cast hardly comes up to scratch."[5]
In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Tatty programme-filler."[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: BFI/Bloomsbury. p. 122. ISBN 978-1-8445-7319-6.
- ^ "A Matter of Murder". British Film Institute Collections Search. Retrieved 11 November 2024.
- ^ "A Matter of Murder (1950)". Archived from the original on 21 December 2016.
- ^ "A Matter of Murder". Kine Weekly. 394 (2223): 24. 8 December 1949 – via ProQuest.
- ^ "A Matter of Murder". Picturegoer. 19: 17. 9 April 1950 – via ProQuest.
- ^ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 229. ISBN 0-7134-1874-5.