The Shop at Sly Corner (1947)

 

 

 

This is a surprisingly interesting little film. Directed by George King, from a successful play by Edward Percy, it tells the story of Desius Heiss (Oscar Homulka) ...

Oscar Homulka

... an expatriate French antiques dealer with a dark secret. Unknown to his violinist daughter Margaret (Muriel Pavlow) ...

Muriel Pavlow

... and her fiancée Robert (Pavlow's real-life husband Derek Farr) ...

Derek Farr

... Heiss settled in London after escaping the French penal colony, Devil's Island, and continues in his criminal ways. His antiques shop functions as a front for his work as a 'fence', buying and selling stolen jewellery from his accomplice Corder Morris (Manning Whiley):

Manning Whiley

So far so good for Heiss, except for the intervention of  Archie Fellows (Kenneth Griffith), his camp and creepy shop assistant:

Kenneth Griffith

When he learns the truth, things take a turn for the worse ...

Kenneth Griffith

... ending in murder, accidental death and suicide. If you want to know who lives and who dies, you'll just have to buy a copy of the DVD!

 

Griffith is perfect for the role. He sneaks around the shop, hiding in the shadows and immediately showing himself to be untrustworthy. He also played the role on stage and in a BBC television version of the play that was broadcast in 1946. He went on to become a familiar face on both film and television. His first film role was in 1941 and he last appeared on screen in the TV series 'Holby City' in 2003. In 1994 he even appeared in the film 'Four Weddings and a  Funeral' in a role credited as 'Mad Old Man - Wedding One'. He was also a successful documentary maker and vocal supporter of Irish Republicanism which reportedly earned him death threats from loyalist groups.

 

Manning Whiley

Right from the start the film has the stylings of a 'Film Noir' thriller - all rain, raincoats, hats and smoking in the shadows.

Manning Whiley

However, thematically it doesn't really deserve the 'Noir' label. Instead, it's more a tale of the morals of revenge and the rights and wrongs of the decisions taken to protect both the innocent and the guilty. One of those facing a moral dilemma is Derek Farr's character Robert, who has to choose between lying or telling the truth as he begins to learn more about the mystery.

 

This struggle between right and wrong is a common theme for some of Derek Farr's roles during the late 1940s. In 'Murder Without Crime' Farr plays a good man whose mistakes drag him towards the hangman's rope and in 'Double Confession' he is again a good man, but with a dark past, who risks everything to get revenge against an old criminal associate. Yet, in all three roles, Farr is redeemed and restores his respectability. If I was a lecturer in film studies, I might say that Farr's roles were allegorical: made in the post-war period, Farr plays the role of the respectable everyman. His struggles with right and wrong, and the necessity to do wrong in the pursuit of right, are a metaphor for the actions of ordinary British men in wartime, reflecting their slow return to civilian life. This is emphasised by Farr's role in 'Sly Corner' as a Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve officer, recently returned from the Far East, and awaiting demob:

Derek Farr

But I'm not a film studies lecturer, so I won't say it .... oops!

 

What the late 1940s would have known was that the costuming shown that Robert (Farr) was the good character compared to the low-life Archie. We see Archie in his wide shouldered suit and similar overcoat, both badges of someone who is, in the language of the time, 'flash' and a bit of a 'wide boy' - it's the uniform of the wartime spiv:

 

Compare that to Robert, with his single breasted suit, smooth shoulders and low closing, modern two-button jacket:

 

Another hint for distinguishing the good guys from the bad  guys in this film comes from their hats. Both Archie and the jewel theif Corder Morris wear a trilby with a high crown but low at the back ...

 

... unlike Robert, whose hat is more conventionally shaped:

 

 

'The Shop at Sly Corner' is also notable for the first onscreen appearance of sixteen year old Diana Dors as Archie's girlfriend:

Diana Dors



Diana Dors

Diana Dors & Kenneth Griffith

 

Also look out for:

 

Garry Marsh

Irene Handl

Jan Van Loewen

 
Johnnie Schofield

Kathleen Harrison

Katie Johnson

 

Currently available on DVD:

 

 

 

 

Murder Without Crime (1950)

"Blood & Rouge: What an odd combination."

 

 

 

Directed by J. Lee Thompson (who later went on to direct Guns of Navarone, Ice Cold in Alex and Cape Fear) from his own stageplay, Murder Without Crime betrays its theatrical origins with a limited cast - effectively just four main characters - and a handful of locations. Despite these limitations,  it remains a highly effective slice of British film noir.

Derek Farr

It has a number of typical noir ingredients - the fall guy, the glamorous femme fatale who charms lure the fall guy into committing the crime, the manipulator and the wronged woman. Not only that, but it also has the more obvious ingredients - namely cast members smoking in the shadows:

Derek Farr

And just in case you didn't realise that its a wanna-be American crime thriller, the director gives us an American accented voice over at the start and end of the film. It doesn't need it, but it makes sure the audience realises they are on familiar territory.

"Here's success and failure; hope and despair. I know you've heard it all before ... but quite close to us, walking by now, or gazing at the lights, riding in one of those buses or cars, perhaps there's someone who is heading for a calamitous and climactic night."

The story follows Stephen (Derek Farr) ...

Derek Farr

... a once successful author whose ideas have dried up and is struggling produce anything anyone wants to read. His haughty wife Jan (Patricia Plunkett) - who only married him "as an ideal" - has had enough of his failure and his dalliances with other women and is ready to leave:

Patricia Plunkett

Their relationship is complicated by the presence downstairs of their landlord, Matthew (Dennis Price) ...

Dennis Price

... a rather dissolute and slimy individual who happily lets himself into their flat to sneak around when they are out. And he just happens to be in love with Jan. Regardless of whether or not he’s actually the bad guy, you want him to be.

 

Jan’s decision to leave sparks a downward spiral in which Stephen drinks himself senseless ...

Derek Farr

Derek Farr & Joan Dowling

... and ends up in the flat of a young Soho nightclub hostess, the curiously named Grena (Joan Dowling). The description of her as a girl of a with "a weakness for vulgar transatlantic jargon" combined with the sight of her sucking lollipops in a Soho nightclub, tells the audience all they need to know about her:

Joan Dowling

After checking out her underwear ...

Derek Farr

... he begins to feel guilty and returns home, Grena follows him and that’s when everything starts to go wrong. And when Matthew intervenes things get even more complicated.

 

The film’s restricted settings means that the film is rendered visually impressive, without the need for a large budget. The typically ‘noir’ use of darkness and shadows also helps it maintain a stylish appeal. And most importantly, the twist wasn't what I was expecting: that's always a bonus.

 

And you’ve got to love Derek Farr’s belted overcoat without buttons, that is held closed simply by its belt and has an unusual – and rather stylish – flapped breast pocket.

Derek Farr

Derek Farr

The film also includes a wonderful description of London's Golders Green Area: "all crematoriums and not a pub for miles."

 

Currently available from Network DVD:

 



Paranoiac (1963)

 

Oliver Reed

When we think of Hammer Films it is nearly always their legendary output of 'gothic horrors' that we immediately think of. However, apart from their early output, when it comes to style and suspense, Hammer's handful of contemporary psychological thrillers from the early to mid 1960s far outweigh all but the very best (i.e. the 1958 Dracula) of their Transylvanian tales. I know that one should put the Draculas and Frankensteins into their correct historical context as groundbreaking colour horror films that thrilled their audiences but when viewed today, even the most ardent horror fans has to admit they just appear weak.

 

So it is with real pleasure that I have finally been introduced to the joys of films such as Paranoiac, The Nanny and Taste of Fear. These are films that have stood the test of time and retain their ability to shock an audience.

Like Taste of Fear, Paranoiac has a seaside setting, is all about imposters and focuses on the psychology of someone suffering from the trauma of loss. It tells the story of a brother and sister, Simon and Eleanor Ashby (Oliver Reed and Janette Scott) whose younger brother Tony committed suicide following he death of their parents. Or did he?

Following a church service to remember their lost family ...

Janette Scott, Lilianne Brousse and Sheila Burrell

... a mysterious figure appears in the churchyard ...

... who later appears to the increasingly fragile Eleanor in the garden of their home:

Alexander Davion

 

Is it Tony, back from a watery grave, or an imposter? If it is an imposter has he been sent by Simon to drive Eleanor mad, allowing him to inherit all the family fortune, or by someone else?

Eleanor is certainly teetering on the brink of madness, she is fragile and has her own nurse who is - of course - Simon's lover. She also has a bedside manner that raises the viewer's suspicions.

Janette Scott

Janette Scott

Liliane Brousse & Janette Scott

But if Simon has brought an imposter into their home to drive his sister mad, what's tipping Simon over the edge?

Alexander Davion & Oliver Reed

Oliver Reed

Is it simply his boozing and reckless disregard for money?

Oliver Reed

Or is it the trauma of the loss of his parents and his brother? Then there's Aunt Harriet (Sheila Burrell) and her obsession with the family name and reputation. Simon seems to be a little bit too interested in her for anyone's good.

And who - or what - is in the spooky disused chapel, playing the organ?

 

 If you've read other posts on this blog, you'll know I'm not going to answer that question. The best way to find out is simple: buy the DVD and find out for yourself.

The film is stylish, creepy and puts you on the edge of your seat (and over the edge at one point). In other words, it does what a psychological thriller is supposed to do.

Others appearing include:

Maurice Denham

 

 

Harold Lang:

 

John Bonney: