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The Man in Black (film)

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The Man in Black
"The Man in Black" (1949).jpg
handbill poster
Directed by Francis Searle
Written by John Gilling
from a story by Francis Searle
from the radio series by John Dickson Carr
Produced by Anthony Hinds
Starring Betty Ann Davies
Sheila Burrell
Sid James
Anthony Forwood
Valentine Dyall
Cinematography Cedric Williams
Edited byJohn Ferris
Ray Pitt
Music by Frank Spencer
Production
company
Distributed by Exclusive Films
Release date
  • January 1950 (1950-01)
Running time
75 minutes [1]
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Man in Black is a 1950 British second feature ('B') [2] thriller film produced by Hammer Films, directed by Francis Searle and starring Betty Ann Davies, Sid James, Sheila Burrell, and Anthony Forwood, with Valentine Dyall in the title role. [3] [4] It was written by John Gilling from a story by Searle, which in turn was based on the popular British radio series Appointment with Fear by John Dickson Carr which featured Valentine Dyall as "The Man in Black". [5] Dyall provides the on-screen introduction to the film. [6] Jimmy Sangster was the assistant director. This was the first film Hammer ever produced at Oakley Court. Production began on 8 Aug. 1949, and the film was released in January 1950 (in UK only). As this film was in production, James Carreras traveled to the United States to sign a distribution deal with Robert L. Lippert which resulted in Hammer's films being better distributed in the US in the early 1950s. [7]

Contents

Plot

The ill and fragile millionaire, Henry Clavering, a yoga enthusiast and collector of Oriental objects, organises an evening to display his ability to go into a Yogic trance. He tells his audience that any noise could bring about his death. A picture falls from the wall and he slumps over in his chair and is pronounced dead. His daughter Joan Clavering returns to the home of her widowed stepmother Bertha. While Henry's will bequeaths £5000 to Bertha, he has left the vast bulk of his fortune, of around a quarter of a million pounds including his house and estate, to Joan, with the proviso that if she becomes mentally incapacitated in some way, her affairs shall be conducted by Bertha and her daughter Janice (from an earlier marriage). Bertha conspires with Janice and Janice's fiancé Victor to drive Joan insane. Hodson, who was Henry's faithful butler/gardner, tries to expose their scheme, but after he is accidentally killed by Victor, Victor hides his body in the family vault in an empty coffin he finds there. Joan tells Bertha and Janice that she is psychic and has received some messages from Henry from beyond the grave, and she sets up a séance to prove it. During the séance, Henry appears in person, having successfully used his yogic abilities during his display to simulate his death, and he reveals that he deliberately set up the situation because he suspected what Bertha and Janice would do. The police arrive and Joan is reunited with her father.

Cast

Critical reception

The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote: "Preposterous melodrama from the radio series. Betty Ann Davies and Sheila Burrell, as the most transparent villainesses since Lady Audley, are good for a number of laughs, but this was not, presumably, the intention." [8]

TV Guide wrote, "The story is drivel, with some unintentionally campy plot developments. It was adapted from a British radio series, perhaps proving that some dramas are better heard than seen." [9]

Fantastic Movie Musings and Ramblings wrote, "One of Hammer's earlier forays into horror. This one is highly recommended." [10]

Leonard Maltin called it a "clever little thriller with some surprises and a rare noncomic role for James." [5]

In British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959 David Quinlan rated the film as "mediocre", writing: "Ridiculous chiller at least moves along a fair rate." [11]

References

  1. ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 43. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  2. ↑ Chibnall, Steve; McFarlane, Brian (2009). The British 'B' Film. London: British Film Institute/Bloomsbury. p. 76. ISBN   978-1-8445-7319-6.
  3. ↑ "The Man in Black". British Film Institute. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  4. ↑ "Man in Black". Britmovie. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014.
  5. 1 2 "Man in Black, The (1949) - Overview - TCM.com". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 16 October 2023.
  6. ↑ "MAN IN BLACK, THE (1949)". Otrdvd.co. Retrieved 12 March 2014.[ permanent dead link ]
  7. ↑ Johnson, Tom (1996). Hammer Films: An Exhaustive Filmography. North Carolina: McFarland. p. 45. ISBN 0-7864-0034-X.
  8. ↑ "The Man in Black". The Monthly Film Bulletin . 17 (193): 10. 1 January 1950. ProQuest   1305811148.
  9. ↑ "The Man in Black Review". Movies.tvguide.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  10. ↑ "Fantastic Movie Musings & Ramblings - MAN IN BLACK (1949)". Scifilm.org. Archived from the original on 1 December 2008. Retrieved 12 March 2014.
  11. ↑ Quinlan, David (1984). British Sound Films: The Studio Years 1928–1959. London: B.T. Batsford Ltd. p. 227. ISBN   0-7134-1874-5.
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