Hell Is Sold Out

Last updated

Hell Is Sold Out
"Hell Is Sold Out" (1951).jpg
Lobby card
Directed by Michael Anderson
Screenplay by
Based onHell Is Sold Out
by Maurice Dekobra
Produced by Raymond Stross
Starring
Cinematography Jack Asher
Edited byHazel Wilkinson
Music by Hans May
Production
company
Zelstro Productions [1]
Distributed by
Release date
  • 23 July 1951 (1951-07-23)
Running time
85 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£70,000 [2]

Hell Is Sold Out is a 1951 British drama film directed by Michael Anderson and starring Mai Zetterling, Herbert Lom and Richard Attenborough. [1] The film is based on the novel of the same name by Maurice Dekobra. [3] It was the first producing credit from Raymond Stross. [2]

Contents

Plot

A Swedish-born woman, Valerie Martin, posing as the widow of French Resistance novelist Dominic Danges, ensconces herself at his home after the end of the Second World War, and after having written under his name "Hell is Sold Out", a best selling novel. She did this after finding that the last book published under his name was a republication of her diary, "Boundless Ecstasy", found by his publisher among his writings when he was thought dead; he had been taken prisoner during the war.

He returns home. The tangle ensues putting the reputations of all involved at risk because there is interest in the book to be serialized, made into a film, and reshape his reputation in the US as a former ladies man. They argue and in order to return to Sweden, she calls on Pierre Bonnet, a fellow prisoner of Dominic. She confesses to Pierre that she and Dominic are unmarried, and does not want Dominic to know of her whereabouts. A love triangle develops when Pierre falls in love with her. [1] [4]

Pierre falls ill due to shrapnel in his head, and she is found out when she encounters Dominic in Pierre's room. Dominic lets known that he is not the author of the best seller. Dominic and Pierre have a heart to heart. Pierre misleads Valerie into believing that Dominic has dedicated his latest work to her. They reconcile.

Cast

Release

The film is on Blu-ray. [5] Amazon.com released the film on DVD on 31 August 2010. [6]

Critical reception

TV Guide wrote, "despite the portentous title, this is a farce, and a good one at that." [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mai Zetterling</span> Swedish actress (1925–1994)

Mai Elisabeth Zetterling was a Swedish film director, novelist and actress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Herbert Lom</span> Czech-British actor (1917– 2012)

Herbert Charles Angelo Kuchačevič ze Schluderpacheru, known professionally as Herbert Lom, was a Czech-British actor with a career spanning over 60 years. His cool demeanour and precise, elegant elocution saw him cast as criminals or suave villains in his younger years, and professional men and nobles as he aged. Highly versatile, he also proved a skilled comic actor in The Pink Panther franchise, playing the beleaguered Chief Inspector Charles Dreyfus in seven films.

<i>The Devil and Daniel Mouse</i> 1978 television special directed by Clive A. Smith

The Devil and Daniel Mouse is a 1978 Canadian animated Halloween television special, based on the 1936 short tale The Devil and Daniel Webster by Stephen Vincent Benét. The Devil and Daniel Mouse is the second television special co-produced by the Canadian animation firm Nelvana Ltd.

<i>Jane Eyre</i> (1996 film) 1996 film directed by Franco Zeffirelli

Jane Eyre is a 1996 romantic drama film adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's 1847 novel Jane Eyre. This Hollywood version, directed by Franco Zeffirelli, is similar to the original novel, although it compresses and eliminates most of the plot in the last quarter of the book to condense it into a two-hour film.

<i>Mr. Topaze</i> 1961 British film by Peter Sellers

Mr. Topaze is a 1961 British film directed by Peter Sellers and starring Sellers, Nadia Gray, Leo McKern, and Herbert Lom. It was Sellers' directorial debut. The screenplay was written by Pierre Rouve based on the 1928 playTopaze by Marcel Pagnol.

<i>The Phantom of the Opera</i> (1962 film) 1962 British film by Terence Fisher

The Phantom of the Opera is a 1962 British horror film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Herbert Lom, Heather Sears and Edward de Souza. The screenplay was by Anthony Hinds loosely adapted from the novel of the same name by Gaston Leroux. The film was made by Hammer Film Productions but was a financial disappointment.

<i>Quartet</i> (1948 film) 1948 British anthology film

Quartet is a 1948 British anthology film with four segments, each based on a story by W. Somerset Maugham. The author appears at the start and end of the movie to introduce the stories and comment about his writing career. It was successful enough to produce two sequels, Trio (1950) and Encore (1951), and popularised the compendium film format, leading to films such as O. Henry's Full House in 1952.

<i>Only Two Can Play</i> 1962 British film by Sidney Gilliat

Only Two Can Play is a 1962 British comedy film directed by Sidney Gilliat starring Peter Sellers, Mai Zetterling and Virginia Maskell. The screenplay was by Bryan Forbes, based on the 1955 novel That Uncertain Feeling by Kingsley Amis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anne Heywood</span> British actress (1931–2023)

Anne Heywood was a British film actress, who is best known for her Golden Globe-nominated performance in the 1967 film version of D.H. Lawrence's The Fox.

<i>Dance Little Lady</i> 1954 British film by Val Guest

Dance, Little Lady is a 1954 British drama film directed by Val Guest and starring Terence Morgan, Mai Zetterling, Guy Rolfe and Mandy Miller. The screenplay was by Guest and Doreen Montgomery from a story by R. Howard Alexander and Alfred Dunning.

<i>The Crowded Day</i> 1954 British film by John Guillermin

The Crowded Day is a 1954 British comedy drama film directed by John Guillermin and starring John Gregson, Joan Rice, Cyril Raymond and Josephine Griffin. The screenplay was by Talbot Rothwell based on a story by John Paddy Carstairs and Moie Charles. The film follows a group of shopgirls working in Bunting and Hobbs, a London department store, during the Christmas shopping season. It was an attempt by Adelphi Films to move into bigger budgeted films. It was the last movie Guillermin directed for the company.

<i>The Bad Lord Byron</i> 1949 film by David MacDonald

The Bad Lord Byron is a 1949 British historical drama film about the life of Lord Byron. It was directed by David MacDonald and starred Dennis Price as Byron with Mai Zetterling, Linden Travers and Joan Greenwood.

<i>The Ringer</i> (1952 film) 1952 British film by Guy Hamilton

The Ringer is a 1952 British mystery film directed by Guy Hamilton and starring Herbert Lom, Donald Wolfit, Mai Zetterling, Greta Gynt, William Hartnell, and Denholm Elliott. The screenplay was by Lesley Storm and Val Valentine. It was Hamilton's directorial debut and the third English-language sound version of Edgar Wallace's 1929 play based on his 1925 novel The Gaunt Stranger. The previous adaptations were in 1928 (silent), 1931, 1932 (Germany-Austria), and 1938.

<i>The Card</i> (1952 film) 1952 British film by Ronald Neame

The Card is a 1952 British comedy film version of the 1911 novel by Arnold Bennett. In America, the film was titled The Promoter. It was adapted by Eric Ambler and directed by Ronald Neame. It stars Alec Guinness, Glynis Johns, Valerie Hobson, and Petula Clark. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Sound.

<i>Frieda</i> (film) 1947 British film

Frieda is a 1947 British drama film directed by Basil Dearden and starring David Farrar, Glynis Johns and Mai Zetterling. Made by Michael Balcon at Ealing Studios, it is based on the 1946 play of the same title by Ronald Millar who co-wrote the screenplay with Angus MacPhail. The film's sets were designed by the art directors Jim Morahan and Michael Relph.

<i>Portrait from Life</i> 1948 British film by Terence Fisher

Portrait from Life is a 1948 British drama film directed by Terence Fisher and starring Mai Zetterling, Robert Beatty and Guy Rolfe.

<i>Star of India</i> (film) 1954 film

Star of India is a 1954 British-Italian swashbuckling adventure film directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Cornel Wilde, Jean Wallace, Herbert Lom, and Walter Rilla. It was shot at the Riverside Studios in London and on location in Aosta. The film's sets were designed by the art director Cedric Dawe. It was released in the United States in April 1956 by United Artists.

<i>The Lost People</i> 1949 British film by Muriel Box and Bernard Knowles

The Lost People, also known as Cockpit, is a 1949 British drama film directed by Muriel Box and Bernard Knowles and starring Dennis Price, Mai Zetterling and Richard Attenborough. It was written by Bridget Boland based on her 1948 play Cockpit.

Raymond Stross was a British film producer.

<i>The Girls</i> (1968 film) 1968 Swedish drama film by Mai Zetterling

The Girls is a 1968 Swedish drama film directed by Mai Zetterling, starring Bibi Andersson, Harriet Andersson and Gunnel Lindblom. It is a feminist reinvention of the ancient Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes, and revolves around a theatre group which sets up the play.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Hell is Sold Out". British Film Institute . Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 "The producer - Raymond Stross". The Kensington News and West London Times. 20 March 1953. p. 3.
  3. Goble, Alan (1999). The Complete Index to Literary Sources in Film. London, Melbourne, Munich. and New Providence, New Jersey: Bowker-Saur. ISBN   9783598114922.
  4. Richard Attenborough Collection (4 movies on 2 DVDS): Featuring, 'Hell is Sold Out', 'Sea of Sand', 'Boys in Brown', and 'Morning Departure' ". WWW.VCIEntertainment.com.
  5. "Hell Is Sold Out". Blu-ray. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  6. "Hell Is Sold Out". Amazon.com . Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  7. "Hell Is Sold Out". www.tvguide.com.