Director Gilliat pulls off a great film despite some loose ends that are hard to tie, as much as insurance investigator, Oliver Branwell (Jack Hawkins) tries to do it. One of them is Tricksie, the poodle pooch that appears once, then is looked for, and is not mentioned or seen again... but that is minor stuff.
The really good thing is that this noir doubles very effectively as a whodunnit, in the search for the murderer of Morton (Dennis Price) and the arsonist that sets fire to the mansion.
The cast is fantastic: even Bernard Miles, Christopher Lee, and Malcolm and Geoffrey Keen surface in small but high quality roles. Hawkins is as dependable and well-spoken as ever, stunning Arlene Dahl simply steals the show.
Excellent cinematography by Gerald Gibbs, including recurring nightmare sequence that does much to link the action together.
Recommended viewing.
The really good thing is that this noir doubles very effectively as a whodunnit, in the search for the murderer of Morton (Dennis Price) and the arsonist that sets fire to the mansion.
The cast is fantastic: even Bernard Miles, Christopher Lee, and Malcolm and Geoffrey Keen surface in small but high quality roles. Hawkins is as dependable and well-spoken as ever, stunning Arlene Dahl simply steals the show.
Excellent cinematography by Gerald Gibbs, including recurring nightmare sequence that does much to link the action together.
Recommended viewing.